Let’s walk through a typical day of communicating with clients as a garment care owner:
- You get an Instagram DM asking about your hours.
- You get an email about an order that is missing an item.
- You get a text about a missed delivery.
- You get a phone call about an out-of-order machine.
- You get a message via Facebook that your delivery driver was rude.
And it’s not even 3 pm yet.
Client communication used to be simpler. You either spoke in person or over the phone, making it easy to track every interaction.
But as client preferences evolved, so did their expectations on how to reach you.
The businesses that limit communication to one or more methods are unknowingly limiting their clientele as well.
People want to be able to contact businesses in whatever way is convenient for them. If the business doesn’t have the way available, the potential client may look elsewhere.
That’s where omnichannel support comes in – and I’m a huge fan of it.
What is omnichannel support?
Omnichannel support is when a business assists clients across multiple platforms. This means they can contact you via their favorite platform whether that’s email, text, LinkedIn, phone call, or carrier pigeon.
(Okay, maybe not that last one…yet)
It’s about being easily accessible and meeting clients where they are.
What’s the point of omnichannel support?
Omnichannel support is all about providing a better, more seamless experience for clients, team members, and other stakeholders. By allowing people to reach you in the way that works best for them, you show them that you value their time and respect their preferences.
But I’m going to be honest: omnichannel support can be chaotic and unmanageable if you don’t have the right system in place.
Omnichannel support systems allow you to access all of your messages using one software. Whether they send an email, text, or social media message, all of the communication goes to one place where you and your team see it.
Thinking about, the thinking of laundry:
If your store phone rings and no one answers, are you getting your voicemails in real time?
Benefits of Using an Omnichannel Support System
- Respond to clients faster
- Integrate sales data
- Have a complete view of your clients support history
- Add notes to accounts
- Use chatbots and AI to assist clients
- Run reports on every interaction
- Set reminders and tasks for your team to follow up
- Use workflows to automate repetitive tasks.
We’ve used and explored a few omnichannel support systems over the years. We currently use Help Scout and HeyMarket in the past. I’ve heard good things about
too, but I haven’t personally used them.
Omnichannel support isn’t just about making things easier for your clients. It’s about making things easier for you too.
That's all I got for you today.
Waleed
🏴☠️ ✌️
p.s. let me know what you think of this weeks editorial by giving it a thumbs up or down
From the words of businessman, Steve Jobs
No amount of advertising can repair the damage done by failing to properly address a customer’s concern.
