Multikanalsupport

Multikanalsupport, often referred to as multichannel support, is an approach to customer service in which a business provides multiple channels for customers to contact and interact with it. These channels typically include phone, email, live chat, social media, SMS, and self-service portals. The aim is to improve accessibility and convenience while capturing interactions in a centralized system.

Core elements of multikanalsupport include channel integration, case or ticket management, and routing logic. Interactions are collected by platforms that connect to telephony, messaging apps, email, and web forms. A unified customer record stores context across channels, enabling agents to see past history and resolve issues more efficiently. Scheduling, queueing, and service level agreements are commonly used to balance workload and response times.

Multikanalsupport contrasts with omnichannel approaches. In multichannel setups, channels operate in parallel with varying degrees of data sharing and context continuity, whereas omnichannel designs strive for a seamless, channel-spanning experience with consistent branding and a unified customer view.

Benefits of this approach include greater accessibility for customers, higher first-contact resolution rates, improved satisfaction, and richer data for analytics. It can also increase operational efficiency by enabling automation, self-service, and better workload management. However, challenges arise from data silos between channels, integration complexity, maintaining consistent branding and tone, agent training, privacy considerations, and cost.

Implementation typically involves a capable contact center or CRM platform, standard APIs for integration, data normalization, a knowledge base, and automation or chatbots. Metrics such as first response time, average handling time, and customer satisfaction are used to measure effectiveness.