10 Speed Tips to Improve Multichannel

Our readers share their speed tips on how best to engage with your multichannel customers.

1. Don’t overlook a personal preference for the phone

When designing your multichannel experience, keep in mind that personal preferences will always inform part of the customer’s journey with you.

For example, even if the FAQ section on your website is up to date, some customers will still prefer to speak to someone on the phone.

With thanks to Mymoena

2. Don’t send automated emails to customers you’ve engaged with on Twitter

There is nothing more frustrating for a customer than engaging with an agent on Twitter or via the phone and being asked to email the contact centre…

…only to receive an automated email that has nothing to do with resolving their query.

With thanks to Megan

3. Put your contact details at the top of your web page

On most websites, I find that the support numbers and other contact options (including webchat and email) are at the very bottom of the page. Sometimes it’s even hidden as a sub-tab under another tab.

Why do we put our customers through this?

Stop messing around and put this important information at the top of the web page – in an easy-to-find location!

With thanks to Sherif

4. Send a URL via SMS for greater impact than ‘another email’

With the use of smartphones, it’s very easy to send a URL via SMS and this has a greater impact than ‘another email’.

With thanks to Alex

5. Ask your customers if their webchat experience was good or bad

A simple way to monitor webchat is to ask your customers to rate their experience as good or bad as they exit the conversation.

With thanks to Eileen

6. Keep watching and listening to your customers

Embrace the wolves that our savvy customers have become!

Keep watching them, listen to them, pretend to be them and build practical but adjustable routes for them to embrace you back.

With thanks to Nerys

7. Don’t reach out to your customers more than 5 times a week

My customer experience team found (after lots of studies) that it is detrimental to contact the customer more than 3 times a day and 5 times a week – even if it is through a variety of channels.

With thanks to Sherif

8. Don’t force customers to sit in a queue for a simple answer

When it comes to simple queries, I would much rather use my computing skills to find the answer via the company’s website.

Especially as you usually have to pay for the phone call, navigate an IVR and sit in a call queue to get the answer you need.

Give your customers the option to boycott the call centre completely, if they want.

With thanks to Chris

9. Don’t just tell your customers “other people have had this issue too”

Don’t just tell your customers “other people have had this issue too”.

If it’s something that a lot of people are asking about, then clearly it hasn’t been built into the process clearly.

Do something about it.

With thanks to Cathie

10. Try to service customers in their channel of choice

I think you should try to service customers where possible in their channel of choice.

For example, if they are on the website don’t force them on to the phone.

With thanks to Elaine

How have you improved the multichannel experience in your contact centre?