You start a client interaction with a phone call, send them a quick follow-up email, provide more information about your product via SMS… Client interactions are everywhere, and without an omnichannel contact center, you can get leads confused and miss follow-ups.
We'll show you how an omnichannel contact center operates, what makes them work (such as SMS and dialer accessibility), and how to set it up for your business. Plus, we'll identify the benefits you can expect from switching to an omnichannel contact center.
If you're looking for an omnichannel solution for your call center, Hooked CRM is the solution you're seeking. Book a demo with us today, and we will walk you through your workflows and show you how Hooked can give you an upgrade.
What Is an Omnichannel Contact Center?
An omnichannel contact center uses multiple communication channels to reach a potential lead. Depending on the industry, you will want access to calls, email, SMS, and social media as the main forms of communication.
They also house all the interaction information within a single workspace, so you'll never miss any context for each client. Omnichannel contact centers can create a customer journey map that satisfies client and employee needs.
Omnichannel vs. Multichannel Contact Centers
Omnichannel contact centers differ greatly from other contact centers. The main distinction is the efficiency of an omnichannel option — with its increased communication and interactive capacity, we highly recommend investing in one if you plan to scale your business.
Here are just a few of the differences between omnichannel, multichannel, and single-channel contact centers:
| Omnichannel | Multichannel | Single-Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Supports different forms of communication (calls, email, SMS, social media, etc.). | Supports different forms of communication (calls, email, SMS, social media, etc.). | Focuses on one form of communication. |
| Each element communicates with each other in this system. | Forms of communication are kept separate, and there is no clear integration between the different platforms. | Does not communicate with other forms of communication. |
| Integrates seamlessly with your CRM and uses it to manage the variety of communication. | Requires a CRM to organize communication. | Information can be uploaded to a CRM for further analysis. |
| Only uses one platform to manage communication. | Can use multiple platforms - each managing a different form of communication. | Doesn't need other forms of communication for their process. |
Omnichannel contact centers differ from call centers because they are more versatile. Because call centers can only do calls, you'll neglect so many avenues of communication with your clients. Plus, if a client only wants to be contacted by SMS or email, you'll miss out on a sale.
How an Omnichannel Contact Center Works
Omnichannel contact centers depend on CRMs to function properly, and several steps are needed for them to work as intended. Here are a few of the essential elements to an omnichannel contact center:
Customer Profiles Through a CRM
Every interaction with a potential customer, including email, SMS, and otherwise, should be captured by your CRM. Once it's logged down, you can review that information before every interaction, ensuring you have a comprehensive view of your client.
When a new customer calls in, your call representative will need to create a new profile in your CRM, or your AI assistant will automatically create one for you. Without CRM integration, call representatives are flying blind into interactions, so all your communication forms must integrate with your current CRM.
Cross-Channel Routing & Queuing
Through cross-channel routing, customers are managed across all available communication channels. This takes the customer's preferences and most efficient form of communication into account, creating the best customer experience.
Once your potential lead contacts you via their preferred method, an omnichannel contact center will route them to the appropriate representative and place them in a queue if there is a waiting list. Omnichannel contact centers should support routing across every platform.
Unified Workspace
The unique aspect of an omnichannel contact center is that all forms of communication are available to you on a single platform. This expedites the process for your representatives since they won't have to switch between screens or programs to communicate with clients. Plus, if you've connected your contact center with your CRM, then the context between different communication channels will be visible at all times.
Context Carryover
One of the biggest reasons to have an omnichannel contact center is context carryover. Oftentimes, when you're communicating with a client across different platforms, you can lose valuable information about them if you don't have correspondence available. That's where omnichannel contact center software comes in.
Because it's housed on the same platform, confusion is eliminated from the equation. Representatives can reference past conversations and understand exactly where the client is in the workflow. If you have an AI assistant integrated within your contact center, you can even ask the AI agent questions about specific clients and instantly receive information.
Typical Channels an Omnichannel Contact Center Connects
Every contact center's needs differ depending on the size, industry, and goals. You should always evaluate your needs before committing to a contact center. However, choosing software with the most options can prevent difficulties reaching customers who prefer one form of communication over another.
Here are just a few of the most common forms of contact you should consider:
Key Benefits of an Omnichannel Contact Center
Omnichannel contact centers create a seamless customer experience between different channels by simplifying the number of software you use. Because they keep all correspondence on one page, they allow you to keep a consistent brand image and security & compliance standards throughout the entire process. It's also the most efficient way to keep track of all the communication methods you're managing.
With omnichannel contact centers, you can also improve your customer journey mapping by personalizing your interactions with potential customers. Every customer will be different, so you can expect their preferred method of contact to be different. Plus, with CRM integration, you will get full context of every interaction.
Finally, if you have an integration with your CRM and AI assistant, you'll have access to the best data coming from your calls. You'll be able to determine customer sentiment, receive data-backed suggestions, and give yourself a schedule for all your client interactions. At Hooked, we suggest you choose a call center with native integration between a CRM, contact center, and AI, so you won't have to find an integration solution.
