A Multichannel Contact Center is an essential tool for businesses looking to provide customers with exceptional service across various communication channels.
As the proliferation of digital technology has increased, customers now expect a consistent experience across their chosen channels – be it by phone, email, web chat or social media.
In fact, according to a study by Aberdeen Group, companies with a multichannel contact center strategy retain 89% of their customers compared to only 33% for those without one.
“Companies with strong omnichannel customer engagement strategies retain an average of 89% of their customers.”— Aberdeen Group
Multichannel contact centers are essential for effective customer engagement. In this article, I will list the 5 best multichannel contact centers for you to find the most suitable provider for you.
What is a Multichannel Contact Center?
A multichannel contact center is an advanced customer support system that enables businesses to manage and streamline communication across multiple support channels, such as phone calls, emails, live chat, social media platforms, and more.
This modern approach to customer service ensures your customers can reach you through their preferred channel while providing a seamless experience for both them and your support team.
The Evolution of Customer Support
In the past, traditional call centers focused primarily on handling phone support.
However, with the rapid growth of digital technology and increased customer expectations for quick responses via various mediums, it became essential for businesses to adapt by incorporating multichannel solutions into their operations.
Why Businesses Need Multichannel Contact Centers
Multichannel contact centers are crucial in today’s competitive business landscape, where excellent customer service plays a significant role in retaining clients and attracting new ones.
By offering multiple avenues for customers to communicate with your company easily, you enhance their overall satisfaction, which ultimately leads to higher revenue generation opportunities.
The Growing Importance of the Omnichannel Approach
Beyond multichannel lies the concept of omnichannel support, a step further in creating seamless interactions between different support channels.
Omnichannel strategies foster consistent experiences throughout all touchpoints while ensuring context-awareness during each interaction.
This allows agents to provide customers personalized assistance based on previous interactions, further enhancing customer satisfaction.
Multichannel Contact Center Channels
The most common channels used in multichannel contact centers include:
- Voice calls: Traditional phone support remains an essential channel for many customers who prefer direct and immediate assistance.
- Email: Asynchronous communication allows customers to send detailed inquiries without waiting on hold or needing real-time interaction.
- Social media: Businesses can monitor and respond to customer queries, feedback, and complaints across popular platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
- Live chat: Real-time text-based conversations provide quick resolutions while allowing agents to handle multiple interactions simultaneously.
- Messaging apps: WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and other messaging services enable convenient mobile support that’s increasingly favored by younger generations.
In addition to these core channels, some multichannel contact centers also offer video chat capabilities or integrate with self-service options such as knowledge bases or virtual assistants.
By offering a diverse range of communication methods tailored towards different preferences and needs, a well-implemented multichannel strategy ensures your business is accessible, responsive, and eagerly meeting your audience where they are already active online.
What is the Best Multichannel Contact Center?
1. Zendesk Talk
This cloud-based tool is a powerful multichannel contact center system designed to streamline customer support operations.
Zendesk Talk offers small to medium business owners the capacity to handle communications through phone, email, chat, and social media in one location.
One of the main advantages of using Zendesk Talk is its seamless integration with other Zendesk products.
This allows for easy access to customer data across multiple channels, ensuring consistent support experiences.
To help make informed decisions about contact center performance, Zendesk Talk also provides real-time analytics and reporting tools that track metrics like average handle time, first-call resolution rate, and more.
Zendesk Talk has an advanced call routing feature that ensures customers are connected to the right agent quickly.
The built-in Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system helps route calls based on predefined rules or customer input.
Features:
- Real-time analytics & reporting: Tools help in making informed decisions about contact center performance by tracking metrics like average handle time, first-call resolution rate, and more.
- Call recording & monitoring: This feature allows managers to monitor live calls or review recorded conversations for quality assurance purposes or effectively training new agents.
- Customizable greetings & hold music: Add phone lines or expand your services easily without worrying about traditional phone line limitations.
Pricing:
- Team – $49/agent/month
- Growth – $79/agent/month
- Professional – $99/agent/month
2. Freshdesk
Next up, we have a popular multichannel contact center system that offers an array of features to help businesses streamline their customer support operations.
Freshdesk enables seamless communication across multiple channels like email, phone, chat, social media, and more – all from a single dashboard.
A centralized approach like this ensures that no query goes unanswered while providing consistent support to customers regardless of their preferred channel.
This data-driven, omnichannel approach allows you to make informed decisions about resource allocation and identify areas for improvement within your support processes.
With its powerful automation capabilities, Freshdesk simplifies repetitive tasks such as ticket assignment or setting up follow-up reminders for agents.
The collaboration tools also allow teams to work together on complex issues by sharing notes or creating internal discussions without leaving the platform.
