How to Provide Multi-Channel Customer Support in Today’s Digital Era [Resource Guide]

With research showing that newer communications channels (i.e., live chat, social media, etc.) are increasingly being used by customers, it should come as no surprise that companies that can provide customer support across channels are coming out ahead. Due to the explosion of digital and mobile channels, customers expect to be able to reach companies anytime – and from anywhere.

So what does this mean for companies? Multi-channel customer support is here to stay – and will remain critical in the years to come. As noted in a 360Connext article on multi-channel support, “We are at the TIP of the iceberg here. Customers not only expect [companies] to support them on their terms, but they expect [organizations] to support them across different channels seamlessly.”

In previous resource guides, we’ve discussed the importance and benefits of speech analytics as well as specific ways in which to drive call center productivity. Today, we’ll take a look at how to provide multi-channel customer support in an age where customers are increasingly demanding it.

Blogs

3 Best Practices of Social Customer Support

It’s clear companies need to make social customer support a priority in order to meet the demands of customers who expect to be able to reach companies at any time. By providing multichannel customer support options (social, mobile, live chat, etc.), companies can keep customers happy and prevent them from drawing negative attention online (an area of particular concern with social networks). Here’s a look at 3 best practices companies with contact centers should consider incorporating into their social engagement strategies. More…

Multi-Channel Customer Support: How to Reach Your Customers Where They Are

In today’s fast-paced digital world, customer expectations of companies are skyrocketing. In fact, 89% of participants in a recent customer preference study indicated they wanted choices for how they could contact companies; 79% were frustrated with their available customer support options. So how can contact centers provide multi-channel support to customers who are increasingly demanding it? Here’s a look at a few ways. More…

Unifying the Customer Experience: How Do You Do It and Why Is It Important?

Providing good customer service isn’t just a contact center best practice: It’s imperative in today’s customer-centric marketing landscape. With an increase in customer expectations, agents must respond by providing a positive experience that will satisfy and retain customers (not to mention inspire positive word of mouth marketing). It’s clear multi-channel customer service is critical for unifying the customer experience, but how exactly do you do it? Here’s a look at a few ways. More…

Industry News Articles

Multi-Channel Analytics Market Predicted to More Than Double Over Next Five Years

According to a new report from MarketsandMarkets, the multi-channel analytics markets will more than double over the next five years. Specifically, the research shows the market will jump from $3.61 billion in 2014 to $9.89 billion in 2019.

A Smart Customer Service article covering the report findings indicates that North America and Europe will be the biggest markets in terms of revenue contribution. More…

Report Shows Customer Experiences Inconsistent Across Channels

A new study by customer experience improvement firm CX, Act, Inc. shows customer experiences are inconsistent across channels (phone, email, chat, and social media). According to an article from Smart Customer Service, phone is the most effective channel for issue resolution (86%). However, the survey results show customer service performance via phone does not translate to high satisfaction scores on chat (40%), email (22%), or on Facebook (17%). The research also indicates that only half of the companies tested offer email as a customer service channel, and just one in four companies offer a Facebook channel for customer inquiries. More…

Report Shows Customers Expect Real-Time Support Across Channels

New research from HeyWire Business reveals customers prefer to have multiple channels (phone, email, text, chat) available for customer support. Eight-nine percent of respondents who participated in the company’s recent customer support preference study want choices for how they can contact customer support, and 79% are frustrated with their available customer support options. More…

Multi-Channel Support Embraced by U.S. Contact Center Industry, Report Shows

New research from contact center industry analysts at ContactBabel shows the majority of U.S. contact centers have embraced multichannel customer communication.  Ninety-one percent of participants who took part in ContactBabel’s 7thannual survey indicated they offered an email channel to customers, followed by web chat/instant message (43%), social media (41%), SMS (29%), and mobile apps (23%). More…

Final Thoughts

With customers now using multiple channels to connect with companies, it’s more important than ever for organizations to develop multi-channel customer support strategies that will allow them to communicate with customers via their preferred channels.

Each of the above referenced blogs and industry news articles highlights key aspects of multi-channel customer support. What strategies have proven most effect for your company?

Stay tuned for additional CallMiner resource guides!

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