Twenty-first century consumers have high expectations for how sales and service interactions should go. That’s understandable, since the average person is surrounded by an array of tech options, designed to handle part of the burden of daily life.
With that level of innovation at our fingertips, why would anyone limit themselves or wait around on the phone just to be passed off along an inefficient chain of human command?
Whether through an app, an email, a voice call, or on the web, instant service is at the helm of modern consumer demands, and while technology can help make fast service happen, people still rely on a more personal touch and human empathy for true service satisfaction.
Enter the Humach omnichannel customer experience.
New frontiers are being forged in the realm of customer experience possibilities, and Humach is at the vanguard. Collaborations between humans and machines promise to take customer service to a new level of engagement, changing the way your business and your customers interact.
Humans and machines are holding hands
Relatively speaking, the omnichannel customer experience is still new, but what it represents has already become part of the average customer’s expectations, even if the term itself isn’t a part of the everyday vernacular.
To break it down, the term comes from the Latin word Omnis, meaning “all, every, the whole, of every kind.” For us, that means integration: humans and machines, working together across all possible platforms to create a more dynamic experience.
Humans + Machines. That’s Humach.
Strong omnichannel strategies keep customers coming back for more
Customer experience experts know the high value of a cohesive system that integrates the best of both customer service worlds: simple automation that gets the job done quickly with real humans ready and waiting to handle more complex and specialized inquiries.
People are accessing their services from all over the digital map, but one core thread remains steadfast: when people have a smooth, multi-faceted customer experience, they tend to stick around.
Aberdeen Group, Inc. found in a study that strong omnichannel strategies helped companies retain an astonishing 89 percent of customers, compared to just 33 percent retention rates among companies with weaker omnichannel engagements.
The human side of omnichannel services holds a weight of its own. In the same study, Aberdeen identified that 77 percent of those top-performing omnichannel companies route customers to agents trained to handle specific needs, meaning having that human connection is important, particularly when a customer experience expert has the skills to get to the bottom of an issue efficiently.
Omnichannel is about humans working with, not against technology
We believe a harmonious relationship between humans and technology is not just possible, but already happening. WIth the integration of smart technology into virtually every corner of our lives, we’re seeing an unprecedented reliance on the powerful efficiency and ease machines can bring us.
Real-time agents give the peace of mind that if an automated technology reaches its limitations, someone is on hand to give backup and human connection. The value of person-to-person interactions has not been lost in the shuffle, and we work to make sure our agents continue the smooth and easy experience every customer expects.
Highly skilled agents are just as important in omnichannel customer experiences as the flexible tech options. While technology is able to deliver a personal experience, people are still the only ones that can deliver a “human” one.
The jury is in on what customers really want
Putting customers in control of their own needs can cultivate stronger relationships and build brands’ trust. A strong and thriving customer experience in today’s world means having numerous channels of connection and a wide variety of options that empowers people to make choices.
When people can make more choices at every level (meaning sales and service), they’re more likely to make the choice to return to a business, too.
Your customers will appreciate your choice of an omnichannel contact center solution, and the benefits will show up for you as well. In addition to never being locked into a single vendor, tool, or partnership, the statistics are favorable for businesses using an omnichannel approach to the customer experience.
Remember that Aberdeen study that found higher rates of returning customers are connected with a robust omnichannel system? In a separate study, analyst Esteban Kolsky discovered how customers react to a negative customer experience.
Fifteen percent of dissatisfied customers will tell at least 15 people they’re unhappy, he found. A small percentage, but enough of a dent to matter (and the rest of the unhappy people? They’ll just leave and not come back).
Conversely, he discovered that 72 percent of people will tell at least six people about a good customer experience.
The odds are stacked in favor of the power of an omnichannel experience, and as technology rapidly advances, it’s only going to become more critical to have a solid omnichannel system in place.
Case in point: the omnichannel customer experience is about much more than a bottom line. It’s about forging paths to good relationships in a new wave of customer needs and making people’s lives easier.
