Why Contact Centers Are Critical to Omnichannel Marketing Strategies

On one hand, advancements in marketing analytics have enabled companies to tailor online messages and experiences to customers based on their preferences at a global scale – a feat that Amazon has excelled in (in its fourth-quarter earnings, Amazon reported a 30 percent increase in net revenue to $60.5 billion). While companies make positive strides toward providing a consistent omnichannel customer experience across all marketing channels, contact centers have often been neglected by marketers, as well as legacy vendors that have been slow to evolve their technology to accommodate the needs of today’s digital businesses.

Democratizing Contact Centers to Refresh Marketing Arsenals

We always hear about telemarketing nightmare experiences. Whether it’s around unhappy customers being routed from agent to agent and having to endlessly repeat themselves, the frustration of dealing with incompetent contact center agents that can’t provide solutions, unpredictable and long wait times, unprofessional agents and/or unsolicited telemarketing calls, it’s clear why consumers are doubtful of this channel, and a wonder why companies haven’t worked to rectify the complaints surrounding contact centers – especially given the fact that they aren’t going anywhere.

In fact, in a survey Google conducted to understand consumer attitudes, the survey found that respondents prefer calls over online messaging because 59 percent want a quick answer and 57 percent want to talk to a real person.

To further complicate matters, consumers tend to be suspicious of businesses that don’t provide a way to contact them, whether it’s over the phone, email, chat, etc. By giving customers the option to connect with company representatives on the channel of their choice, you enable them to discuss complex issues that would otherwise be difficult to navigate – in turn providing valuable and positive omnichannel customer service.

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