What is an omnichannel contact center, and how does it improve customer satisfaction?

Companies once relied on call centers for a majority of their communications with customers. Call center agents handled reminders, answered questions, and solved customer issues in real time.

As technology evolved, companies have found opportunities to connect with customers across the channels they already use for communication—from SMS and to social media to email, traditional phone calls, and self-serve chat options.

Omnichannel contact centers offer a comprehensive customer outreach solution. They eliminate the need for customers to repeat themselves, even if they switch to a new contact channel midway through their interaction. This integrated approach is key to achieving true omnichannel engagement, ensuring consistency and convenience for the customer.

What are the main features of an omnichannel contact center?

To provide an incredible customer experience as efficiently as possible, organizations must have an omnichannel contact center strategy that streamlines the communication process for both agents and customers.

Notable omnichannel contact center features include:

• Routing. Omnichannel contact centers that can route inbound calls to agents help ensure that customers are handled by the most appropriate resource the first time, resulting in faster resolution times, happier customers, and more productive agents.

• Outbound dialing solutions. Dialing modes can also help businesses increase outbound contact rates without sacrificing quality. For example, dialing tools might automatically filter out voicemails, no answers, and busy signals, giving agents more time to reach out to other customers.

• A single pane of glass. Omnichannel contact center solutions centralize customer data, removing the silos that often prevent organizations from offering a seamless transition across communication channels.

• Survey tools. Some tools can even help when it comes to collecting and analyzing customer feedback over SMS or IVR. By paying attention to what customers are saying and adapting accordingly, businesses can increase customer satisfaction rates.