Omni-Channel Customer Engagement Article

While e-commerce continues to grow by leaps and bounds, there is evidence that it’s no longer considered an isolated channel. The lines between online and offline continue to blur: companies offer digital experiences on customer devices at brick-and-mortar locations, and more companies are offering in-store pickup for online purchases. Research has found that consumers regularly switch between online and offline before making purchase decisions. More than three quarters (77 percent) of consumers browse in stores before making a purchase online, and more than half (55 percent) of consumers conduct on-the-go mobile research before making a purchase in-store.

Smart e-commerce companies are meeting this trend by adding communications and collaboration features for both customers and merchants who use the sites. The goal is to add a variety of options for customers to customize their own shopping, browsing and buying experiences, and to add a nearly infinite number of pathways for merchants and customers to find one another.

Bangalore, India-based Snapdeal, which is quickly becoming one of India’s largest online retailers, is in growth mode. Not only is it expanding the products and services it provides, but it’s in a race to broaden its supply chain, as well. Earlier this spring, the company bought a minority stake in Gojavas with the objective of improving last mile connectivity. Its newest expansion, in the form of an omni-channel platform for retailers and customers, will help broaden the site’s usability and customer service. The platform, nicknamed “Janus,” is intended to integrate online and offline retail, allowing customers to browse and buy virtually while enjoying expert services in brick-and-mortar stores.

Snapdeal says that with the launch, it will now be able to offer a more differentiated shopping experience to customers. Snapdeal customers will be able to discover products online and order with faster hyper-local fulfilment executed by offline retailers, in some cases leading to two-hour fulfillment, and access to services at nearby brick and mortar stores for pickup in 70 cities across India.

“We are thrilled to be the first online marketplace to launch an integrated omni-channel platform, opening a new chapter in enabling the success of retailers and brands in India,” said Kunal Bahl, co-founder and CEO of Snapdeal, at the launch of the new solution. “This platform will blur the lines between offline and online retail, demonstrating that both channels can act as gateways to each other.”

Customer support solutions providers have been emphasizing for some time that companies that don’t offer omni-channel customer support and allow customers to switch between channels, communicate in the way they wish and find information for themselves when they want to will be left behind.  What’s critical is that customers are able to escalate to live help at any point in the journey, whether it’s from a mobile app, from the Web site, or from the company’s interactive voice response (IVR) solution – without losing the work they’ve already put into the transaction.

“Given how pervasive mobile internet has become, consumers’ expectations regarding how, when and where they communicate with the brands they do business with is evolving,” said Chris Koziol, president and general manager of Aspect’s Interaction Management division, at last year’s launch of Aspect’s (News - Alert) cloud-based omni-channel communications suite. “Consumers want companies to anticipate their needs and proactively take action to address that need. To do this, companies must not only provide seamless and integrated customer service on new channels, but they also need to become more proactive and predictive in the way they interact with customers.”

The days when customers would conform to a company’s processes in shopping, asking for help or problem resolution are over. The world has changed, and customers have changed in their communications preferences, their shopping habits and their need for collaboration. The only thing that hasn’t changed is their low tolerance for poor customer support.