Over time, technology changed the way we communicate and companies added new customer support channels. Customers asked by email and online forms. But now, customers receive support using a difference of channels (phone, email, social media, video or chat forums). Customers are cooperating with companies by smartphones and tablets. This customer support model is norm.

Multichannel Support – Good for Companies, bad for customers

Multichannel support is better than contacting a company on a business hours-only support line, customers have alternatives. The multi-channel model isn’t effective for customers and the companies, beause there are too many cases.

For customer support teams multichannel support is complex, which should monitor apps to manage all interactions (handling five or more channels). Frequently, the service record and info created in one channel are invisible to support team and customers in other channel.

Omni-Channel Support – An Integrated Access for Better outputs

But we can’t to use fewer channels. People love more variants. And It’s good to have a support 24/7. Communication channels require reconsideration the way information is gathered, stored and shared. Companies need integrated access between all channels.

This model named omni-channel support. It gives customers approach to all chanels. Now customers can choose better channel to use when they need support, and support team can view data from repository of information.

Self-Service Channels are very important nowadays

The Internet has modified the method how people get answers. People usually go online to get answers to questions, and that spreads to customer support questions as well – researches show that 90% of consumers check company sites for answers before placing a phone call.

By some values, customers will rely on virtual agents and self-service channels to resolve about 85% of their customer service issues. They prefer it when self-service became the quickest way to get answers.

Harmonized Omni-Channel Support – The Best

Customer hopes about support and communication with companies is having a generational switch, and that’s why companies should to review their support delivery strategies. Nowadays consumers wait a strong self-service option, thus companies that plan to build a integrated omni-channel communication strategy should invest in a easy for cutomers solution. Beyond self-service choices, an effective omni-channel support system requires a platform that integrates support data from all sources into a single solution. It will need cooperation between the customer support team, with everyone in a central knowledge base and contributing their expertise to solve customer problems.

Customer support will pass the evolution from multichannel to omni-channel service. It wil be a new generation of customers support. Companies that embed this model can take away a big part of cutomers.