{"id":13529,"date":"2020-06-10T15:41:27","date_gmt":"2020-06-10T20:41:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/?p=13529"},"modified":"2020-06-10T15:41:27","modified_gmt":"2020-06-10T20:41:27","slug":"omnichannel-customer-service-in-e-commerce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/omnichannel-customer-service-in-e-commerce\/","title":{"rendered":"Omnichannel Customer Service In E-Commerce"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 7<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

I\u2019ll come right out and say it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You are more likely to lose customers if the digital channels you’re using are not seamlessly synced to the physical ones.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I know that sounds so obvious \u2013b<\/span>ut you’d be surprised to see the number of companies who are still struggling to intertwine their digital and physical<\/span> channels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In case you haven’t noticed yet, I’m talking about having an omnichannel customer service strategy. Yes, that approach that allows customers to reach your company wherever and whenever they want.<\/span><\/p>\n

You probably have bumped into the word,\u00a0 <\/span>omnichannel, <\/span><\/i>because it is one of the buzzwords in the world of marketing, although it\u2019s still being confused or used interchangeably with <\/span>multichannel<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Having done that myself, at some point, I understand that there is a thin blurry line separating omnichannel and multichannel customer service in retail. In fact, some marketers have perfected the multichannel approach, but they are convinced that they are offering an omnichannel strategy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Anyway, I won\u2019t keep you waiting with a cliffhanger: if you\u2019re interested in learning about omnichannel customer service in eCommerce businesses, keep reading.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Omnichannel Customer Service?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Omnichannel customer service consists of <\/span>numerous<\/b> interactions across multiple touchpoints between a customer, or prospective customer, and product or service provider.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Today’s tech-savvy customers are more demanding, they expect seamless interactions, regardless of the various channels or devices they choose to use. This is the reason why omnichannel customer service has to be shopper-based rather than being channel-based. It always has to be about giving customers a positive shopping experience<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The goal of omnichannel customer service is:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. To be everywhere your target audience is.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. To capture as much customer data as possible and merge it into one central location.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Doing so will allow your business to:<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Create a cohesive, seamless, personalized buying experience that makes interactions consistent, easy, and fun.<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Better align your efforts to deliver the best customer service by giving your customers multiple ways to interact with your brand while seamlessly integrating them as one unified customer experience.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Basically, the idea here is to make the customer experience as easy as possible, and that means consistent engagement no matter where or how a customer is interacting with you.<\/span><\/p>\n

      For a number of years now, the concept of omnichannel customer service has been overlooked or undervalued. But it\u2019s more than communicating with customers on every channel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      True omnichannel customer service means collecting and harnessing data obtained from every interaction across channels to drive stronger, <\/span>more meaningful customer relationships, increase revenue streams, and improve operational performance. This is why the Sales & Orders\u2019 Marketing Manager,\u00a0 <\/span>Anthony Capetola<\/span><\/a>, says:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      Nothing is more important than taking a data-driven approach to omnichannel marketing. Data can be used at any stage (i.e. planning, execution, analysis) and is paramount in determining the true value of each channel. Data tells you where your focus should lie and when to consider cutting back on a particular channel in favor of another that may be performing at a far more profitable return<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

      Jeff Sauer<\/span><\/a>, the founder of Data-Driven U, believes that your business may still fail even if you use omnichannel:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      Being in all channels may work well for your business, but only if you can measure results. Be sure to make sure that analytics is a major part of your omnichannel plans! That\u2019s the only way you\u2019ll be able to find the 80\/20 of what is working with your marketing.<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

      Omnichannel vs. Multichannel Customer Service\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

      As I mentioned earlier, omnichannel and multichannel are two terms that are often used interchangeably \u2013 but they are not the same. A thin blurry line separates them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      But the best way of distinguishing the two is to think of omnichannel as the use of \u201call\u201d channels and multichannel as the use of \u201cmany\u201d channels for customer experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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      With multichannel, each platform has its own individual strategy, targeting and messaging goals, response team, user experience expectations, and protocol.<\/span><\/p>\n

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      \"\"<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

      But stats show customers are not into this approach as:<\/span><\/p>\n