Core Capabilities to Look Out For
With omnichannel contact center software, there are several features you should be aware of. Call centers can specialize in specific features designed to enhance your call workflow, but be aware of which ones they prioritize over others. Here's a list of features we believe you should have in your omnichannel contact center:
| Feature | Explanation | What to Ask |
|---|---|---|
| Omnichannel Routing | Your IVR should route your customers to the appropriate agent using the communication method they prefer. | Does your contact center software include omnichannel routing? If so, what communication methods are supported? |
| Unified Agent Desktop | Every interaction with your client should be conveniently displayed when interacting with them. | Can I reference SMS messages when I'm on the phone with a client? |
| Native CRM or Integration Options | A well-organized CRM is the crux of a capable call center. Having a native CRM within your call center can help you maintain your calls and keep your data clean. If there isn't a native CRM, make sure it can integrate with your current system. | Does your call center have a built-in CRM? Or do you have an API key so we can set up our own integration? |
| AI and Automation | AI and automation can help you determine customer sentiment and provide critical data analysis. | What can your AI assistant do to improve our workflow? |
| Reporting and Dashboards | With real-time reporting, you can determine exactly how your customers interact with your representatives and gain valuable insights. | How are your reporting features set up? Are there custom fields to personalize it to our business needs? |
| Security and Compliance | If you're working in a sensitive industry (like life insurance sales), having secure interactions and compliance standards will prevent you from breaking any laws. | Are there any compliance checks we can implement within the contact center? |
| Scalability Capacity | Companies who are looking to grow in size and capacity should look for a contact center that will grow with them. | Can we adjust our plan depending on the number of representatives we have? |
AI in Omnichannel Contact Centers
Today, an AI omnichannel contact center has become industry standard for all sales and customer support companies. We highly recommend finding an omnichannel contact center that implements an AI assistant; however, every company is different and focuses on different aspects depending on their needs.
Here are just a few of the different AI omnichannel contact center focuses you should know:
Customer-Facing AI
A customer-facing AI omnichannel contact center uses AI in its IVR, ACD, and other distribution systems from other communication modes. The AI assistant will ask the client a few questions to determine which agent would best suit the situation and give them a comprehensive view of their issue before beginning that interaction.
We recommend customer-facing AI if you are a customer service center or have several departments within your inbound call center.
Agent-Assist AI
Agent-assist AI primarily focuses on improving your representatives' workflow. Real-time transcriptions, customer sentiment analysis, suggested replies, and follow-up items are all features the AI should assist with. If you have integration with your CRM, it can also provide automation within the fields, creating an accurate, AI-generated summary and filling out forms so your representatives don't have to worry about missing critical information.
This type of AI assistance is helpful for all contact centers as it integrates seamlessly with your CRM.
Analytic AI
Best suited for managers and supervisors, analytic AI omnichannel contact center features primarily focus on automating compliance standards. Once the parameters are uploaded to the system, the AI performs quality assurance checks to ensure your representatives remain compliant.
It can also generate graphs and track statistics, allowing management to determine who needs additional training or where their workforce engagement management can be improved. With enough data, an AI agent can even use algorithms to predict and anticipate future issues or questions a potential customer may have.
How to Measure Omnichannel Success
How do you know whether your omnichannel contact center is a success or if you should just focus on one form of communication? That will primarily depend on your goals as a contact center, but there are a few different modes of success you should consider when seeking new options.
Here are some of the metrics companies use to determine success within their call center:
- First Contact Resolution: How many times does it take for a lead to convert, and what did the representative use?
- Average Handle Time: How long does it take to resolve the interaction?
- Resolution Rate: How often are representatives ending an interaction with an increase in your ROI?
- Channel Mix: Are your representatives using multiple communication channels to resolve interactions?
- Context-Continuity: Between channels, is the context and tone preserved throughout the interactions?
Building an Omnichannel Contact Center
Before you build an omnichannel contact center, you should invest in a CRM. CRMs are at the center of any good contact center since they manage every client and allow your representatives to keep detailed notes they can reference.
After that, you should evaluate your customer journey map and determine which channels your customers are using. Those are the ones you'll prioritize when looking at new contact center software.
Once you've found one that matches your needs and integrates well with your CRM, book a demo with the representatives and determine if it's right for you and your company. If it harmonizes with your requirements, then you can train your representatives on the new workflow and adjust as needed.
Hooked CRM as an Omnichannel Contact Center
Hooked CRM is an all-in-one platform that combines a dialer, CRM, and AI assistance. You can even message people using SMS, making it extremely versatile for all phone conversations. We recognized that most calls relied on other forms of communication to keep up with the clientele – whether that be in the sales or insurance industries.
That's why we created a process that uses dialer and SMS features, ensuring a comprehensive view of your customer interactions. If you're looking for a system with full integration between CRMs, phone communications, and AI assistance, book a demo with us today, and we'll show you how Hooked enhances your workflow.
