Omnichannel customer support allows customers to move back and forth between a company’s physical and digital channels, depending on their needs and preferences. While the ability to shift from in-store to online service has become table stakes, companies that can seamlessly integrate these channels deliver outstanding, and often previously unimaginable, customer experiences. Omnichannel customers are also the most valuable for companies, spending significantly more with a noticeably higher customer lifetime value, according to Bain research.

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Customer Experience Tools and Trends

Our insights share how the right CX tools make customers’ lives richer and more fulfilling and strengthen a company’s economics by holding down costs and securing new revenue streams.

Industries that rely on multichannel interactions, including retail, telecommunications, banking, insurance and healthcare, are most likely to use omnichannel customer support.

How companies use omnichannel customer support

• Enhanced service. Omnichannel allows for predictive and proactive customer support by identifying and addressing issues before they impact customers.
• Improved economics. Omnichannel transformations often shift more customers to lower-cost digital channels, such as apps or webpages.
• Personalization. Integration of channels and IT systems allows all company functions to have a 360-degree view of the customer, helping teams create personalized experiences.
• Insight generation. The data that emerges from omnichannel interactions can lead to valuable insights and opportunities.

Key considerations with omnichannel customer support

Companies typically build omnichannel capabilities gradually, taking the following steps:

• Define vision and ambition. Leading companies make clear choices that support their vision and ambition, selecting the right support model, channel roles and target mix. They also understand the economics of their choices.
• Understand target customers. Identify key customer segments and analyze their needs, behavior and preferences to develop the right customer support model.
• Align operating model. A company’s structure and culture should break down channel silos to support seamless integration.
• Review business processes and rules. Develop simple, digital processes and focus on the automation necessary to realize the company’s full potential.

Set up the right supporting technology. Omnichannel customer support depends on three key areas: IT governance and alignment (IT priorities), technology (systems, infrastructure and data), and capabilities (processes, organization and talent).