Features:
- Customizable Reports & Analytics: Freshdesk provides in-depth analytics with customizable reports that help you track performance metrics such as response times and resolution rates.
- Integration Capabilities: Freshdesk seamlessly integrates with various third-party applications like Salesforce, Shopify, and Slack. This flexibility allows you to create a tailored support ecosystem that caters to your business’s unique needs.
- Scalability: Freshdesk is designed for businesses of all sizes, making it easy to scale up or down as your customer base grows or contracts. The platform provides various payment plans, so you can select the one that suits your financial plan and needs.
Pricing:
- Growth – $15/agent/month
- Pro – $39/agent/month
- Enterprise – $69/agent/month
3. Five9
Harness the power of AI in the call center with Five9, a leading multichannel contact center system that empowers small to medium business owners with top-notch customer service solutions.
With its advanced routing capabilities, Five9 ensures smooth interactions across phone calls, emails, web chats, social media messages, and more.
Your agents will have access to comprehensive customer information in real time so they can deliver personalized support on every channel. No more juggling between different platforms.
The power of AI-driven automation is at your fingertips with Five9’s Intelligent Virtual Assistant (IVA). It automates routine tasks like answering FAQs or gathering preliminary information before connecting customers to live agents.
This way, your team can focus on resolving complex issues efficiently. Say goodbye to wasted time and hello to happy customers.
Features:
- Data-driven insights: Track key performance indicators (KPIs), monitor trends over time, and identify areas for improvement – all through easy-to-understand dashboards and reports.
- Predictive dialer technology: It intelligently connects agents to live customers while minimizing wait times and dropped calls. Plus, it ensures compliance with telemarketing regulations.
- Easy integration: Five9’s open APIs allow for effortless integration with well-known CRM systems such as Salesforce, Zendesk, and Microsoft Dynamics 365, enabling centralization of customer data in one place.
Pricing:
- Digital – $149 per month
- Core – $149 per month
- Premium – $169 per month
- Optimum – $199 per month
- Ultimate – $229 per month
4. NICE CXone
If you’re a small to medium business owner looking for a powerful multichannel contact center system to streamline your customer service operations, NICE CXone could be the contact center software for you.
This comprehensive cloud-based solution offers a broad array of capabilities to enhance agent performance, bolster customer satisfaction and foster business growth.
As a cloud-based platform, NICE CXone offers unmatched scalability, allowing businesses to quickly adapt to changing customer demands or seasonal fluctuations without worrying about infrastructure limitations.
Additionally, the solution adheres to strict security standards like GDPR and HIPAA compliance for complete peace of mind.
NICE CXone also gives you comprehensive analytics capabilities, allowing your business to gain valuable insights into customer behavior patterns and preferences.
With its powerful features and seamless integrations, it’s no wonder many companies are choosing this innovative platform as their go-to solution.
Features:
- Workforce optimization (WFO): The platform includes advanced WFO tools like workforce management (WFM), quality management (QM), performance management (PM), analytics-driven coaching, eLearning modules, and gamification options.
- Omnichannel routing: NICE CXone provides seamless omnichannel routing across various communication channels, ensuring customers reach their preferred channel.
- CRM integrations & open APIs: The solution is highly flexible with its ability to integrate seamlessly with popular CRM systems like Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics 365 using pre-built connectors or open APIs for custom integrations.
Pricing:
You will have to request a quote from NICE CXone for further pricing information.
5. Genesys PureCloud
Genesys PureCloud is a multichannel contact center system designed to help small to medium business owners streamline their customer service operations, improve agent productivity, and enhance overall customer experience.
PureCloud enables you to engage with customers across multiple channels such as voice, email, chat, social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, video calls, or even SMS text messaging. This ensures seamless communication with your customers regardless of their preferred channel.
The solution offers intelligent routing capabilities, ensuring that each interaction reaches the most suitable agent based on skills and availability.
Additionally, its workforce management tools help optimize staffing levels by forecasting workload demands and scheduling agents accordingly.
Furthermore, Genesys PureCloud has performance tracking metrics like call volume trends, KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), first-call resolution rates, and average handle time.
Features:
- Security & compliance: PureCloud ensures that your customer data remains secure through its robust security measures, including encryption, intrusion detection systems, and regular audits while also complying with industry standards.
- Customization options: With this contact center software, you will have libraries with a plethora of APIs to customize your experience.
- Scalability & flexibility: PureCloud offers flexibility in terms of deployment options and remote workforce management capabilities – making it an ideal choice for businesses with distributed teams or those looking to expand their operations globally.
