Omnichannel

Omnichannel is a cross-channel business model that companies use to increase customer experience. The approach has verticals in healthcare, government, financial services, retail and telecommunications industries, including channels such as physical locations, FAQ webpages, social media, live web chats, mobile applications and telephone communication.[1][2] Companies that use omnichannel contend that a customer values the ability to be in constant contact with a company through multiple avenues at the same time.[3][4]

History

"Omnis" is Latin for "every/all" and is considered the integration of all physical channels (offline) and digital channels (online) to offer a seamless and unified customer experience.[5][6] According to Frost & Sullivan, omnichannel is defined as "seamless and effortless, high-quality customer experiences that occur within and between contact channels".[7]

Until the early 1990s, retail was either a physical brick and mortar store or catalog sales where an order was placed by mail or via telephone. Sale by mail order dates back to when British entrepreneur Pryce Pryce-Jones set up the first modern mail order in 1861, selling Welsh flannel.[8][9] Catalog sales for an assortment of general goods started in the late 1800s when Sears & Roebuck issued its first catalog in 1896.[10] In the early 1900s, L.L. Bean started its catalog business in United States.[11]

AOL, CompuServe and Prodigy experimented with selling through their proprietary online services in the early 1990s. These companies started sales channel expansion, while general merchants had evolved to department stores and Big-box store electronic ordering. In August 1994, NetMarket processed the first Internet sale where the credit card was encrypted. Shortly thereafter, Amazon.com was founded and the eCommerce sales channel was established. Mobile commerce arrived in 1997, and multichannel retailing really took off.

Omnichannel's origins date back to Best Buy's use of customer centricity to compete with Walmart's electronic department in 2003. The company created an approach that centered around the customer both in-store and online, while providing post-sales support. Omnichannel was coined as a form of "assembled commerce" and spread into the healthcare and financial services industries.[12]

Finance

Omnichannel banking developed in response to the popularity of digital banking transactions through ATMs, the web, and mobile applications. The most popular parts of omnichannel banking include 'zero drop rate' channel integration, individualizing channels for customers and marketing other channel options.[13] Banks receive in-depth research about customers to build relationships and increase profitability.[14][15]

Government

In 2009, the omnichannel platform started to be used in governments through Twitter interaction. Governments are developing web and mobile-enabled interfaces to improve and personalize the citizen experience. The United States government digital strategy includes information and customer-centric shared platforms that provide security and privacy.[16] Omnichannel is used to communicate with citizens through the platform of their choice at their convenience and use feedback to analyze the citizen experience to better serve.[17]

Healthcare

Due to fragmentation between health providers, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and patients, omnichannel is developing to improve the customer experience in the healthcare industry.[18] Omnichannel healthcare centers around integrating data, technology, content and communication, while coordinating patient's results through digital channels.[19][20] In September 2015, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center received media attention for its customer service technology, which was integrated in 2009. The UPMC Health Plan uses an omnichannel system to improve customer engagement and contact resolution.[21]

Retail

Omnichannel retailing uses a variety of channels in a customer's shopping experience including research before a purchase.[22][23] Such channels include retail stores, online stores, mobile stores, mobile app stores, telephone sales and any other method of transacting with a customer.[24] Transacting includes browsing, buying, returning as well as pre-sale and after-sale service. Extending across channels and devices, shoppers can visit stores, how and when they want. [25]

Outlook

Although omnichannel is said to be dictated by systems and processes, it is the customer that dictates how a transaction occurs. Systems and processes facilitate the customer journey to transact and be served.[26] Omnichannel is moving toward increased personalization based on analytics to make the customer experience more seamless.[27] According to an MIT report, omnichannel "is the central force shaping the future of e-commerce and brick-and-mortar stores alike."[28]

References

  1. ↑ Wasserman, Tom (December 30, 2015). "Creating a seamless omni-channel customer experience". Mobile Business Insights. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  2. ↑ Fallon, Nicole (August 6, 2014). "The New Customer Service Is Here, There & Everywhere". Business News Daily. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  3. ↑ Solomon, Micah (April 8, 2015). "Omnichannel Customer Experience: Expert Systems, 360 Degree Views And AI". Forbes. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Omnichannel Customer Engagement Drives Great Customer Experiences at Every Touchpoint". Genesys. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  5. ↑ information-age.com Why omnichannel retail is more than just a buzzword
  6. ↑ A briefing on managing omnichannel retail
  7. ↑ Butte, Brian (December 4, 2015). "Cloud: The engine of the omni-channel customer experience". Network World. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  8. ↑ Pryce Pryce-Jones, Newtown businessman who introduced mail order shopping to the world BBC.co.uk
  9. ↑ "A Brief History of Newtown". Newtown Town Council.
  10. ↑ searsarchives.com History
  11. ↑ "L.L.Bean - Our Story" (PDF). L.L.Bean. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
  12. ↑ Baird, Nikki (January 28, 2015). "Best Buy and the birth of customer centricity". Essential Retail. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  13. ↑ "'Digital' & 'Omnichannel' Remains Elusive in Banking". The Financial Brand. February 2, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  14. ↑ Marous, Jim (March 24, 2014). "Omnichannel Banking: More Than a Buzzword". The Financial Brand. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Omnichannel: the new normal for retail banks". Banking Technology. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  16. ↑ Estopace, Eden (August 20, 2014). "Governments also going omnichannel". Enterprise Innovation. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  17. ↑ Sutton, Mark (April 2, 2015). "Transforming the citizen experience". ITP.net. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  18. ↑ Gupta, Mayur (November 12, 2015). "Health Care Marketing Moves From Multichannel To Omnichannel". Ad Exchanger. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  19. ↑ Solomon, Micah (October 16, 2014). "Omnichannel Beyond Retail: The Customer Experience In Healthcare, B2B, Professional Services". Forbes. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Healthcare Marketing To Gen X: Take An Omnichannel Approach". eMarketer. October 30, 2014. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  21. ↑ Tierney, Jim (September 1, 2015). "Customer Engagement Rises with University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Health Plan". Loyalty360. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  22. ↑ Dholakia, R. R.; Zhao, M.; Dholakia, N. (2005). "Multichannel retailing: A case study of early experiences". Journal of Interactive Marketing. 19 (2): 63. doi:10.1002/dir.20035.
  23. ↑ McGoldrick, P. J.; Collins, N. (2007). "Multichannel retailing: Profiling the multichannel shopper". The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research. 17 (2): 139. doi:10.1080/09593960701189937.
  24. ↑ Options Mail Order (2015). Multichannel Retailing Inforgraphic
  25. ↑ "Closing the gap between in-store and online retail in the UK | Lightspeed POS". Retrieved 2016-08-08.
  26. ↑ Infographic: The Chutes & Ladders Approach to an Effective Omnichannel Experience
  27. ↑ Everett, Cath (November 2015). "First steps taken on 'omni-channel' customer experience". Computer Weekly. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  28. ↑ Green, James (January 27, 2014). "Why And How Brands Must Go Omni-Channel in 2014". Marketing Land. Retrieved June 4, 2016.

See also

Further reading

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