Today’s market is increasingly tech-savvy. We’ve come beyond simply making online transactions. Now, we expect our online interactions to be as interconnected as our offline activities.

To adapt, businesses must create an omnichannel customer experience that ensures a frictionless customer journey.

In this article, I’ll discuss how you can increase your sales and boost brand loyalty using this strategy.

Does your marketing also need work? I can help.

I’m a business coach and marketing expert who can ensure your marketing messaging aligns with your omnichannel strategy. Connect with me, Nora Sudduth, today to get started.

What is Omnichannel Customer Experience?

An omnichannel customer experience ensures continuity in customer engagement regardless of platform, app, or device.

Let’s say you own a SaaS business. Here’s how an omnichannel CX may look:

A potential customer:

• Gets attracted to your brand messaging on Instagram, 
• Gets directed to your website to learn more about your products,
• Connects with a live agent to schedule a product demo and,
• Receives a personalized email highlighting the benefits and use cases of your product. 

Each of these customer touchpoints happens on different platforms, but they are all interconnected and follow a smooth drop-off from one channel to the next. 

The main goal is to lead the customer further in the sales journey using all available platforms and ensuring that the customer experience is cohesive and unified. 

Omnichannel vs. Multi-Channel Customer Experience

An omnichannel customer experience uses multiple channels in a synchronized and interconnected way so that customer engagements follow a smooth flow regardless of the platform being used.

It also helps keep your messaging consistent when connecting with clients on various channels.

On the other hand, a multi-channel customer experience utilizes various platforms that are not necessarily in sync with one another. 

For instance, a customer engages with your business via a chatbot on your website. But their chat history doesn’t get stored in a centralized database.

So when the same customer later interacts with, say, your Facebook account, they will have to start a new conversation instead of continuing from the previous touchpoint.

Omnichannel Customer Experience Examples

See how these brands create an omnichannel environment for their customers:

Apple

The Apple ecosystem is one of the best examples of an omnichannel experience. Their products are designed for seamless connectivity.

If you receive a text message on your iPhone but don’t want to leave your desk, you can view and respond to it on your Mac. Out on a morning run? You can still view that text on your Apple Watch. Photos and files on your iPhone also get automatically synced to your Mac. 

And that’s barely scratching the surface. Users also have a hassle-free experience when purchasing a new Apple device. All the data from your previous device gets synced to your new device in a matter of minutes, thanks to iCloud.

Spotify

Like Apple, Spotify is another brand with an impressive omnichannel environment for its users.

All your data, including your music preferences, recently played songs, and artists you follow, are synced across all devices. This allows you to have an uninterrupted music streaming experience on mobile, desktop, and the web.

If you’re listening on mobile and want to switch to your desktop, it automatically detects the app currently in use and lets you switch with the click of a button. Whatever song you were listening to continues on your app of choice.

Spotify also creates playlists and recommends songs based on your activity across devices so you can discover new music hassle-free.

Benefits of Investing in an Omnichannel Strategy

Wondering whether an omnichannel CX strategy is worth it? 

These are the benefits you get to enjoy when you make the shift:

Increased Customer Satisfaction

An omnichannel experience allows customers to transition smoothly from one touchpoint to the next, addressing major friction areas.

Take a simple chat interaction, for instance. Customers don’t want to keep repeating themselves when engaging on different platforms or talking to multiple people. 

In fact, according to a Zendesk report, over 70% of consumers “expect conversational care” or interactions that flow like a natural conversation, even when talking to different customer service agents.

Better Customer Retention

The happier your customers are, the better their chances of staying with you.

One survey shows that businesses that implement an omnichannel CX strategy have 91% higher customer retention rates.

Deeper Understanding of Customer Behavior

Synchronizing all customer touchpoints requires investing in a CRM or centralized database that lets you gather and analyze customer behavior more efficiently.

This not only ensures seamless interactions but also provides insights like:

• Where do your customers prefer to engage
• Common friction areas
• Most attractive key marketing messages

These insights will enable you to refine your strategy further.

Boosts Sales

An omnichannel experience allows customers to go from one stage of the sales journey to the next with as little friction as possible.

Customers are also able to resolve issues and finish intended transactions quickly.