Pricing:
Genesys Cloud CX 1
- Voice – $75 per month
Genesys Cloud CX 2
- Digital – $95 per month
- Digital + Voice – $115 per month
Genesys Cloud CX 3
- Digital + WEM – $135 per month
- Digital + WEM +Voice – $155 per month
Benefits of Multichannel Contact Center
The modern corporate world necessitates providing top-notch customer service to remain competitive.
A multichannel contact center can help you achieve this by offering various communication channels to interact with your customers.
The benefits of using a multichannel contact center:
- Better Customer Experience: Customers have different preferences when it comes to communication channels. By offering a variety of communication channels, such as VoIP telephony, email, live chat and social media, customers can access the desired service with ease while your agents are able to efficiently manage interactions from all sources.
- Increased Efficiency: With all communication channels integrated into one platform, your agents can easily manage interactions from different sources without switching between applications. This saves time and improves productivity.
- Improved First Contact Resolution (FCR): By having access to all necessary information in one place, a multichannel contact center enables agents to resolve issues quickly during the first interaction – leading to higher customer satisfaction rates.
- Centralized Data Collection: All customer interactions across various channels are stored in a single database, making it easier for businesses to analyze data trends and make informed decisions about their operations.
Key Features Multichannel Contact Centers
A multichannel contact center is a powerful tool for businesses to manage customer interactions across various channels. Let’s explore some key features that make these solutions so valuable for business owners.
Data Consolidation and Centralization
An essential feature of multichannel contact centers is the ability to consolidate data from different communication channels into one centralized platform.
This enables your team to access all relevant information in real-time, ensuring seamless customer experiences and efficient operations.
Omnichannel Routing
Omnichannel routing ensures that incoming communications are directed to the right agent or department based on predefined rules.
This helps reduce response times, improve first-call resolution rates, and boost overall customer satisfaction.
Contact Center Analytics & Reporting
In-depth analytics and reporting capabilities allow you to track performance metrics, such as average handle time, call volume trends, and agent productivity levels.
You can optimize your contact center processes by leveraging this data-driven insight.
Campaign Management Tools
Multichannel contact centers often include tools designed specifically for managing outbound campaigns like sales promotions or proactive support initiatives.
These features help streamline campaign execution while maximizing efficiency and ROI.
Skill-Based Agent Assignment
To ensure customers receive top-notch service, skill-based agent assignment considers each representative’s expertise when assigning tasks or calls.
This leads to higher first-call resolution rates and increased customer satisfaction.
Integration with CRM Systems
Seamless integration with your existing CRM system is crucial for maintaining a comprehensive view of each customer’s history.
This enables agents to provide personalized support, resulting in more effective problem-solving and improved customer relationships.
Identify Your Contact Center Needs
Before diving into the world of multichannel contact centers, it’s crucial to understand your business’s specific needs and requirements.
Identifying these will help you choose the right solution that fits your operations seamlessly.
Determine which channels are essential for your customer base. Analyze which forms of contact your clients prefer – be it by telephone, email, chatroom, social networking sites, text messages or video conferencing.
Knowing what communication methods resonate with your customers is key to delivering exceptional service.
Assess the volume of interactions across different channels. Analyzing this data helps you allocate resources efficiently and prioritize channels based on their importance in driving customer satisfaction.
Evaluate existing technology infrastructure. Consider whether a cloud-based or on-premise solution works best for your organization while considering scalability and integration capabilities with other systems like CRM software or workforce management tools.
Create a list of must-have features:
- Advanced call routing: Ensure incoming calls are directed to the most suitable agent available based on skill set and availability.
- Omnichannel support: Offer seamless transitions between different communication channels without losing context during conversations with customers.
- Data analytics & reporting: Track performance metrics such as average handle time (AHT), first-call resolution (FCR) rates, and overall customer satisfaction scores (CSAT).
- Contact center security & compliance: Protect sensitive information by adhering to industry standards like PCI DSS or GDPR regulations when handling customer data.
Compare Multichannel Contact Center Solutions
Once you’ve identified your contact center needs, it’s time to research and compare different multichannel contact center solutions. This step is essential to pinpointing the ideal choice for your company.
If a multichannel contact center is not for you, there are still plenty of other communication systems that you could use.
Great resources to help narrow down your options include Gartner reviews, Capterra listings, and customer testimonials.
When evaluating each solution, make sure to consider the following:
- Channel coverage: Ensure that the solution supports all channels relevant to your business (e.g., voice, email, chat).
- Pricing structure: Look for transparent pricing models with no hidden fees or long-term contracts.
- User experience: Opt for a platform with an intuitive interface that makes it easy for agents to manage multiple channels simultaneously.
- Versatility and scalability: Choose a solution that can grow with your business as you add new communication channels or expand operations.
- Data analytics capabilities: Seek out platforms offering robust reporting tools to track performance metrics across all supported channels.
