Omni-Channel Customer Engagement Article

In the world of consumer engagement, there are a number of terms and acronyms that capture attention. The ACD ensures the call gets to the right person, while the person is the CSR (News - Alert). The ASA is often measured for metrics reporting and the PBX is necessary to make calling possible. CRM allows you to capture information on the customer base, but does it contribute to the overall customer experience?

In omni-channel customer engagement, there are a lot of different moving parts that come together and form the whole that is the customer experience. A recent ZDNet article by Paul Greenberg attempted to define the difference between the CRM (customer relationship management) and customer experience management. Given that customer engagement is a primary focus for companies wanting to set themselves apart from the competition, understanding the differences and why they matter in your business is important.

For all intents and purposes, CRM was designed to improve human interaction within the business environment. If a sales person made contact with a customer, the information about that contact – and anything learned in the interaction – was captured in the CRM. The solution should then get smarter over time, knowing what the customer wants and doesn’t want based on the captured information. It should be automatic and it should improve the customer experience. In the omni-channel customer engagement environment, it should integrate all channels – but this is one area where some deployments fell short.

As new channels entered into the support realm for the customer conversation, many lost sight of the fact that the same customers would use multiple channels. The CRM platform should have embraced social media channels, for instance, and captured information on customers there, integrating with the customer account and enriching the experience through solid engagement. Instead, the CRM industry segmented itself and companies started buying social CRM platforms to focus on this area. In an era where the integrated experience dominated, companies were being drawn back into the siloed approach.

Leaders in the industry recognized this challenge and strayed away from the idea of social CRM alone and instead added social integration channels to current CRM platforms, focusing on the total customer experience. By capturing data across all channels and interpreting it for those responsible for the customer experience, companies could drive engagement as they understood what customers wanted.

The customer experience is defined by the interactions the customer has with the company. Their level of engagement is driven by the relevance by which information is shared, whether in planned interactions or through customer communication. When the two focus on the data captured and organized by the CRM, customers become advocates and loyal for the long-term. It’s an interesting dance, but one easily learned when the omni-channel customer engagement experience is managed the right way.