In our day-to-day we have more ways to communicate than ever before—video calls, live chat, social media, you name it. So it’s no surprise that customers expect the same level of choice when speaking to a business. This is where the multichannel call center approach comes in.
By offering multiple channels, you’re giving customers the flexibility they desire, and increasing the likelihood of a high-quality experience. And, with 87% of support teams reporting increased customer expectations this year, you need to do everything you can to ensure that positive CX.
In this article, we’ll show you how to delight customers with a multichannel call center strategy, so you can drive retention, loyalty and customer lifetime value (CLV). Let’s dive in.
A multichannel contact center is a hub that’s equipped to handle customer interactions across different communication channels, whether it’s the humble telephone, or digital options (like email).
Offering more than one support channel is a massive bonus to a call center—companies with an omnichannel approach to customer engagement retain 89% of their customers.
Unlike single-channel call centers, which typically focus on only one medium, multichannel call centers support customers across a variety of different channels, including typical examples like:
Before you dive into your options, figure out what your needs and goals—and whether multichannel is the solution. Look at the data you already have and align your choices with audience demand.
Then, set specific goals for each of these channels, whether its interaction volumes, common call center KPIs, or targets that align with business needs.
Each communication channel you offer has its own unique characteristics and user expectations. Develop tailored strategies for each one that factor in their dynamics and purpose, and put them into action. Then, establish KPIs, metrics, and benchmarks they should aim for.
Choosing the right technology is vital to having a successful multichannel contact center. Look for systems that integrate well with your existing tools and offer the functionality you need, such as interactive voice response (IVR), AI and automation tools, or a CRM integration.
You might not need everything that a channel can offer, so refer to your initial plans and stick with what meets your needs and goals.
Your agents are the ones who have to work these channels, so make sure they’re prepared. Hire and train agents to be flexible, and consider building specialized teams for each channel. Alternatively, train a handful of agents to be comfortable with multiple channels, allowing them to be flexible and switch when needed.
Understanding your customer’s journey across different channels is a great way to provide cohesive (and effective) support.
Additionally, plot out ways you can route customers to the best channel (or agent) with intelligent or skill-based routing.
Regularly monitor the performance of each of your channels, both individually and as a whole. Combining customer sentiment, trends, behaviors alongside their feedback allows you to see what’s working (and what isn’t), so you can refine and improve as time goes on.
71% of consumers expect personalization, and 76% get frustrated when it doesn’t happen. So use the personal data you collect to tailor conversations, whether it’s simply remembering past interactions, anticipating needs, or allowing them to set their preferred channels. Then, customize your messaging based on their information and channel usage.
By establishing set standards, calibrating QA scores, and giving agents proper feedback, you can deliver a consistent high-quality experience from start to finish. Additionally, some QA tools offer AI-powered auto scoring, allowing you to evaluate 100% of interactions in your multichannel call center.
QA tools provide insights into each channel’s performance, offering custom scorecards for each channel, team, and agents, so your QA team can see the entire picture. That way, you can plan resource allocation, create customized training sessions, or find ways to improve in specific areas (or on specific channels).
With QA, you can track which channels are the most effective at handling specific types of inquiries. And by understanding these patterns, you can establish better routing to more efficient channels, agents that are equipped to handle those needs, or refine your scripts and internal knowledge bases to help agents be more prepared.
QA promotes a proactive approach by analyzing trends and using root cause analysis to find and resolve issues. This foresight allows you to catch pain points early, and deliver a smoother customer experience overall.
Both omnichannel and multichannel call centers support interactions across different channels, but the difference is in how they’re approached and managed.
In a multichannel contact center, the different channels are available options to customers, but tend to operate independently, creating separate, disconnected interactions. On the other hand, an omnichannel approach unites these channels into one seamless experience, allowing customer information to be shared across every channel and interaction.
This difference impacts call center operations in different ways.
Multichannel call centers typically handle each interaction in isolation, leading to siloed channels and different agent interfaces for each one. Agents may also need to frequently switch between platforms, making it a challenge to maintain continuity and data reporting across channels.
In an omnichannel call center, integrated channels allow agents to see the full customer journey (and any past interactions) in one place, supporting smoother transitions and less context switching. This unified reporting interface gives a comprehensive view of all channels, both individually and combined.
A single-channel approach can be an effective way to support customers. But the modern consumer isn’t just on one platform—they need options when they reach out to your business. In fact, they expect these options.
A multichannel call center allows you to better meet these expectations—and do so where customers are most comfortable. It also helps agents become more efficient, generates more data on how to improve your customer service, and helps you stand out from the competition.
Transitioning to a multichannel approach doesn’t have to be difficult, either. QA tools like Scorebuddy mitigate the challenges of balancing multiple channels with:
Book your demo today and see how Scorebuddy supports multichannel with configurable QA and AI solutions.
