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Engaging customers effectively can directly impact business success. But how do you get there?
Customer engagement starts with, and this won't be a surprise delighting customers with every interaction. Luckily, Gartner is there to show us where to start.
'To reduce customer frustration and improve loyalty, service leaders need the right omnichannel approach' - Gartner
Let's be honest: many companies struggle to meet these expectations, so good to know that omnichannel communication platform can be part of the solution. By combining your communication channels, your business can deliver proactive, transparent service that reduces customer frustration and uncertainty.
What is an omnichannel communication platform?
An omnichannel communication platform is a system that integrates multiple channels (such as email, social media, chat, SMS, and phone) into a single interface, allowing businesses to provide a seamless and consistent customer experience across all channels. This platform enables unified messaging, better customer service, and improved engagement by ensuring that customer interactions are tracked and managed in one place, regardless of the communication method used.
Want to know a bit more? Everything you need to know on the omnichannel customer experience you can find here.
What are the key features of an omnichannel communication platform?
If you want to get this seamless communication experience, your omnichannel communication platform will need a few key features. Here are some of the most important ones to look out for.
1. Multichannel support
Multichannel support is the backbone of an omnichannel communication platform, allowing you to connect with your customers through a wide variety of channels.
Include customer favourite channels
Customers increasingly expect you to be available across all their preferred channels and will reward you for letting them. According to Arion Research, 69% of consumers would buy more if a company contacted them via their preferred channel, while 66% would become an advocate.
Whether it's email, live chat, social media platforms, SMS, phone calls, or messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, you need to meet your customers on the platforms they use. An omnichannel platform should integrate all of these channels into a single platform, providing a consistent customer experience and saving you a lot of time.
For example, an ecommerce business can integrate all customer communication channels into one platform, ensuring that no customer query is missed. When a customer asks a question about an order via Facebook Messenger, the conversation continues seamlessly over email or live chat if needed. This reduces response times and increases customer satisfaction.
Shared multichannel inbox
Every conversation, regardless of channel, should be collected in a shared multichannel inbox. This ensures that no customer query is missed, and customer service teams have a clear view of all interactions, chat history and overall context.
💡For example, A travel company could use a unified inbox to manage customer queries from email, WhatsApp, and live chat. When a customer contacts them via multiple channels about a booking issue, agents have access to a complete customer history, being able to close the conversation quickly and reduce resolution time.
2. Seamless integration
For any communication platform to work effectively, it needs to seamlessly integrate with your existing systems and tools.
CRM integration
An omnichannel platform should integrate smoothly with your customer relationship management (CRM) tools like Salesforce and HubSpot, giving businesses access to unified customer data. This will help make every customer interaction more informed and personalised.
💡 For example, a software company could integrate its CRM with an omnichannel platform. This would then enable customer service teams to see recent purchase history and support tickets. Then the team member responding will be able to give a more personalised response, improving upsell opportunities during support calls.
E-commerce integrations
You want an omnichannel communication platform that integrates with ecommerce platforms like Shopify and Magento, as well as help desk systems. This will centralise your customer data, history and preferences, ensuring customer service teams have the full context when responding to queries.
💡For example, a fashion brand can implement an omnichannel strategy to link its ecommerce data with the help desk system. This enables customer service teams to offer tailored product recommendations based on past purchases.
3. Centralised engagement
Centralised engagement ensures every customer interaction is consistent and personalised, regardless of the preferred channels customers use to contact your business.
Clear customer profiles
A unified customer view joins customer data together into comprehensive profiles, allowing your support team to view the entire customer journey. This leads to personalised engagement and quicker resolution of customer queries.
💡For example, an energy company can use a unified customer view to identify loyal customers facing issues with their service plans. Agents can proactively offer discounts or upgrades, resulting in improved customer retention.
Customer insights and analytics
Analytics provide valuable insights into customer behaviour, especially when they are not siloed and collected in separate platforms. You can then take your collected data and use it to refine your communication strategy and improve customer satisfaction.
