Organizations across industry and government are increasingly shifting focus towards customer experiences, requiring a reevaluation of their customer engagement strategies. Developments in mobile and web technologies coupled with increasing adoption of those technologies across customer bases present organizations with an opportunity to simultaneously increase operational efficiencies and improve the customer experience. A well-executed omni-channel customer engagement strategy ensures that these benefits are realized.
OMNI-CHANNEL STRATEGY
Understanding your customer base, their habits and preferences is key to developing a successful omni-channel engagement strategy and prioritizing digital engagement channels. Some customer interactions are better suited for synchronous channels like web or text chat while other are a better fit for asynchronous interactions like secure messaging. Organizations should also consider which customer interactions can be serviced through self-service channels or AI such as a chatbot/virtual assistant.
Introducing new service channels alone does not guarantee customer satisfaction or improved efficiencies. To fully realize the benefits of modern customer engagement tools, legacy system should be modernized and seamlessly integrated with new channels. This will allow your organization to engage with your customers where they feel the most comfortable while prioritizing and incentivizing interactions most efficient to the transaction and providing your service staff with a single view of all customer interactions.
Chat
Customers increasingly show a preference towards chat conversations. Chat is not only convenient for your customers but, also allows your service representatives to assist multiple customers at the same time, increasing productivity and service levels. Web chat allows for document exchanges and can escalate to a voice/video conversation and integrate seamlessly into your call center environment.
Virtual Assistant
Many general inquiries and even many account specific inquiries requiring customer authentication can be addressed through AI based Virtual Assistant or chatbots freeing up your CSRs to hand more complex customer needs. For those more complicated customer issues, the Virtual Assistant can escalate the service interaction to a live CSR via chat or phone.
Co-Browse
Co-browse is an extension of chat, which can improve handle times and conversion rates by allowing your CSRs to guide your customers through transactions on their browser.
Notifications
Automatically notify your customers of important information (appointment reminders, due dates, etc.) via email, SMS and mobile notifications.
Email can be used as a simple way for customers to submit general inquires where the subject matter of is not sensitive. Omni-channel platforms can offer workload management, message routing and CRM capabilities that will greatly improve your email interactions with customers.
Secure Messaging
Secure Messaging, like email, is well suited for asynchronous interactions that are traditionally handled by mail. These communications can cut down cycle time and increase customer confidence. Secure Messaging communications are non-domain crossing and encrypted, providing a level of security and privacy that email does not. Financial institutions and healthcare providers commonly use Secure Messaging. Audits and mortgage applications are commonly conducted via Secure Messaging.
Phone
Organizations cannot afford to ignore their traditional phone service channel. Modern IVR systems allow for self-service, call back capabilities, voice and credential-based authentication and tight coupling with other service channels.
