Why Mastering Omnichannel Is Key for Contact Centres.

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Our most successful clients are those that understand the importance of omnichannel communication. The future of contact centres lies in the expansion, speed and accessibility of voice, chat, self service and other channels to improve CX.

At Mission Labs, we’ve implemented enough omnichannel solutions to know the difference they can make and how significant a role they’ll play in the contact centre industry. We want to empower our clients to provide superior services and know omnichannel is the way forward.

The Future of Contact Centres.

Helped by the acceleration of digital communication during the pandemic, people have grown more and more accustomed to using multiple routes and devices to engage with businesses.

Patterns in customer behaviour suggest single channel contact flows will increasingly be at a disadvantage to more adaptable and digital systems. More than anyone, contact centres rely on efficient channels of communication with customers. A robust omnichannel strategy is thought to provide businesses with 89% customer retention - it’s no wonder so many contact centres are seeking this more diverse approach to engaging their base.

So what channels should you be thinking about for your contact centre?

Phone.

The most traditional channel and most likely to make up single-channel systems, talking on the phone with an agent is still a popular channel for people - according to one survey, preference for it has actually grown among customers by 15% since 2018. It’s an important channel for many customers still and certainly an important one for businesses to manage properly.

Automated voice.

AI has come a long way in recent years and the contact centre is seeing the benefits it can bring. Thanks to robotics technology, customers can engage with businesses through a ‘voice’ channel rather than an agent, which not only helps cut queuing times for customers but frees up agents' workloads. For handling high volumes of basic contact, adding an automated voice channel could have immense impact for your business if implemented in the right way.

Chat.

Instant messaging is how most people maintain consistent communication today; understandably, preference for this channel with contact centres is also growing. Providing the quick and simple service of texting or webchat appeals to a broad, young demographic and can be improved through integration of apps like Facebook Messenger or Whatsapp, whilst automation can again improve the channel by speeding up contact and handling simple requests.

Email.

Another more common form of communication, email has the benefits of being easy for customers to use, allows attachment of images or docs, and can be sent at any time to a contact centre. Contact centres and agents can struggle to use this channel effectively, but there’s no avoiding the expectation customers have that it will be an option, making it even more vital to get right.

Social.

Social media has become an increasingly popular channel for customers looking for an effective service. Due to its public nature, it can be used as a marketing tool as well as a means of answering customer queries. Being so 'on display' means social media queries must be managed carefully and promptly, so the channel also has one of the fastest response times of all of them.

Mastering Omnichannel with Mission Labs.

Building the best digital customer experience for clients is core to what Mission Labs do. We aim to see contact centre clients drive their CX and efficiency through implementing our smart cloud solutions, especially those that enable omnichannel approaches.

From building chatbots, to 24/7 SMS services, to virtual call and video for real-time meetings, Mission Labs have helped plenty of clients diversify and expand their contact channels through smart cloud-based solutions.

SmartAgent - Mission Labs' powerful agent desktop solution built with Amazon Connect - brings together multiple channels of communication into a single interface. Using various AWS products for cloud-based contact setups, we can provide a bespoke version of SmartAgent that empowers your customers to use whichever platform is most convenient for them whether it is voice, SMS or instant messenger. SmartAgent caters for social channels of communication, and comes with a uniquely effective email management feature which enables dynamic queuing and simple email conversation management.

These features are all provided in a single, streamlined desktop appearance to simplify the contact handling experience for agents. This simplicity means agents can support customers in different ways in the fastest, most efficient way possible.

With our SmartAgent product and years of proven experience with Amazon Connect and AWS, we know we can improve your contact centre set up, boosting your business’ CX, AX and CSAT.

Check out our full list of client case studies and solutions to find out how Mission Labs can best improve your omnichannel offering.