💡For example, a fintech startup may analyse customer interactions across multiple channels, and find that customers are more responsive to SMS notifications than email. They can then adjust their communication strategy to focus more on SMS which should improve customer engagement.
4. Collaboration
Collaboration features help customer service teams work together, which means customers experience faster responses and more consistent communications.
Internal tagging and discussions
Team members can tag each other and discuss customer queries directly within the platform, ensuring that everyone is on the same page.
💡For example, a logistics company using internal tagging can alert specific team members about urgent delivery issues. Discussions within the platform can then help resolve these issues quickly, keeping the customer happy.
Shared workspaces and notes
Shared workspaces and notes help your team collaborate on customer issues and marketing promotions. For example, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider can use shared workspaces to make sure that customer service and marketing teams are aligned. When a customer mentions interest in a new feature during a support call, marketing can follow up with a tailored email campaign about that feature to increase the chance of adoption.
5. Automation
Automation is the secret sauce that makes an omnichannel communication platform truly efficient.
Automated workflows
You want a platform where you can create workflows that automatically route customer queries to the right team or agent based on customer preferences and communication channel. This reduces response time and ensures consistency.
Automated bots
Automate customer interactions through chatbots, providing customers with quick answers to common questions while freeing up support team resources.
You could use an automated chatbot to handle basic queries via live chat. The chatbot would hopefully resolve a large percentage of these queries independently, reducing the workload of the customer service team and letting them to focus on more complex inquiries.
Marketing automation
Automating marketing campaigns across multiple channels means you can use personalising messages based on customer behaviour and preferences.
💡For example, a retail brand may send personalised marketing campaigns based on customer purchase history. This more targeted approach increases customer retention and repeat purchases.
Benefits of an omnichannel communication platform
Implementing an omnichannel communication platform can bring your business a lot of benefits that directly impact customer satisfaction, team efficiency, and business growth. Here are some ways you can leverage these platforms to drive better outcomes for your business.
- Better customer experience
Delivering a seamless, transparent customer experience is key to building trust and loyalty. And an omnichannel communication platform helps you with just that, as it enhances customer experience by providing a seamless and cohesive interaction across various channels, such as email, social media, chat, SMS, and phone.
It ensures that customer information and history are accessible in one place, enabling customer service representatives to deliver personalised and efficient service. By maintaining consistent messaging and allowing customers to switch between channels without repeating themselves, the platform fosters convenience and satisfaction. Additionally, real-time analytics and insights help businesses anticipate customer needs and proactively address issues, leading to a more responsive and engaging customer experience.
Scale personalisation of every conversation
Personalisation is particularly important for younger consumers, who favour messaging and expect brands to recognise them instantly. To maximise the benefits of personalised interactions, you will want to focus on the channels where most of your customers are today. Target the messaging apps they already use and understand the ins and outs of the features of applications such as sending stickers on WhatsApp if it matches your brand tone.
- Increased team efficiency
An omnichannel communication platform streamlines workflows and empowers your support team with automation and collaboration features.
Automated workflows can for instance:
- ensure customer queries are routed to the right team or team member based on what type of query it is;
- help teams collaborate on the answer via the shared inbox and features like @tagging;
- reduces response times and provides consistent service.
You provide your team with a more customer-centric view, simplifying the resolution process for all kinds of issues. This enables your team to handle multiple customer interactions more efficiently.
- Lead generation
An omnichannel communication platform can significantly boost lead generation by streamlining and unifying customer interactions across various channels. It enables businesses to engage with potential leads on their preferred platforms, increasing the chances of capturing their interest. By tracking and analysing interactions from multiple sources, the platform provides valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences, allowing for targeted and personalized marketing efforts.
Automated follow-ups and integrated CRM systems ensure no lead falls through the cracks, enhancing conversion rates. Furthermore, the platform's ability to create a consistent brand experience across channels builds trust and credibility, making it more likely for prospects to turn into loyal customers.
