Image: Insurance Institute of London

In the past, people didn’t think much about making a phone call or visiting a store to get information or ask questions from businesses. Nowadays, the internet has shifted the control of the sales process from businesses to customers. Communication has transitioned from phone calls to online forms such as chat apps, chatbots, DMs, and SMS texting.

The Customer Journey begins when someone encounters a problem or feels inspired and requires more information. While we still rely on digital means, we no longer use phone books. 

Google has become more than just a noun; it is also a verb. We “google” to find the information we need. Additionally, we turn to social media to seek our friends’ opinions or recommendations.

For businesses with an online presence, it is crucial to be present across various channels and platforms. We need to position ourselves where potential customers can easily discover our websites and social media profiles.

Effective Communication Across Multiple Channels

Image: Agile CRM

Multi-channel communication refers to interacting with customers through various platforms, including email, social media, SMS, etc. It involves engaging customers where they are present online.

While there are numerous channels to consider for your communication strategy, it is advisable to focus on those that align with your target audience. Depending on your business, these essential channels should be included:

• Social Media – Direct Messaging
• Phone
• Email
• SMS
• Facebook Messenger and/or WhatsApp
• Web Chat

Implementing a multi-channel marketing strategy lets you gain insights into your customers’ preferences. This information lets you personalize your messaging and gain a competitive advantage.

Enhancing the Customer Experience 

The customer embarks on their journey in search of information. During this search, their experience with your brand greatly influences the likelihood of a sale.

Multi-channel communication enhances the customer experience by meeting them where they are, making it easier to get in touch and promptly address inquiries.

The Nonlinear Journey

The path from initial inquiry to purchase is often nonlinear. A customer may come across your social media post and click through to your website. Alternatively, they may trigger a marketing campaign on another channel by clicking on a popup on your site.

While some customers may not engage with emails, they might respond to a text message. Others may prefer one channel for customer support, another for purchases, and yet another for special offers. Customers have distinct preferences for receiving and interacting with your communications.

Universal Inbox 

Image: Zeevou

A universal inbox consolidates all your messages into one unified inbox. It allows you to streamline emails, phone calls, social media messages, knowledge base tickets, and live chat in a single dashboard.

With a universal inbox, customer service, sales, and operations can seamlessly collaborate and share data for each customer, eliminating inefficient silos.

Accessing template responses from your inbox significantly boosts efficiency by saving time and ensuring consistent and accurate responses.

Accelerating Sales (sub-title)

Consider incorporating video into your sales process. Why not initiate a screen share instead of scheduling a demo or sending follow-up literature via email?

Sharing your desktop or laptop screen in real-time can quickly solve customer service issues and make it easier to demonstrate software, guiding customers to the products and services they seek.

A successful sales strategy enables you to educate and communicate with customers at every step of their journey toward making a purchase.

For instance, you can create a social media post that directs prospects to your website for more information. If the prospects have questions, they can initiate a chat conversation. They might read testimonials, browse reviews, and watch videos as they decide where to purchase. 

Ultimately, they may provide their email and phone number in exchange for access or additional information.

There are numerous communication avenues available. By mapping out all the touchpoints