Every brand has almost the same sole target to survive in the modern business world: Running a profitable business while satisfying customers with high-quality products and services.
As the simple purpose of running a successful business stays the same, the strategies and methods to implement it keep changing rapidly with the technological enhancements.
Web revolutionized the way we perceived our markets and target audiences. The prominent switch from a product-centered strategy to a customer-centric attitude shook the foundations of the old practices where pushing was the gold key for widening the customer base.
As the digital era taught us to place the customers in the heart of our marketing efforts, the channels we reached them became extremely important for building long-lasting relations.
As the number of channels, we engage with our customers varies, the complexity of creating a seamless customer experience increases. Especially when competing in an industry such as retail that uses mass communication, an integrated plan, and implementation process becomes the essence of profitable and durable channel management.
That is where the omnichannel strategy pops in. As seen in its basic definition which is “delivering the right messages to the right audience at the right time in the right place”, omnichannel creates a hub where channel optimization and customer satisfaction can be utilized in the most efficient way.
Implementing a flawless omnichannel strategy may seem harder than it really is when the complexity of cross-relations between inner and outer systems and user interactions are taken into consideration. On the other hand, once planned and deployed carefully with the dedication of internal departments and cooperation of professional assistance, omnichannel empowers brands with the competitive advantage which is an essential key to business success.
Stages of a robust omnichannel strategy
1) Internal Awareness
Some departments in your company may not have an opinion on omnichannel, but success can only be achieved through total awareness. From the executive level of management to customer relations agents and sales representatives, each and every member should be aware of the targets and related responsibilities omnichannel brings. Everyone from IT to sales & marketing teams and business analysts should be clear on what is expected to achieve via omnichannel strategy. Especially management and marketing teams have a strategic role to introduce and increase the awareness of this new challenging strategy with the organization.
2) SWOT Analysis of Omnichannel Capabilities
In order to deploy a successful omnichannel plan, the organizations should analyze the strengths and weaknesses of every channel they use and, more importantly, should clarify the state of the cross-channel strength of the company. All the workflows and also the discrepancies between the internal and external systems should be clarified. Also, competition analysis is important to realize the opportunities and challenges that may be faced in the market. All these efforts are crucial for the decision on whether to favor expanding the channels and also integrate the whole system to display a seamless customer journey.
3) Turning Strategy into an Action Plan
After realizing the internal strength and weaknesses and evaluating the conditions of the market, the organizations can progress into the strategy and plan stage. With the involvement of various departments such as marketing, IT, project management and customer experience, a SMART comprehensive plan should be created. Since omnichannel is a complex implementation, professional services from external sources also should be taken into consideration. As far as the digital marketing efficiency is concerned, an integrated platform that orchestrates outbound & inbound activities moreover empowers interactions with automation is crucial for omnichannel success.
Omnichannel success relies on the successful integration of many external & internal systems and touchpoints including physical stores, e-store, outbond&inbound channels, call centers, CRM, etc. Once planned wisely and executed flawlessly, it empowers brands with the strongest brand image across the channels. This is due to the consistent brand experience customers face regardless of the digital or physical touchpoints they reach to get information or find the products they look for.
If you’d like to implement the omnichannel strategy for your business and have things to clarify in your mind, please feel free to contact us. We are here to help you.