So for effective lead generation using your omnichannel platform make sure you have:
- A well-executed omnichannel communication strategy can turn customer interactions into actionable leads.
- Seamless integration with your marketing platforms enables you to send personalised, targeted messages to your prospects.
- Develope the right strategy is crucial here. Look at customer interactions and determine which channel will be most effective for the conversations you want to have.
Proactive customer engagement is also a game-changer. Access to unified customer data allows your customer service teams to identify potential leads and engage with them proactively.
- Business growth through customer retention
Satisfied customers are more likely to remain loyal and refer their friends and family. Consistent, proactive service through preferred channels keeps your customers happy and builds loyalty.
Focus on service transparency and proactivity to reduce customer uncertainty and improve loyalty. For example, clarify how issues are resolved and provide frequent updates to give them confidence in your brand.
Valuable customer insights are another benefit that comes with an omnichannel communications platform. The analytics provide insights into customer behaviour, preferences, and satisfaction, helping you to refine your communication strategy and improve retention.
How to implement an omnichannel communication platform?
Getting started with an omnichannel communication platform may seem daunting, but in reality, it's quite straightforward. Here is a guide through a practical approach for using Trengo to set up a communication hub that will transform your customer engagement.
Implementing Trengo's omnichannel communication platform involves several steps to ensure seamless integration and effective use. Here's a concise guide on how to do it:
- Sign up:
- First, plan a demo and get a personalised tour on how your business can use this platform best to achieve goals.
- Onboard, and connect communication channels:
- Integrate various communication channels such as email, social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), messaging apps (WhatsApp, Messenger), live chat, and SMS into the platform.
- Follow Trengo's step-by-step guides to authorise and connect each channel.
- Set up automation and customise your inbox:
- Set up automated workflows and responses to streamline customer interactions.
- Customise inboxes for different teams (e.g., sales, support) to manage and route messages efficiently.
- Train your team:
- Provide training sessions for your team to familiarise them with Trengo’s features and interface.
- Ensure they understand how to use the unified inbox, assign conversations, and collaborate on responses.
- Integrate with other tools:
- Connect Trengo with your CRM, e-commerce platform, and other business tools to centralise customer data.
- Use Trengo’s API for custom integrations if needed.
- Monitor and optimise:
- Utilise Trengo's analytics and reporting features to track performance metrics and customer interactions.
- Regularly review and adjust workflows and settings to optimize efficiency and customer satisfaction.
What else can you then do with your omnichannel platform?
Setting up a widget on your website enhances your omnichannel approach by centralising communication, making it easy for customers to reach out through their preferred methods like live chat, social media messaging, and email.
It improves accessibility by allowing instant connections without leaving the website, thereby reducing friction. The widget offers real-time assistance, boosting customer satisfaction and retention, while ensuring all interactions are tracked and managed in one place for a consistent experience. It encourages customer engagement, supports personalized interactions with integrated data, and enables proactive support based on user behaviour, ultimately improving customer service, satisfaction, and lead generation.
So how do you set up an omnichannel widet?
Step 1: Set up the widget
To create a widget in Trengo, head over to Settings > Settings > Web Widgets and click the 'plus' icon. Here, you can start customising the widget to match your brand’s look and feel. Adjust the colours, icons, position, and languages to ensure it aligns with your company’s style. Don't forget to personalise the following:
- Company display name: The name of your company is displayed at the top of the widget
- Opening line & welcome message: The initial greeting your customers will see
- Default channel: The first communication channel your customers will see when they open the widget
- Team display: Enable this to show your team's profile pictures, making the widget feel more personal
Step 2: Add channels to your widget
The next step is to add the communication channels that matter most to your customers. Think about where your target audience spends their time, and include the channels that will provide the most value to them. With Trengo, you can easily add:
- Live chat: Engage customers directly and solve their queries within minutes. This feature is a must-have, as 62% of online customers are more likely to buy products from websites with live chat.
