Companies are connecting with customers in more ways than ever, but when it comes to customer support, many businesses still rely on just phone or email. While these are important channels, customers are beginning to expect more options from the companies they do business with. Customers ultimately expect businesses to support how they want to communicate — phone, email, web chat, social media and texting—and they want to work with the companies that make interacting easy.

Unfortunately, that’s not always the case:

• 87% of customers think brands need to work harder to create a seamless experience.
• 61% of customers were unable to easily switch from one channel to another when interacting with customer service
• 42% of customer experience professionals say their agents must use multiple applications to manage inquiries across channels

Today’s customers demand an omnichannel experience, one where they can use any channel and receive personalized, seamless service. This type of strategy brings various channels together in a more integrated and consistent way, drawing on past interactions and customer data to create a seamless experience. If customers do have to switch between channels, this kind of approach maintains the conversation no matter what channel they use or where they leave off. A customer can start on a web chat and transition to text conversation without losing the context of that interaction.

But what is an omnichannel customer experience really like? Check out what a day in the life of an omnichannel customer might look like, and don’t forget to download our new ebook on the seamless customer experience.