Customers reach out to brands and businesses because they need to, hence, it is up to the business to provide the right contact channel for their needs. Also, customers have their own preference of contact channels as well, so that they can effectively use them to communicate their issues and queries. For their convenience, businesses need to make sure that there are as many contact channels open for them to use in the most convenient way. Offering several channels of contact also comes with its own benefits which is what we are going to discuss in this article.
Deploying different communication channels shows how customers are interacting with your brand. It can lessen the load off your customer service agents as well. For instance, subscribers to Xfinity internet can reach out to customer service through the Xfinity phone number if they are not tech-savvy, or they can send a message to the Xfinity Facebook page. Either way, customers will reach out through the communication channels of their comfort, and the customer service agent sitting behind the Xfinity phone number channel will not deal with queries on the Xfinity Facebook page and vice versa.
Having multiple channels can also reduce wait times, leading to improved customer satisfaction. Let’s explore the different contact channels that customers can reach out to their brands through.
Chat Contact Channels
Chatting channels have become a popular method of communication and they provide the fastest communication as well. Chat contact channels include live web chat, chatbots, messenger apps, and social media.
- Live web chats can provide instant responses and it greatly reduces hold time compared to phone communication. Customers can interact with agents and sit at their convenience. If the customers want, interaction can even escalate to video or voice communication at the click of a button.
- Chatbots are computer programs that are programmed to follow instructions based on the knowledge they have been assigned with. Chatbots deal with customers’ repetitive queries such as billing information, services, order confirmation, order cancelation, etc. Hence, chatbots provide an efficient alternative to human interaction. Also, they can deal with multiple queries at a time, providing immediate responses.
- Messenger apps such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp used to be communication channels to stay in touch with friends, family, and acquaintances. But now these channels have paved the way for businesses to communicate with their customers, making it out to be one of the quick, convenient, and cost-effective methods. Messenger apps also provide insights such as whether your messages are getting delivered to and read by the customers.
- Social Media is an effective channel for reaching out to younger audiences. For instance, on Twitter, companies make sure to use their brand’s voice to engage with the customers, and also to build brand perception. The social media communication channel can double up as a marketing tool for companies to use to their advantage,
All of these chat contact channels can work 24/7, which means that customers can get assistance any time they need it, from any place.
Written Contact Channels
These channels include email, posts, etc. all including the traditional methods of communication of contact.
- Email is a versatile form of contact channel to make personal correspondence and customer support. It is the best option for formal communication where immediate response isn’t required. The average response time for email communication is 12 hours to 10 minutes.
- Paperless correspondence might seem too old-fashioned but the post is still used by companies nowadays. It is used for formal/official customer communication, bills/invoices, updates on accounts, and terms and conditions, etc.
Voice Contact Channels
Voice contact channels are ideal for urgent enquires and include phone calls and web calls.
- Phone calls are of course one of the most conventional choices of communication for customer service teams. It is a tried and tested method that has proven successful, and what’s more, customers are already familiar with this concept. Also, this is one of the most popular choices of communication for older generations who are around 50 years or above.
- Web calls are calls made through the websites on their browsers Customers do not have to leave your website and still stay on call. Web calls are also escalated through a live chat conversation. Moreover, web calling lets companies provide free customer support to their customers, no matter where they are in the world. This means that there is no extra charge over landline communication. This inexpensiveness makes web calling one of the convenient and smartest contact channels.
It doesn’t matter what kind of industry a business has, the future of any business’ customer experience lies in the omnichannel customer experience that they offer. This means making sure all or any customer contact channels provide a seamless customer journey. Companies don’t need to apply all of the contact channels discussed above, but the more channels they have, the more flexibility there is for customers to make contact with the brands.