And it shows on the bottom line. A study by McKinsey & Company found that companies that provide a better customer experience gain a 2 to 7% increase in revenue.

How to Create an Omnichannel Customer Experience

Follow these steps to build an omnichannel customer experience strategy from scratch:

1. Synchronize Customer Data

Start by gathering customer data. You can do this using analytics and surveys. 

Store the data in a centralized hub that is accessible across devices and platforms, ensuring continuity in all customer interactions.

2. Plot the Customer Journey

Examine the customer journey, focusing on drop-off points and friction areas. 

The goal is to create a seamless experience from one device or platform to another, as well as from online to offline interactions.

To ensure all gaps are covered, ask yourself, “What issues can I solve for the customer at every touchpoint?”

3. Design a Unified Process

Once the customer journey and all drop-off points are clear, you can design a cohesive process that captures every audience segment and takes them through the complete sales journey.

Invest in technology such as CRM, chatbots, and channel integrations that allow customers to transition from one platform to another hassle-free.

4. Craft a Consistent Messaging Strategy

Maintain a cohesive brand message by finding the right balance between keeping your messaging consistent and being flexible enough to adapt to different platforms. 

For example, you may need to tweak your communication styles depending on the platform, but your brand personality and core message must remain the same.

Need help with crafting a message strategy? Let me work with you on a consistent brand message that captures your audience and nudges them further in the sales journey. Schedule a discovery call with me today.

5. Monitor and Refine Your CX

Track CX strategy performance in real-time, especially during the early stages of implementation. This will help you spot gaps in your workflows and create timely solutions.

You’ll want to pay close attention to key performance indicators like conversion rates, customer retention rates, customer satisfaction, and more.

How to Improve Omnichannel Customer Experience

No CX strategy is perfect on the first go, so make sure you’re constantly reviewing its performance.

Here are some tips that should help you refine your omnichannel strategy:

Continuously Gather Customer Data

Trends come and go, and your customers will evolve as market shifts take place. Make sure that your data is up-to-date so you can adapt quickly.

Examine Processes from a Consumer POV

To better understand customer preferences, it can be helpful to take an end customer’s point of view of your process. 

There might be areas that look complete and seamless to you but that your customers find problematic.

Take note of things like stages where customers typically stop engaging.

Prioritize Efficiency

Customers want fast, accurate, and hassle-free processes. Design your workflows to ensure you deliver that to your customers without overburdening your team.

For example, recent trends in customer experience show a higher inclination toward using chatbots that provide increasingly human-like support. These allow customers to finish common transactions quickly without the help of a live agent.

Personalize Customer Experience

In a tech-heavy market where we’re interacting increasingly with robots, ensure customer engagements still feel human and personal.

This shows customers that you care about them, not just how they impact your bottom line.

Practical ways to ensure this include using customer data and a centralized user history to keep interactions conversational.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Check these commonly asked questions on omnichannel CX here:

What Defines a Good Omnichannel Customer Experience?

Two main things define a good omnichannel CX:

• Seamless drop-offs from one customer touchpoint to another
• Consistent messaging across all platforms

To create a compelling message strategy, you can opt for my brand messaging services, which will articulate a cohesive brand story and adapt it for various channels.

What are the Best Omnichannel Customer Experience Tools? 

To implement an omnichannel strategy, you need a data hub and customer relationship management (CRM) software that integrates various apps and tools.

Some of the most widely used CRMs are Zendesk and HubSpot.

What Role Does Personalization Play in Omnichannel Customer Experience?

Personalization is crucial in ensuring a positive customer experience. 

A personalized omnichannel strategy keeps interactions natural and conversational, as well as shows customers that you know who they are and understand what they want.

It’s seen in the little details, like calling customers by their nickname or first name and knowing their previous transactions.

Conclusion

An omnichannel customer experience strategy is an excellent way to shape a frictionless customer journey.

To implement it for your business, ensure that all customer data is stored in a centralized hub and synchronized across all platforms, create a unified customer process, and craft a compelling brand message.

If you’re struggling with your messaging, I can work with you on conveying a compelling brand story that you can adapt to multiple platforms. Book a discovery call with me today.