Written by Doug | Dec 18, 2019 5:00:00 AM
Optichannel is about knowing customer behaviors
By Moshe Beauford, UC Today Kakapo Systems has long been at the forefront of enabling omni-channel experiences. After a year full of releasing integrations designed to make customer contact more convenient via Twitter, email, SMS, and more, they are seeing the fruits of their labor in the form of satisfied customers. They say customers have been receptive to their approach to the contact center and unified communications that tie the entire customer journey into a unified experience. Today’s topic, is not, however, omni-channel. It is optichannel, which Steve Tutt, Marketing Director, Kakapo Systems, says is only possible with the help of a good unified communications strategy. In a recent interview with UC Today, Tutt said, “You have to put your audience first, know their motivations and where they are in the buying cycle. Only then can you know which technology to use to connect with your customers”. To expand, if you are an organization that deals with customers with a median age of 50, email might be a great starting point for meeting customers on the platforms they use most. This is optichannel. Tutt also attributes a successful optichannel experience to the product as well, with the complexity of the purchase decision influencing the customer’s media preference. He added, “you should also know how your audience behaves so you can adjust the technology to match.” How to be an Optichannel Enabler Enterprises and contact centers need to think about how they can tailor channels to best match customer intent. The idea of adding tons of channels doesn’t suffice in the case of optichannel, according to Tutt. It can also confuse customers and make them feel overwhelmed when they know the channel they want to use to reach customer service but can’t seem to find it. Tutt then gave me an example of Kakapo Systems’ web chat feature, available with the use of Unity Contact Center “If we can give visitors 30 seconds of warmth through optimized chat, that is transformational in terms of their openness and willingness to engage.”
Omni-channel is Still Valuable Don’t worry, no one is arguing omni-channel is not important. Afterall, Tutt said, customers do need options in the first place.” And he’s right, if you want to enable optichannel, you have to start with omni-channel, which is the idea of connecting customers to your business across many points of contact. As the cloud contact center environment continues to transform, Kakapo Systems should track alongside digital transformation, rising customer expectations for points of contact, and a growing mobile workforce with ease. By the end of 2019, Gartner says 50 percent of all companies will redirect investments into the customer experience – something Kakapo Systems is sure to profit from.