Page 22 - EngineerIT October 2022

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Democratisation of the

omni-channel: CX does not have to

be the realm of large organisations

By Kelvin Brown, Director of AnD Communications, a Telviva company

efining and improving customer experience (CX) using the best tools available
is a digital transformation priority for businesses as they seek to maintain and
Rimprove their competitive advantage.
Digital disruption means nothing without democratisation of access - and value
- and so because CX is an important milestone in a business’s digital transformation
journey, the tools to achieve the best outcome should be easily available to smaller
businesses too. The days of a true omni-channel solution being the preserve of large
contact centres are well and truly over.
If we consider the typical milestones in an average business’s digital transformation
journey, we can see why an omni-channel solution is a welcome addition.
Smaller businesses are fairly evolved when it comes to digital transformation
because the cloud has levelled the playing field and opened a world of best-of-breed
applications.
Small businesses can, and do, make use of cloud-based CRM systems, telephony and
unified communications apps, email and accounting systems, among much more. These Kelvin Brown
are important milestones. The subscription model has opened this world of services for
small businesses who have embraced the cloud.
How a business interacts and engages with its customers is crucial to its success and to the business should they leave. Who
overall performance. This means that the pursuit of improving CX is another important would want a sales executive to leave
milestone on a small business’s digital journey. with a customer or hot lead?

What are the options for a small business to drive efficiencies Live web chat
through CX? There are also other tools such as live
Cloud PBX web chat. Here, the business staff can
Let’s look at a typical cloud PBX solution. This enables customers to call in and be have live text chats with customers who
managed by staff. However, this is 2022 and most businesses have embraced some form are browsing the website in real time. If
of hybrid working. What if another black swan event occurs? Unrest? It’s not easy - in the idea of digital transformation is to
fact almost impossible - for agents to unplug their desk phones, pack them in their bags drive efficiency and simplicity, it doesn’t
and take them home and work from there. quite resonate with needing to create
another login, for another service, for
Unified communication platform selected staff to sign into and manage.
When the business owner thinks about this, he or she may then decide to subscribe What happens when people are on
to a unified communication application and use Microsoft Teams, for example. In this leave?
scenario, the business can use a popular UC application by simply plugging in a headset.
Problem solved - or is it? This type of application may work well with internal teams, but The need for omni-channel
the rigidity and need to schedule meetings is restrictive and not fluid enough to manage Omni-channel is the best in customer
customer-facing interactions, especially something like a two-minute call. service, allowing customers to
communicate with a call centre agent
Over the top services via telephone, web chat or WhatsApp,
Needing this type of fluidity, the business may then consider over-the-top services such among other channels. It queues calls
as WhatsApp or Telegram. After all, they are free, and they work. However, the caveat and chats and brings it all together into
is that the staff must share their personal numbers and information, and this is a risk a single interface for the agent. Beyond

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