How to use omnichannel to improve your customer retention

Having an efficient communication in times of remote work has been both a challenge and a priority for companies. In times of Covid-19, team collaboration has become a crucial issue for businesses wishing to emerge victorious from these hard times. But how to simplify communication flows between employees while improving customer retention?

Shopping behavior has changed a lot this year, since brick-and-mortar stores were closed for weeks. Online shopping, that has been in a continuous rise in the past decade, has grown more than ever during the pandemic, specially because people had nothing to do or nowhere to go during the pandemic - so they went online and shopped for a bunch of stuff that probable don't need. Even though people were willing to spend more money in things, that doesn't mean that selling has became any easier.

A Periscope report by McKinsey pointed out that 46% of US consumers switched brands during the pandemic. This is a strong indication that the American public is reviewing their buying experience and, if your company does not meet their expectations, it is very likely that your customer retention will be affected.

It's time to reorganize the way teams work, but also to rethink and redesign the sales process. As urgent as this may seem, this is the time to find gaps in your company's communication and offer the best omnichannel customer experience.

In this post you will learn more about how centralized communication can help your sales team to work more assertively and how to use omnichannel to meet your customers' needs.

Customer retention: may the best omnichannel customer experience win

Companies were not the only ones that went through a sudden change in 2020. With the pandemic hit, customers needed to rapidly adapt their buying needs and started of by demanding safer virtual elements so they could feel confident in stablishing a relationship with brands.

In this period, one of the critical spots companies must have in mind is customer relationship. Poor service can affect even the most loyal of your customers. According to Gladly's Customer Expectations Report, 84% of customers would turn their backs on companies after three bad experiences. In addition, 52% of them would leave without even communicating with the company.

This number is quite significant, especially in times of crisis, which is exactly why companies are increasingly looking for omnichannel solutions.

In case you are not familiar with the term, omnichannel is a communication strategy that is essential to acquire new customers and keep the existing ones. A well-designed omnichannel customer experience gives your audience the opportunity to get in touch with your company through their favorite channels.

You should know by now that retaining a client is always cheaper than getting a new one, but applying this is not an easy task. However, companies that count on an omnichannel strategy, can reach a 91% higher customer retention year after year, as an Aberdeen study points out.

Read also: What Is Omnichannel? (And Why It Is So Crucial For Businesses)

Being omnichannel is the best way to reduce friction in the user experience, since customers are guided and fed all the information they need about your service.

If a customer contacts your sales team through WhatsApp, email or any other way, the expectation is that they will be attended promptly and assertively. An omnichannel platform is able to unite all customer touchpoints so your sales team can serve everyone and maintain the best possible customer relationship.

When you pass the demands from a customer from a representative to another, there is a high chance that some information will be lost in the way and your client will end up frustrated and with a bad experience.

According to this year's Zendesk Customer Experience Trends report, 86% of buyers expect you to know who they are when they switch communication channels. The same report points out that only 35% of companies are using an omnichannel approach.

More than ever it is necessary to give proper attention to customers and all kinds of questions, complaints, concerns and feedback they have. The best way to integrate your customers' touchpoints is to centralize all communication between customers and agents in an efficient team collaboration tool.

Improve team collaboration and keep customers coming back for more

When a customer is switched thorugh multiple representatives, needs to wait a long period for an answer or feel ignored, you loose the opportunity to build a good relationship with them and the customer retention doesn't happen.

Transforming customer interactions into opportunities to provide good service is the first step, but it's no use when all the data is spread in different channels. This is why you need to use a secure team collaboration tool. By using the right tool, you can integrate different channels and gather key data for your sales team in one place, offering an omnichannel experience for your customer.

The 3rd largest bank in Latin America is a good example in how omnichannel works. They reduced the bad ratings given by customers and increased support efficiency through omnichannel solutions. In this case, Rocket.Chat was the tool chosen to improve customer retention and increase lifetime value.

Tips on how to use Rocket.Chat as an omnichannel platform

Here are some tips on how to use Rocket.Chat as an omnichannel platform and retain customers with seamless communication:

1. Serve customers where they are

When you use team collaboration in your favor, your customers do not get lost or out of the shopping cycle. It is important that you always have them on the radar, serving, nurturing, helping and solving their doubts. Rocket.Chat has endless integrations with the most diverse platforms, ensuring that your customer contacts your team, no matter from which platform.

WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Twilio, Live Chat, SMS and many other integrations are at your disposal and you can simply direct all your messages to one place: Rocket.Chat.

2. Solve problems faster

Rocket.Chat allows your team to meet demands more quickly as the platform provides full chat history. The same client can talk to different agents without having to tell each one of them what he needs. The representatives will know who the user is and what the conversation is about.

This means that your customers will not be treated as newcomers and you can even strengthen relationships with them. Customers like to feel important and receive attention, always.

3. Speed up customer service

Your sales team can improve response time through the canned response tool in Rocket.Chat. With just a few clicks you can set up answers to your audience's most frequently asked questions and ensure they receive all the information they need as quickly as possible.

Want to know more about omnichannel? Check here!

Omnichannel customer experience begins today

Even though in the post-Pandemic future many people will return to their old consumer habits, a Global Web Index survey found that 31% of consumers will buy online more often after the pandemic and 30% expect to visit physical stores less frequently.

We are heading for a definitive change in consumer habits around the world and companies that seek to innovate in customer relationships will build stronger ties with the public for much longer.

If you want to learn more about omnichannel and team collaboration and how they could improve your workflow, you can always count on us! Shoot us an email!