In our hyper-connected world, 90% of multiple device owners switch between different screens everyday, using an average of three combinations to complete a task. Customers now expect business to provide seamless, consistent and personalized experience not just across the devices but also across all the different communication channels. The shift towards constant connectivity has paved the way to many more consumer moments enabling us to be much more relevant. This has enforced business to leverage multiple communication channels that are preferred and actively used by the customers instead of just one touch point.

As the need for seamless shopping continues to rise, over 90% of retailers and brands have already implemented or intend to make investments in an omni-channel strategy. According to the Harvard Business review , 73% of customers prefer shopping through more than a single channel. Business that still rely on a single channel of communication, will eventually fall back struggling to keep up with the growing demands of the modern age consumers. This has spurred a need for delivering a high quality experience across the multiple touch points of the customer’s journey through their buying process and beyond. Due to this emphasis on a customer-centric approach through various communication channels, this has given rise to the concept of Omnichannel customer experience.

In this blog, we will dive in to understand omni-channel messaging, why it is important for your business and explore how omnichannel messaging can enhance customer experience.

Let us get started with understanding omni-channel messaging.

Omni-channel messaging is a pivotal aspect of omni-channel marketing. It is a vital customer communication strategy that integrates different communication channels like social media, SMS, in-app messaging and more, into a single unified system.

Now imagine Aisha, a customer browsing through your brand’s website. She initiates an enquiry about a product on your in-app live chat. She then finds an ad for the same product while scrolling through her instagram and sends you a DM for more details. She then decides to proceed to checkout on your website to buy the product, however she encounters an issue during the checkout process. She quickly reaches out to your customer support via Whatsapp. Your agent is able to resolve the issue promptly because he has full context of the customer’s interactions throughout the buying journey.

Across different touch points be it in-app live chat on your website or your mobile application or via your social media or messaging apps, customers like Aisha experience a smooth, cohesive and interconnected journey. Each of the interactions adds up to their positive experience, ensuring that they receive personalized support and service tailored to their needs without losing context as they seamlessly switch between the different channels. This highlights the essence of an omni-channel customer experience.

An Omni-channel approach focuses on helping a business map the customer persona and take into account what journey a customer would take with your brand across various channels and devices. Based on which, you can strategize how to create exceptional customer experience throughout the buyer’s journey.

As a business, have you also encountered the terms - Multi-channel messaging and cross-channel messaging in addition to omni-channel messaging and thought if all these are similar? Though these terms may seem similar, all the three represent different levels of integration and experience through the communication channels.

Multi-channel messaging is where a business uses several separate communication channels like social media, email, phone support, to bring a product or service to a customer. Offering different channels implies there are different ways of making contact. But these sales channels are not connected and are organized independently. For example, customers can contact your business from your social media ad campaign or from your in-app live chat but the communication or the information cannot be continued across the channels. This requires each of your team to analyze different data for each channel.

Cross-channel messaging links multiple channels but does not offer a fully seamless experience. There might still be gaps in the flow of information across the channels, meaning not all the channels are fully aware of the customer interactions. For example, You send a promotional discount code to your customer via SMS, that can be availed on a purchase from your website. However, when the customer contacts you through your in-app live chat support because the code is not applying, if your support team is unaware of the SMS interaction, this gap in the information flow hinders the customer experience.

Omnichannel messaging however, offers a holistic approach towards providing a completely integrated communication ecosystem for an enhanced customer experience.

It helps break down silos between the communication channels to create a unified customer experience. This allows your customers to communicate with your business much more effectively, providing a consistent and personalized omni-channel experience across different customer channels. This means that whether your customers reach you through social media messaging from their phone, from your in-app live chat, or even via SMS, the customer experience remains cohesive and interconnected without losing context of your previous customer interactions.

According to the state of connected customer report by Salesforce , 80% of the customers prioritize experience as much equally as the product or service offered by a business. This even more highlights the role of omni-channel messaging in meeting the needs of the modern age consumers and enhancing their overall experience with brands. Let us explore the benefits that omni-channel messaging offers to enhance customer experience.