3 Benefits of Omnichannel Communication
How does your company communicate and engage with its customers?
As expectations from customers for an exceptional experience have skyrocketed, customer engagement has become a top priority for businesses.
Technology continues to evolve, introducing additional channels of communication that companies must manage and balance. Gone are the days where phone and mail were the primary methods of connecting with consumers. Now, there’s a diverse mix that also includes email, text, chat and social media. There are multiple approaches to handling this assortment – but only one that ensures a unified brand and fluid communication: omnichannel.
Not to be confused with multichannel, omnichannel provides seamless communication between companies and consumers. The keyword is seamless. An omnichannel strategy allows both sides to interact across multiple channels without interruption, creating a singular brand, message and experience. Companies that implement multichannel strategies engage customers across all forms of media too. However, despite utilizing multiple touch points (like web, apps, social media, etc.) to connect with customers, multichannel silos each avenue.
Related: Benefits of integrating direct mail with social media marketing
This, in turn, silos customers. It’s not a fluid approach. On top of that, multiple disconnected touch points can fragment your brand.That’s why companies must embrace omnichannel communications to increase customer engagement and improve the customer experience.Why focus on enhancing your customers’ experience? It may go without saying, but a high-quality customer experience leads to higher customer satisfaction, retention and – ultimately – sales.
Three Reasons to Embrace Omnichannel
Per a Deloitte study, 88% of businesses emphasize the customer experience and consider it a predominant driver of growth. With this in mind, I’m sharing three reasons why your company should adopt omnichannel communication.
Customer Convenience
Regardless of industry, consumers want their needs met in a timely, on-demand fashion. They expect consistency and a fluid experience. According to SDL’s global survey of more than 3,000 consumers, 90% of respondents expect the customer experience to be uniform across channels – both physical and digital. It’s an incredibly high bar that continues to rise with digital advancement.
Convenience is a critical component of the customer experience. It’s important to be proactive and prepared for the moment when a customer wants to act. Google identifies these instances as “micro-moments,” which are “intent-driven moments of decision-making and preference-shaping that occur throughout the entire consumer journey.”
Micro-moments have spurred the growth of hyper-personalized communication. By studying behavioral trends and triggers, companies can pinpoint moments of need and respond accordingly (e.g. push notifications, text alerts, etc.). Keeping integrated, open lines of communication is necessary to take advantage of these micro-moments.
Related: Direct Mail: Why Consumers and Businesses Alike Prefer ‘Traditional’ Communications
Unified Branding
There’s no doubt that companies can survive without omnichannel communication; however, companies that choose alternative, less streamlined strategies will likely face lower customer satisfaction and retention rates. In addition, without an omnichannel approach, there’s also the issue of conveying a segmented brand to customers.
Related: Brand Visibility Strategy: How to Increase Reach and Stand Out
According to an Aspect Software survey, companies that employ omnichannel strategies realize 91% higher customer retention versus companies that do not.
As any marketer can attest to, it’s important to maintain a singular brand in the eyes of consumers. Omnichannel enables seamless communication and promotes a unified brand, which can drive brand awareness and customer loyalty.
Data Insights and Strategy
State-of-the-art communication tools and an omnichannel strategy generate heaps of recurring, insightful data that your company can leverage to make decisions and meet the needs of customers. A focus on data analysis can lead to a rich database of consumer behaviors and preferences.
With the proper technology, this information can be used to establish automated outbound communications through email, direct mail, push notifications, etc. Further, data insights allow your company to strategically allocate resources to meet demand, like staffing customer service centers during peak activity.
Omnichannel strategies empower you with the proactive ability to respond to customer needs and trends. This approach can also shed light on areas of “friction” within the customer experience. When I set out to build a truly disruptive tech stack at Sepire, omnichannel communications was a critical component. We have to communicate in the channels that engage and resonate with our audience.
Direct Mail: Better When Unified
Today’s consumers (and business decision makers) love direct mail. In a world of digital fatigue, direct mail is quickly becoming the preferred method of communication for a variety of audiences. And as part of an omnichannel communications initiative, you can help ensure your message hits home—literally.
And for marketers? The depth of insight you can get from direct mail might shock you. At Sepire, we built our entire business around this. As a provider of automated direct mail solutions for companies in a variety of industries, we understand the challenges, nuances, and benefits of using this medium as a way to generate large results.
If you’d like to chat about incorporating direct mail into your omnichannel marketing strategy, please get in touch with Sepire here.