A Guide to Omnichannel Contact Center Solutions + Top Options

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Meeting and engaging with customers on their terms can be a challenge, and customers today expect seamless interactions across multiple channels—from phone and email to chat and social media. 

Omnichannel contact center solutions provide a unified platform to manage all customer interactions and ensure a smooth and efficient experience every time, which is why they can be a game changer for customer service. 

In this blog post, we'll explore what omnichannel contact centers are, their key features, and the top solutions available. You'll discover how an omnichannel approach can elevate the customer experience and learn which tools are a good fit for your needs.

TL;DR

• What is an omnichannel contact center?

• Why you should have an omnichannel contact center

• Key features for an omnichannel contact center

• Top omnichannel contact center software

What Is an Omnichannel Contact Center?

An omnichannel contact center is a customer service solution that integrates multiple communication channels into a single, cohesive platform. This means your customers can reach you via phone, email, chat, social media, and more—and no matter how they reach you, they have a consistent experience. 

An omnichannel contact center ensures customer information is readily available across all channels. Whether a customer starts a conversation on social media and continues it via email or switches from a chat to a phone call, this solution provides a smooth and uninterrupted customer journey.

Learn how to build an omnichannel customer support strategy and provide a better customer experience. Watch our webinar for expert tips.

How is omnichannel customer support different from multichannel customer support?

While both omnichannel and multichannel customer support strategies connect with customers across various platforms, they differ in their execution.

Multichannel customer support offers multiple ways for people to contact you—phone, email, chat, social media—but each channel operates independently. This often means customers need to repeat their issues or queries when switching channels.

Meanwhile, omnichannel customer support integrates all communication channels into one cohesive system. It syncs interactions, providing seamless transitions between channels that don’t require customers to repeat information. This unified approach provides a smoother, more efficient customer service experience.

What’s an example of omnichannel customer service?

Think of a customer that frequently reaches out for support using different platforms; perhaps they use your chat feature to ask about a new product, then call your customer support team when they have questions after buying said product. 

Thanks to the omnichannel setup, their experience remains seamless each time, as agents have access to a historic log of this customer’s interactions with your team. 

For example, The Cookware Company faced a major challenge when their business grew by 300% in a year, leading to a rapid surge in customer inquiries. They needed an omnichannel customer service solution to manage interactions across various channels. 

By integrating Aircall with Zendesk, they created a unified platform for handling phone, email, chat, and social media interactions. This allowed customer support agents to recognize callers, check existing tickets, and quickly identify order statuses, ensuring a consistent and efficient customer experience.

Read our case study for more details on how Aircall helps The Cookware Company stay on top of their customer service channels.

Why You Should Have an Omnichannel Contact Center

Customers expect seamless interactions across multiple platforms. And companies that implement omnichannel contact centers see improved customer satisfaction rates and better retention. 

Here’s why you need an omnichannel contact center:

• Unified access to customer data: With an omnichannel contact center, your agents can access information across all channels, providing a complete view of past customer interactions. This allows them to meet customer expectations by delivering informed and consistent service.

• Improved issue resolution rate: With all relevant information at your fingertips, your agents can resolve customer issues faster. This efficiency enhances customer communications and reduces wait times.

• More personalized customer support experiences: Agents can tailor their responses based on a holistic understanding of customer history and preferences. This customization ensures that customer preferences are met, resulting in a smoother experience.

• Increased customer service team productivity: By streamlining workflows and reducing repetitive tasks, customer service agents can focus on the most important part of their job: resolving issues effectively. 

• Easier data collection and analytics: Gather insights from multiple touchpoints to understand customer behavior and improve service. This data-driven approach helps you predict trends and meet customer expectations more accurately.

• Scalability and flexibility: Adapt to growing customer needs and integrate new channels seamlessly. This scalability ensures that as your business grows, your customer support evolves alongside an increase in customer demands and inquiries.

• Reduced operating costs: Unify your customer support efforts to optimize resources and reduce inefficiencies. Centralized operations lower costs and improve workforce management, resulting in better resource allocation.

• Increased customer engagement: Improve customer interactions by providing a seamless experience across all channels. A unified approach keeps customers engaged to help you build loyalty and improve overall satisfaction.

Key Features for an Omnichannel Contact Center

An omnichannel contact center should have specific features in order to deliver personalized customer support across multiple channels. These functionalities include:

• Cloud-based unified platform: A single, cloud-based platform that consolidates all communication channels, ensures smooth and efficient interactions, eliminates silos, and allows for real-time updates across all channels.

• Extensive integration capabilities: The ability to integrate with various business tools and software, such as CRM systems and helpdesks, to streamline operations and consolidate information.

• Shared contacts and customer profiles: Centralized access to customer information and interaction history, allowing contact center agents to provide personalized and informed service.

• Smart call routing: Advanced call routing that directs customers to the most appropriate agent based on their needs and previous interactions. This reduces wait times and ensures that callers are quickly connected with agents who are best equipped to handle their issues.

• Analytics and reporting: Comprehensive analytics and reporting tools to track performance, understand customer behavior, and make data-driven decisions. These insights help identify trends, measure success, and continuously improve the quality of customer support.

Top Omnichannel Contact Center Solutions for Better Customer Support

Finding the right software is essential for providing exceptional customer service across all channels. Here’s an overview of the top omnichannel contact center software

Aircall

Aircall is a leading omnichannel customer communications software praised for its ease of use and excellent customer support. All Aircall plans include voice calls, SMS and MMS messaging, plus 100+ business tool apps and integrations.

