Omnichannel: how to improve communication with customers

Modern businesses often have several channels of communication with customers — chat on Viber, Instagram page, website — this increases the reach of the potential target audience, but can increase the load on operators if the channels are not connected to each other. For example, if a customer buys something online and then comes to the store to pick up the item, in the context of multichannel communication, they are treated as a new customer. As a result, the salesperson does not know their preferences and needs and has to start communicating with them from scratch.

This problem is solved by omnichannel marketing — an approach to business and communications in which a company uses channels of communication with its target audience that are integrated into a single system. No matter where the customer writes — in messengers, by email, or in person at the store — all information about them and their orders goes into a single database. In this article, we will take a closer look at what omnichannel is, what advantages it offers companies, and what tools Jedi Desk offers to implement it.

What is omnichannel and how does it change business

Omnichannel is a strategy for building a unified customer experience across all available channels of communication and interaction with the brand: social networks, messengers, email, chatbots on the website, and so on. A customer can start a purchase on the website, continue it through a mobile app, and complete it in an offline store — while the data and interaction history are stored in the operator's database and taken into account at every stage.

The benefits of omnichannel for business are enormous:

1. A deeper understanding of consumer behaviour. The operator knows in advance what tone of voice to use with a particular customer and what offers may interest them.
2. Strengthening customer loyalty. The target audience appreciates it when a company remembers their preferences — notifies them of birthday promotions, does not try to resell a product that has already been rejected, and makes successful comprehensive offers.
3. Improving service levels. Omnichannel marketing is one of the main tools that guarantees consumer loyalty through a personalised approach.
4. Reducing the workload on operators. Company employees spend less time building communication with customers, clarifying delivery addresses, and resolving issues with orders that have already been placed.

The introduction of omnichannel changes the approach to company management: companies integrate CRM, marketing platforms, analytics systems, and sales channels into a single ecosystem, which is successfully facilitated by Jedidesk products. The result is guaranteed conversion growth by reducing ‘friction’ along the customer journey.

Omnichannel vs. multichannel: what's the difference?

Omnichannel and multichannel are similar but different terms:

1. Multichannel simply means having several channels of interaction: website, social media, email, offline store. These channels operate in parallel and are not connected to each other.
2. Omnichannel is the integration of all channels of interaction into a single system, where the customer receives the same experience regardless of the point of contact. It can be said that omnichannel is the next step in the development of the ‘customer-seller’ chain after multichannel.

For example, in multichannel, a buyer can leave a request on the website and call the call centre, but the operator will not see their previous activity. In omnichannel, the company employee immediately understands what products the customer has already viewed, what questions they have asked in the chat, and what stage the transaction is at — all of which helps to quickly orientate themselves and better meet the needs of the target audience.

How omnichannel affects marketing and retail

Omnichannel marketing is an important tool for increasing target audience loyalty, where combining several communication channels guarantees new opportunities:

• building personalised advertising campaigns and offers based on previous experience;
• accurate customer segmentation — marketers offer premium segments to some customers and cool promotional offers to others;
• automation of trigger communications (for example, an abandoned shopping cart in the app creates a reminder in the messenger about the unfinished purchase).

Omnichannel retailing is particularly important: shoppers can order online through various communication channels, from social networks to websites, and pick up their purchases at an offline location (click & collect), receive uniform bonuses and discounts across any channel, and much more. This reduces the barriers between e-commerce and traditional retail.

Omnichannel tools: how to combine communication channels

To understand the structure of omnichannel using examples, imagine a unified network that combines:

• your brand's official website;
• a branded mobile app;
• offline points of sale;
• messengers such as Viber and Telegram;
• social networks such as Instagram and Facebook;
• an online call centre and technical support;
• email newsletters and other points of interaction.

Jedidesk tools help you build a unified network with a common database for each customer. You can use a modern CRM system for this purpose — with the simplest and most intuitive interface, instant operation without delays, and an affordable service price.

Omnichannel strategy: implementation and application

The stages of omnichannel implementation can be described as follows:

1. Analysis of customer needs. You need to break down omnichannel into examples and understand which communication channels your target audience uses most often.
2. Audit of current channels. This helps to identify fragmented processes and understand which weak points to pay attention to.
3. System integration. You can combine CRM, ERP, analytics and marketing tools with Jedidesk.
4. Creation of a unified customer profile — all information about the buyer will be pulled into it.

That's it: all you have to do is train your team and periodically optimise the system — Jedidesk specialists will help you at any stage.

Omnichannel for online stores

Omnichannel principles are especially valuable for e-commerce:

• customers can find a product on Instagram, add it to their basket in the app and complete the purchase on the website;
• you can combine online and offline sales — for example, show the availability of goods in nearby stores;
• personalisation increases the likelihood of repeat purchases.

Omnichannel for online stores is an opportunity to increase the average cheque and improve customer retention (LTV).

Omnichannel is the future of customer communications

The future of communications is a transition from ‘channels’ to unified ecosystems of interaction, where the brand accompanies the customer throughout the entire journey, from initial contact to after-sales service. Implement Jedidesk's omnichannel services now and you will quickly see results.