Cross Channel: Strong customer relationships across all digital channels

If you are a retailer and want to appeal to young customers, you should embrace digital technologies as much as possible. There is no doubt that Gen Zers and Millennials are much more willing to buy products directly through social media, ask a voicebot questions or log complaints via Messenger (PwC, 2020). Cross-channel communication is the key to engaging with them where they like to be and often are. The prerequisites are applications with Artificial Intelligence (AI), a top-notch infrastructure for customer data and suitable bots. They support all digital channels, ensure a secure human handoff and make your service team’s day-to-day lives noticeably easier.

Key points

• Today’s customers expect a seamless cross-channel experience. They have little patience for delayed responses, missing information or slow-paced conversations;
• To provide a first-class service experience, you need the right architecture that encompasses all channels effectively;
• Conversational AI is one of the building blocks of successful customer communication.

White paper: Digital customer delight

Employ a future-proof communication strategy to engage with your customers directly where they are. Using logical automation and Artificial Intelligence and providing top-notch customer service will ensure that you have your customers’ loyalty. Capitalize on all digital channels in your cross-channel communication – our white paper explains how to do it.

Download our white paper now (German only)

A practical example: A service experience on four digital channels

Tim, your customer, loves sneakers and follows various sneaker pages on Instagram. In an Instagram story, he discovers a great new pair. Immediately he contacts you, the retailer, by sending you a message on Instagram Direct, asking if they are already in stock at your nearest store.

A service representative processes Tim’s inquiry within minutes and determines that the shoes won’t arrive for three more days. In her reply, she refers Tim to the online store.

Since Tim is in the ”top customer” category, the service employee also sends a voucher for a 5% discount to the e-mail address in Tim’s customer account. Tim feels well taken care of, even though he does not get the shoes immediately.

Digital communication is popular; Messenger and conversational AI are on the rise

The above example shows how beneficial it is for you, the retailer, to be where your customers are. Tim could have bailed at any point in the process, yet the instant, quick and personalized service he received along the way increased his customer loyalty even more.

Providing this level of service is only possible if you combine all important digital channels into one uniform communication system. At the same time, it is important to keep an eye on the trends in your target groups.

E-mail is losing importance

Although e-mail is still the most popular digital channel for communicating with companies, brands and retailers today (GMX, 2020), the trend in the younger generations is clear: E-mail will lose its importance eventually, while direct messaging options, social media and chatbots are on the rise.

Social media shopping

Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram all have integrated store functions that allow retailers to sell their products directly, further shortening the journey from first customer interaction to sale. It is, therefore, particularly important to integrate the communication channels of the platforms seamlessly into your company’s service system.

Chatbots und voicebots

The use of AI in our everyday lives has become enormously widespread thanks to the support programs in smartphones and smart home systems. Today, more than a quarter of companies already use chatbots and voicebots to make their internal and external communication more efficient and cost-effective (Statista, 2020).

Seamless communication – convenient for customers and employees

The benefits of digital channels are explicit: Your customers receive the fast, instant and personalized service they expect; you, in turn, gain strong customer relationships and more sales.

Yet, the more channels you operate, the more confusing it becomes. You need a (CRM) system that allows your service team to use all digital channels uniformly and with updated real-time data – preferably with a uniform interface (GUI).

This is how you add clarity and reliability to your cross-channel system. With the right infrastructure, you can also easily set up and manage AI systems, chatbots, voicebots and human handoff.

Digital assistance can be this versatile

The following three application examples illustrate the benefits of digital assistance in real life.

Example 1: Customer acquisition

Mara, an acquaintance of Tim’s, notices a story your customer Tim has shared on Facebook. She visits your landing page, where a chatbot communicates with her in a friendly and context-related manner. The chatbot naturally leads this potential customer into an exciting shopping experience.

Example 2: Support along the customer journey

Mara has placed an order she wants to pick up by appointment shopping as soon as possible. She automatically receives a pickup notification by text and Facebook Messenger.

However, Mara cannot make the appointment time and cancels the appointment via Messenger. A service employee makes arrangements for the products to be delivered to Mara’s home without even leaving the (CRM) system.

Mara receives a tracking code for her order on her phone and in her e-mail inbox in no more than an hour. It is all automated.

Example 3: Customer reactivation

Since Mara hasn’t visited your store in a while, an automatic mailing for customer reactivation is triggered and sent to Mara. It is a personalized e-mail and Facebook message and includes a 10% discount voucher and information about a special offer for the running shoes she had in her shopping cart at one time but then did not order.

Conclusion: Combining digital channels smartly

Cross-channel communication is an indispensable part of retail, and you need a smart concept to make the most of these great opportunities. A first-rate solution allows you to use digital channels uniformly, clearly, and with updated real-time data. As a result, you create convenient and efficient workflows for your service team and great customer experiences.