Its intuitive dashboard allows real-time team management and performance tracking. And Aircall connects seamlessly with tools that can help you round out your omnichannel customer support strategy, like Intercom's help desk and Heymarket’s SMS tool. 

Overall, the platform’s comprehensive features and seamless integrations make it a top choice for businesses looking to improve their omnichannel customer support.

• Features: Smart routing, shared contacts, call commenting & assignment, conversation center, analytics

• Integrations: 100+ integrations

• Pricing: From $40/month/user

Leverage the power of phones for an omnichannel customer support strategy with Aircall. Try for free.

Five9

Keep track of important customer details within Five9’s platform.

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Five9’s all-in-one cloud contact center solution supports voice, chat, email, SMS/MMS, and social messaging. Ideal for large, blended contact centers, it offers features like conversational AI, global voice and VoIP, and comprehensive omnichannel customer support. 

The platform excels with its gamification for agents, open API, and key integrations. Users praise its call management features, making it a strong choice for enhancing customer support. However, some users note its lack of customization options.

• Features: Workflow automation, video calling, social messaging, 360 customer analytics, agent activity reporting

• Integrations: 6 integrations

• Pricing: From $175/month/user

See our Five9 alternatives comparison for more information. 

Dialpad

Dialpad’s AI features summarize your calls and automatically extract action items.

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Dialpad’s AI-powered solution syncs data across voice, video, and digital channels for seamless omnichannel customer support, allowing you to manage all your channels in one place. The tool lets you create chatbots with multimedia responses, and real-time sentiment analysis helps supervisors monitor calls and assist agents where necessary. 

The built-in analytics dashboard tracks key metrics like call volumes and customer satisfaction. Users praise Dialpad’s calling features, such as pre-recorded voicemails, tracking and transcripts, but some note hidden fees as a drawback. 

• Features: Contact center analytics, real-time coaching, live sentiment analysis, virtual receptionist

• Integrations: 70+ integrations

• Pricing: From $27/month/user

See our Dialpad alternatives comparison for more information. 

Talkdesk

Talkdesk gives your agents important customer information to help them provide exceptional service.

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Talkdesk is designed to improve your customer service efforts while reducing operational costs. Its AI-powered features, like automated responses and instant information retrieval, ease the burden on live agents. And the platform’s Omnichannel Engagement suite enables seamless interaction across SMS, chat, email, and social messaging, preserving context and personalizing customer experiences. 

With over 60 native integrations, the tool can improve workflows and data management. Users appreciate its intuitive interface and ease of use, though some note the relatively high pricing.  

• Features: Call center software, advanced routing, call monitoring and reporting, agent workspaces

• Integrations: 60+ integrations

• Pricing: From $85/month/user

See our Talkdesk alternatives comparison for more information. 

8x8

8x8 helps you better engage your customers with the data and automations your customer-facing team needs.

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8x8 combines video conferencing, messaging, and audio calls. With AI, Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), and Natural Language Processing (NLP), the tool’s Intelligent IVR enables personalized self-service experiences, increasing first contact resolution and reducing costs. 

The platform comes with 24/7 support, and users appreciate its ease of use and customization. Just note that call monitoring, supervisor analytics, and front desk reception are only available on higher tiers. 

• Features: Auto-attendant, team messaging, voicemail to email, call management

• Integrations: 60+ integrations

• Pricing: No pricing information is listed on the 8x8 website.

See our 8x8 alternatives comparison for more information. 

The Best Omnichannel Contact Center Solution for Enhanced Productivity and Happier Customers

Omnichannel contact center solutions can significantly improve customer support. Not only do they give customers multiple ways to reach you, but they also ensure all interactions are seamless and cohesive, whether via call or chat. Solutions like Five9, Dialpad, Talkdesk, and 8x8 each offer unique features that cater to different business needs. 

However, Aircall stands out as the leading omnichannel contact center software. Its user-friendly interface, 100+ integrations with popular tools, and comprehensive features like conversation analysis and smart call routing make it an exceptional choice for businesses that want to build a solid omnichannel customer support strategy. 

Leverage the power of phones for an omnichannel customer support strategy with Aircall. Try for free.

Frequently Asked Questions About Omnichannel Contact Center Solutions

What is omnichannel customer service?

Omnichannel customer service integrates multiple communication channels into one seamless platform. For example, a customer starts a support chat on a company’s website about a product issue, then follows up via email, and eventually calls the customer support hotline. 

With omnichannel contact center platforms, your team can access the entire conversation history across all channels. This means the customer doesn’t need to repeat their issue, and the agent can provide a cohesive and efficient resolution. 

What are the benefits of omnichannel contact centers?

An omnichannel contact center solution offers numerous benefits. It provides a seamless customer experience by integrating all communication channels into one platform, ensuring a consistent and smooth experience for the customer, regardless of how they choose to interact.

This means customers don't have to repeat themselves, and agents can continue the conversation from where it left off. It also improves agent productivity by giving them access to all relevant customer data, enabling more personalized responses and quicker resolution rates. 

Additionally, omnichannel contact centers offer better data collection and analytics, which can help businesses understand customer behavior and optimize their services. Overall, an omnichannel contact center solution boosts efficiency, customer satisfaction scores, and business growth.

What is an omni call center?

An omni call center is another term for an omnichannel call center. It’s a customer service hub that uses omnichannel contact center software to integrate multiple communication channels—such as phone, email, chat, and social media—into a single platform. 

Agents can access a unified customer history, allowing them to provide personalized and efficient support without customers needing to repeat information. By using omnichannel contact center software, businesses can improve customer satisfaction, operations, and overall efficiency, making an omni call center an essential component of modern customer service strategies.

Published on August 27, 2024.