To further streamline the decision-making process, consider requesting product demos from shortlisted vendors.
Demos allow you to see how their software works in real-time and ask any questions about specific features or functionalities directly from experts.
Implement a Multichannel Contact Center
The implementation process involves several key steps:
- Developing an implementation plan: Outline the objectives, timeline, responsibilities, and resources required for successful deployment.
- Selecting the right technology partner: Choose a reliable provider that offers comprehensive support during setup and ongoing maintenance of your multichannel contact center solution.
- Integrating with existing systems: Ensure seamless integration between the new software and other critical business applications such as CRM or help desk platforms.
- Data migration: Transfer customer data from legacy systems to the new platform without compromising its integrity or security.
- Customizing settings and workflows: Configure features like custom call routing rules, IVR menus, chatbot scripts, etc., according to your specific requirements.
To ensure smooth adoption by employees and customers alike, you should also consider providing adequate training on how to use these tools effectively.
In addition, it’s essential to monitor the performance of your multichannel contact center and make necessary adjustments for continuous improvement.
Note: The implementation process may vary depending on the chosen solution, so consult with your technology partner for tailored guidance.
Train Employees on Multichannel Contact Center Use
Implementing a multichannel contact center is only half the battle. Ensuring your employees are well-versed in using it effectively is crucial for success.
In-depth employee training should be a top priority when integrating new software into your business operations. Create a comprehensive training program covering all aspects of the multichannel contact center, from managing different channels to understanding key features and functionalities.
- Familiarize with various channels: Ensure that employees understand how to navigate each specific channel within the system, including phone calls, emails, live chat, social media interactions, etc.
- Demonstrate key features: Walk them through essential features such as custom call routing options, reporting tools, or contact center analytics dashboards so they can fully utilize these capabilities in their daily tasks.
- Promote collaboration: Encourage teamwork by teaching staff members how to collaborate effectively using shared resources like internal messaging systems or knowledge bases available within the platform.
- Cover troubleshooting techniques: Prepare employees to handle common issues that may arise while using the multichannel contact center. Provide them with the necessary resources to troubleshoot and resolve problems quickly and efficiently.
Investing in staff training can equip your personnel with the required competencies and proficiency to deliver outstanding customer service across all communication channels, ultimately boosting customer satisfaction as well as productivity within the organization.
Monitor the Performance of the Multichannel Contact Center
Once your multichannel contact center is up and running, it’s crucial to regularly monitor its performance. This ensures that the system meets your expectations and provides value to your business.
Evaluating key metrics, such as average handle time, first-call resolution rate, customer satisfaction scores, and agent productivity can help you identify areas for improvement.
To effectively track these metrics, consider using a contact center analytics tool. These tools provide valuable insights into the overall performance of your contact center by analyzing data from various channels.
Benchmarking against industry standards is another way to gauge the success of your multichannel contact center.
- Average Handle Time (AHT): The amount of time an agent spends on each interaction across all channels should be monitored closely for optimization opportunities.
- First Call Resolution (FCR): This metric measures how often customers’ issues are resolved during their initial interaction with an agent. A high FCR indicates effective problem-solving skills among agents and efficient processes within the contact center.
- Customer Satisfaction Scores (CSAT): Gathering feedback from customers through surveys or other methods helps assess their overall satisfaction with the service provided by your multichannel contact center.
- Agent Productivity: Analyzing individual agent performance allows you to identify top performers and areas where additional training or support may be needed.
Regularly monitor the performance of your multichannel contact center to identify opportunities for improvement, ensure a consistent customer experience across all channels, and ultimately drive business growth.
FAQs
What is a Multichannel Contact Center?
A multichannel contact center lets businesses communicate with customers through various channels, such as phone, email, live chat, and social media, to provide better support and accessibility.
What is the Difference Between Multichannel and Omnichannel Contact Centers?
Multichannel contact centers offer multiple communication options, while omnichannel contact centers integrate all channels into one unified system for smoother interactions and consistent experiences.
What is an Omnichannel Contact Center?
An omnichannel contact center integrates all available communication channels into one cohesive system, providing consistent experiences across every interaction point and enabling agents to access complete customer information from any platform.
Conclusion
As a business owner, you know that customer service is key to success, and a Multichannel Contact Center can help you provide excellent service across all channels.
With a Multichannel Contact Center, you can manage all customer interactions from one centralized location, increasing productivity and reducing costs.
With the rise of digital channels, customers now expect businesses to be available on their preferred platforms – whether it’s phone, email, live chat, or social media. In fact, Accenture reports that 66% of consumers use at least three different communication channels when engaging with customer service.
That’s why I recommend using Zendesk Talk as your contact center software. It has all the features most business owners need on a day-to-day basis whilst being competitively priced.