What is an omnichannel contact center?

“Omnichannel contact center” is an omnipresent buzzword in the modern telecommunications industry. But what exactly does it mean? Why is it relevant to your organization? In this article, you’ll learn how you can successfully implement an omnichannel contact center solution and improve your customer relations.

Omnichannel definition

Omnichannel can refer to two different concepts. First, an omnichannel contact center refers to a contact center solutions provider that offers services through all possible communication channels (phone call, text message, email, etc.). 

Additionally, omnichannel can refer to an organization’s communication strategy. This type of strategy ensures that customers can reach the necessary team members through any means. Some of the channels include:

• Email
• Phone call
• Live chat
• SMS messages
• Social media DMs
• Video call

The goal is for communication between customers and the organization to be as easy as possible and through the method that works best for the customer.

Read more: Call Center vs. Contact Center

You might be thinking, “That sounds like a lot of work!”

It can be. If you don’t have the proper technology and staff, implementing a successful omnichannel contact center strategy can be difficult. Also, if not done correctly, you may end up frustrating your customers, rather than helping them.

How to build an omnichannel contact center

Technically, it is possible to DIY your omnichannel contact center. To begin, you’ll need to plan thoroughly and be prepared to set aside a budget. You’ll need team members dedicated to supervising the operation and you may need to hire new people to interact with customers.

If you already have an internal contact center, you may need to consider what channels your customers have asked for in the past. If you don’t have them already, make sure to add them to make communication as efficient and accessible as possible.

Choosing either of these routes can be time intensive. Be sure to set up regular checkpoints to make sure everything is running smoothly. Determine your criteria for success and regularly check in to make sure you’re meeting your goals.

There has to be a better way!

A simpler way to do it is to partner with a contact center solutions provider. Thankfully, these organizations are experts in providing outsourced contact center solutions. Conveniently, they already have the infrastructure in place, so launching the project will take much less time than doing it yourself.

As an example, JetSpring offers omnichannel support for a fraction of what it would cost to do it yourself. Our college-educated, at-home agents are experts at customer engagement and able to handle inquiries 24/7.

Read about our services here or chat with us to learn more!