Omnichannel refers to the concept of providing customers and prospects seamless, integrated experiences across multiple channels. In other words, it's about connecting the different channels used by your business to support a continuous customer journey. As a result, an omnichannel experience continues if you leave one channel and go to another, whether online or offline.
This can be viewed from a different perspective. When you check your Instagram feed, you see an advertisement for a really cool smartphone. You have been contemplating purchasing a new smartphone, so you click on the ad, which directs you to the official website of that company. Then you review the specifications, the price, and decide to order the phone to be picked up in person. Now, let's fast forward to the following week. Once again, you are checking your Instagram account, and the same advertisement for the same smartphone you had just purchased appears.
With an omnichannel strategy, all of the channels you have used throughout your buyer journey - social media, website, and brick-and-mortar store - are linked and take into account what is happening on the other channels. In this case, the transition from Instagram to the website and store was omnichannel, but it was lost in the transition from the website and store back to social media.
The reality is that most companies face this problem. Few companies have fully implemented omnichannel in their customer experiences. Multichannel experiences are being delivered rather than a unified omnichannel experience.
Multichannel and omnichannel differ in their degree of integration. Both approaches involve multiple physical and digital channels, but the level of awareness between channels is what distinguishes them. Here is a closer look.
A multichannel strategy is about having different channels to connect and engage with customers, like a website, Facebook, Instagram, and a physical store, for example. But each channel is independent of the other. They’re very siloed, and there’s little or no interaction between them.
On the other hand, an omnichannel strategy brings these channels together, delivering a holistic view to customers. So, while multichannel delivers a fragmented experience, omnichannel delivers an integrated one.
Omnichannel vs Multichannel
However, if the customer experience is a key competitive differentiator and customers expect high-quality, consistent interactions across multiple digital channels, why have so few companies embraced omnichannel? There are two primary reasons for this:
Now, the question is: how can companies compete with CX-leading enterprises, like Uber or Amazon, without blowing their budgets?
Gartner recently released the Magic Quadrant for Multiexperience Development Platforms (MXDP) to help companies address the lack of skilled development resources and the pressure to deliver more apps on an ever-growing number of devices.
If you are unfamiliar with this term, you're not alone. MXDPs are technology solutions for building multiple types of apps for a variety of devices and interaction modes. They are an evolution of mobile development platforms. In addition to creating mobile apps, they enable the development of progressive web apps (PWAs), conversational apps (voice assistants, chatbots), immersive apps, and wearable apps.
Most multi-experience platforms in this Magic Quadrant support low-code development, i.e., using visual tools instead of traditional coding. Taking a low-code approach means you don't have to spend your entire budget on hiring developers who specialize in every device. By combining the power of multi-experience platforms and low-code technologies, your existing team can create mobile apps that meet customer needs whenever they want.
Remember: MXDPs aren't omnichannel solutions. An MXDP's main strength is the ability to build applications across different devices to address the digital user journey. MXDPs can, however, support the creation of omnichannel strategies.
With OutSystems, for instance, any company can deliver brilliant omnichannel customer experiences without having to hire massive, highly-specialized, and expensive development teams. These features include:
In the long run, companies that excel at providing omnichannel experiences and understanding all customers will succeed. Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Multiexperience Development Platforms is a great place to start planning your omnichannel strategy. Visit this page to learn how each leading platform compares to one another and what one supports your omnichannel goals best. Visit our CX page to learn more about how OutSystems can help you transform your digital customer experience.
