Multichannel Support: The Ultimate Guide for a Winning CX Strategy

Businesses that adopt a multichannel approach to product sales see 91% higher annual customer retention. The vast majority say it's the most important element of their sales/marketing strategy. However, your customers expect more than just a presence on different channels. That's just what gets them in the door. They want seamless communication and support across all of them. That's where multichannel support comes into play. In this comprehensive guide, we'll tell you everything you need to know about multichannel customer support.

What is multichannel support?

Multichannel support is the practice of providing customer support and communication across a company's various sales and marketing channels. These include:

• Their website
• Social media platforms, (TikTok, Twitter, Instagram)
• Messaging platforms (WhatsApp, Messenger)
• Phone calls
• Text messages
• Email
• Live chat
• Physical retail stores

With multichannel support, customers can reach out to a business through the channel they prefer (or purchased through) and receive consistent support and responses.

Why multichannel support is critical for a winning CX strategy

Customers today are looking for convenience and efficiency in their interactions with businesses. They want to be able to contact you through whatever channel they prefer, at any time, and receive a prompt response.

On average, 73% of customers say they use multiple channels to shop. Almost everyone expects a consistent experience across all channels. If customers don't receive the level of support they expect, 61% will switch to a competitor after just one bad experience. With multichannel support, you can meet and exceed customer expectations by providing:

• Convenience: Customers can reach out through their preferred channel, giving them the flexibility and convenience they desire.
• Personalization: Since you can track customer interactions across all channels, you have valuable insights to personalize each interaction and create a more meaningful experience for them.
• Consistency: With multichannel support, customers will receive a consistent level of support and service on every channel, improving their overall perception of your brand.

Multichannel support vs. omnichannel support

Multichannel support is not omnichannel support. While you might occasionally hear the terms used interchangeably, there is a critical difference between them. With multichannel support, businesses provide customer support through various channels but do not necessarily integrate these channels or track interactions across them.

Omnichannel support takes it a step further by seamlessly integrating all channels and tracking customer interactions across them. This allows for a more holistic view of the customer and provides a more cohesive and personalized experience.

Multichannel support is about having a presence on different channels, while omnichannel support focuses on creating a unified and consistent customer experience across those channels. When improving your customer experience, prioritize multichannel first, and omnichannel second.

Implementing multichannel support in your business

Implementing multichannel support can be a game-changer for your business, but it requires careful planning and execution. Follow these steps for a smooth implementation:

Pinpoint your ideal customer channels

These are the ones your customers are already using (or expecting to use). The more channels you add, the more complicated it becomes to manage them all effectively. So be strategic in your selection.

1. Start with your website: Everyone needs one, and it'll be one of your primary sales channels. You'll want to provide a live chat tool and a knowledge base (FAQ, product how-tos) the chat tool can lead customers to to find solutions themselves.
2. Expand to social media: Your product and target audience will primarily dictate how you sell. The most common platforms will be TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram. Start with one, then expand as you market your product more.
3. Consider messaging apps: Depending on where or how you do business, you might want to use WhatsApp, Messenger, or other messaging apps. If you're selling internationally, WhatsApp is your best friend. If you're already running Facebook marketing, use Messenger as well.
4. Phone- and text-based support:  Larger DTC brands should have a phone number and a contact form on their website, and someone to handle complex support queries a live chat tool/knowledge base can't solve.
5. Email: Whether you've just made your first sale or you're scaling to eight figures, email will probably be your most common and important support channel in your CX strategy.

Ensure all of your channels are integrated and synced

To correctly implement multichannel support, you need a seamless flow of information across all channels. This eliminates the risk of duplicate data and ensures consistency in customer interactions (which is, primarily, what they want). For a consistent customer experience, you have to connect all your support channels to the same interface. Helpdesk software, like Zendesk or Freshdesk, can help you accomplish this.

Train your support team

Your support team is the face of your business and plays a crucial role in delivering a positive customer experience. It's essential to train them on how to handle multichannel interactions effectively, including:

• Being familiar with all channels: Your support team should be able to navigate and respond through each channel seamlessly.
• Tracking and syncing interactions: They should know how to track and sync customer interactions across all channels, ensuring a consistent experience.
• Providing personalized support: With access to all customer interactions, your support team can personalize their responses and provide a more meaningful experience for customers.

Don't skip over having a support team. There's something to be said for the human touch in customer support. While automation can help improve efficiency, having a team dedicated to providing personal and empathetic support is crucial for creating a winning customer experience.

Evaluate your multichannel support performance.

Since you'll need to continuously improve your multichannel support strategy, you need to track and measure its performance. Some metrics to consider include:

• Support response time: How quickly are you responding to customer inquiries on each channel?
• Resolution time: How long does it take for your team to resolve a customer's issue?
• Customer satisfaction: Are customers satisfied with their experience across all channels?
• Channel usage: Which channels are customers using the most? Are there any that can be optimized or removed?

Endnote

These days, customers expect more personalized and seamless experiences, so multichannel support is now an essential component of every brand's customer experience strategy. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can ensure a smooth and effective implementation of multichannel support in your business. Remember to prioritize consistency, integration, and personalized support to create a winning CX that sets your brand apart from the competition.