In the era where companies are competing primarily on customer experience, providing customer service of the highest quality and even exceeding it is defined by two factors, choice and convenience. Retailers know so many changes have happened in the past year, and for many, it accelerated evolution elsewhere in their operations.
Looking after your customers has never been more vital, and customer experience brings each element of your business together for results that entice customers to your brand. Embracing changes in the retail environment is part of that, and in the digital-first world that has emerged over the last twelve months, multichannel and omnichannel solutions are a necessity to give your customers the best-unified commerce experience possible.
Choice is the first step, and convenience is the second, both of which go in hand when a customer wants to evaluate your offering and whether they will do business with you. Suppose the enterprise is pointing the customer to use the phone or affirm that sending an email is the only way to reply. In that case, it may not be convenient – customers will consider that a barrier and be less inclined to return.
What do customers want?
Customers want to speak to a company via their preferred digital channel then visit their store and not have to repeat themselves. Retailers need to react to the changing environment that customer trends are creating. Providing a consistent and unique experience from start to finish is crucial and will ultimately differentiate you from competitors. 82% of marketers believe their brands meet expectations for a good experience, but only 10% of consumers strongly agree.
Communication and relevancy
Utilizing many relevant communication channels is critical in offering the type of customer experience that most people expect today. But within each channel, there are subtle nuances and differences that the best companies and firms will note to provide their audience with the highest service levels. By 2025, 40% of customer service organisations will become profit centres by becoming de facto leaders in digital customer engagement.
Messaging channels for greater coverage
Messaging is a prime case in point. There are various messaging platforms with varying degrees of familiarity, depending on context and geography, such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Apple Business Chat. Each channel has different demographics that is best adapted to specific situations.
Messaging channels are not only limited to social media platforms, however. For instance, Google Business Messages also allows local businesses to create a listing on Google Maps and search engine with a direct messaging feature integrated. This enables them to expand their search for products and reach out to businesses before committing to a retailer that may not be in their immediate vicinity.
Other consumers may prefer WhatsApp Business Solution, accessible via a phone number or a button on the website. But across the board, the adoption of these channels is high, with 80% of all adults messaging daily. Thus making messaging a key component of contacting retailers online.
The necessity to adopt a unified commerce strategy
As a retailer, to adapt to the needs of the modern customer means embracing the act of utilizing multichannel and omnichannel concurrently as one form of commerce — unified commerce.
In order to embrace this trend, you will want to offer as many channels of communication, principally text-based messaging. Having an omni-digital communications hub is an essential part of the business. A place where all customer information and communications come together, the omnichannel communications platform is a mainstay of ensuring a comprehensive history of customer interactions and providing highly personalized services for years to come.