- WhatsApp: With over 3 billion users, WhatsApp is the world's most popular messaging platform. Adding it to your widget ensures you're meeting customers where they already are.
- Facebook, Twitter, Telegram: Integrate other popular social media platforms to expand your omnichannel communication strategy.
- Voice & SMS: Reach customers who prefer phone calls or text messaging.
- Help centre: Include a knowledge base to help customers find answers independently.
Step 3: Add the widget to your website
Once the widget framework is set up and filled with channels, it's time to add it to your website.
Trengo provides two easy ways to do this:
Using Source Code
- Navigate to Settings > Settings > Web Widgets and select your widget
- Click 'Installation' and copy the installation code
- Paste the code into your website source code before the closing </head> tag on specific pages or site-wide if you want the widget to appear on all pages
Using Google Tag Manager
- Go to Google Tag Manager and select the account you want to use
- Click 'New tag' and give it a name
- Click 'Tag configuration' and scroll down to 'Custom HTML'
- Retrieve the widget installation code from Settings > Settings > Web Widgets > Installation and paste it into 'Tag configuration'
- Enable 'Support document.write', add triggers to show the widget on desired pages, and save
Step 4: Personalising the chat widget
Go the extra mile by customising your widget. Here are a few tips for how you can do this:
- Company display name: Add your company name to the widget
- Colours and Icon: Match your brand's colours and include your logo
- Team display: Show your team's profile pictures to make interactions feel more human
- Languages: Support multiple languages for a global customer base
- Whitelabel: Remove the engagement platform logo to maintain brand consistency
Step 5: Tracking and analytics
Enable Google Analytics tracking to measure the performance of your widget and understand how customers interact with it. Simply toggle the tracking option on, and you'll have valuable insights at your fingertips.
Can you give me an example of an omnichannel communication platform?
Let's have a look at omnichannel platform Trengo. Trengo’s omnichannel communication platform brings together all communication channels into a single, unified inbox, empowering your business to engage with your customers seamlessly across multiple touchpoints.
Here’s a quick look at the main features that make Trengo stand out.
- Unified inbox: Centralises communication from channels like email, live chat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and more into one inbox, enabling your team to manage all customer interactions from a single platform.
- Flowbots and automation: Automate repetitive queries with chatbots that collect customer information and route them to the appropriate team member, saving valuable time and increasing efficiency.
- Collaboration tools: Internal tagging, notes, and team discussions improve collaboration, ensuring higher quality responses for your customers.
- Comprehensive analytics: Get actionable insights into customer behaviour, agent performance, and communication trends to refine your engagement strategy.
How do others use their omnichannel platform?
Ferryscanner's challenge
Ferryscanner, a ferry ticket search and booking engine, faced an overwhelming influx of customer queries every summer. The high volume of inquiries led to longer response times and customer dissatisfaction. Alvertos Iskinatzis, their customer success supervisor, said:
"Last year, we had to have our Facebook opened next to our customer contact platform to see if we had missed any comments or direct messages. This took up a lot of my time."
The solution:
Ferryscanner turned to Trengo’s omnichannel communication platform to integrate customer communication across WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, live chat, and Google Business. They also introduced a chatbot to handle initial customer queries.
The results:
With all communication channels integrated into a unified inbox, agents could handle queries more efficiently and effectively.
By offering more contact channels through Trengo, Ferryscanner improved customer satisfaction and reduced response times.
Alvertos noted:
"The main reason for making the switch was that we wanted to offer our customers more channels to contact us. And for us to be able to better manage those channels."
Conclusion
When you prioritise bettering the customer experience you'll gain more and more loyal customers.
An omnichannel communication platform is essential for delivering proactive, personalised, and seamless customer experiences. With Trengo's unified inbox, chatbots, automation, and comprehensive analytics, businesses can streamline customer interactions across multiple channels while enhancing team efficiency. Transform your customer engagement strategy with Trengo and experience the benefits of a truly unified platform.
