What matters most to your customers? Being heard when something goes wrong. They may contact you via messaging apps, social media, phone, or email—whatever suits them at the moment. It is vital to respond quickly to their requests and minimize the effort required to receive effective support in your contact center.
In this article, we will examine the common approaches companies use to manage customer interactions. You will learn about the differences between multichannel and omnichannel approaches, their pros and cons, and the implementation challenges associated with each. Select the most effective approach to enhance customer service and effectively meet your customers’ needs.
Before comparing these approaches, let's examine the meanings of the terms "multichannel" and "omnichannel" in the context of contact centers.
In a multichannel setup, customers can reach out to the support team through multiple channels, including phone, email, website chat, and social media. Each channel operates independently.
What does this mean? If a customer starts a conversation in one channel and then switches to another, agents may not be able to view the previous correspondence. Therefore, the customer must re-explain their problem. It could be a frustrating experience.
The biggest advantage of a multichannel approach is that it gives customers more ways to get in touch. But this approach also creates the risk of information fragmentation and inconsistency in responses.
It is the next step in the development of customer service. All channels are combined into a single system that stores the entire history of interactions with the customer. As a result, support teams can see the full context of a customer's issue. They are aware of what has already been discussed, the difficulties that have arisen, and the current status of the request.
This approach provides the customer with a seamless and personalized experience. Imagine this: your customer starts a chat on the go, continues the conversation over the phone without repeating anything, and wraps it up in a messenger app. Omnichannel customer service enables businesses to solve problems more efficiently, minimize errors, and maintain customer satisfaction.
To understand the difference between multichannel and omnichannel service, it's essential to examine how they operate. Let's review the processes and technologies companies utilize to interact with their customers.
A customer called the call center and reported the problem. A day later, the customer decided to write about the same issue in the chat on the website. The chat agents don't have access to the history of the phone conversation, and the customer must re-explain the problem.
A customer initiates a conversation on messenger, then contacts the call center, and subsequently writes in a chat on the website. All these interactions are interconnected, so the agent sees the entire history and knows what has already been discussed. The support agent can easily pick up where the conversation left off and help resolve the problem more quickly.
Looking for an expert customer support team? Turn to Simply Contact for omnichannel customer service.
Book a consultation
Let's compare both options in terms of customer convenience, cost, and other important factors.
| Criteria | Multichannel | Omnichannel |
| Communication between channels | No, channels work separately | All channels are combined into a single system |
| Communication history | No common history, each channel is separate | The full history of customer interactions with agents is available across all channels |
| Customer convenience | Less convenient, information has to be repeated | Maximum convenience, no need to repeat information |
| Implementation complexity | Simple system | More complex integration and setup |
| Cost | Lower | Higher |
Comparing omnichannel vs multichannel contact center, implementing omnichannel service requires more investment and effort. However, these costs pay off through improved customer experience, increased operational efficiency, and business growth.
If you plan to implement a multichannel setup, this can significantly benefit your business and help build customer loyalty.
This approach is not just about offering multiple channels—it's about unifying them to deliver a seamless customer experience.
Seeking smarter customer service to enhance customer satisfaction? Explore Simply Contact’s omnichannel capabilities.
Discover more
Comparing omnichannel vs multichannel support, both approaches can deliver measurable benefits to your company. However, the data shows a growing need for true integration across all communication channels.
At Simply Contact, we know how to build effective omnichannel customer support that helps businesses develop. Our team has been supporting Wizz Air, one of Europe's leading airlines, for over five years.
During this time, we have helped build an efficient and scalable omnichannel service model. With a reliable team, modern technologies, and a strong operational approach, we deliver stable service quality throughout the year, both in low and peak seasons.
Our customer support model allows customers to reach out to the contact center via different channels (calls, chat, email). The agents switch quickly between these channels in response to demand. It helps maintain high productivity without expanding the customer support team.
By optimizing processes and implementing AI, we have also reduced the average time it takes to process requests by 30%.
Additionally, we have synchronized the front line with the back office, enabling more effective processing of returns, claims, and regulatory requests. This integration eliminates task duplication and reduces the workload on agents, enhancing SLA performance across departments.
Thanks to our efforts, the overall efficiency of the customer support service has improved.
Results we are proud of:
With an omnichannel approach, a combination of technologies, flexible service architecture, and a skilled team, we helped Wizz Air:
The choice between omnichannel and multichannel contact center depends on your business goals, the company's growth stage, and your customers' expectations.
The multichannel system is easier to implement and cheaper initially, but over time, it leads to losses in service quality and productivity.
An omnichannel approach provides a more seamless and integrated experience. Here, all channels are interconnected and function as one unified system.
The history of customer interactions is saved, regardless of whether the conversation started in a chat, continued by phone, or was finished via email. It ensures a continuous and personalized customer experience, increases customer satisfaction, and reduces the time it takes to resolve requests. Implementing such a model requires additional preparation, resources, and the right platform, but the investment is worthwhile.
What to choose?
When a company starts supporting customers through multiple channels—such as phone, chat, and email—it needs to select a customer service model that suits its needs. But that’s just the beginning. The biggest challenge here is implementing the chosen customer support system correctly.
Below, we will examine the technical challenges that you may encounter with both the omnichannel and multichannel approaches.
You need to connect CRM, telephony, chat platforms, and email services. These systems usually can't work together out of the box. It means you should customize them or apply integration tools to bring everything into one system.
Customer information should be both relevant and accessible across all channels. With a multichannel approach, data is often not unified; however, with an omnichannel approach, everything is stored in a single database that is updated in real-time.
Especially in the omnichannel, a more complex setup is required: request routing, automatic distribution across channels, integration with analytics, and reporting.
When using several systems, the risk of data leakage increases. Therefore, it is essential to implement additional security measures and closely monitor compliance with relevant legislation.
All settings and integrations must be carefully tested to avoid failures. It takes time and resources.
Both approaches have benefits, but they also require different technical setups.
In this article, we dove into what multichannel vs omnichannel means, along with the benefits and challenges of each approach.
A multichannel approach allows customers to pick the communication channel that's most convenient for them. It is a great starting point. However, if the channels aren't connected, it can slow down operations.
The omnichannel approach solves this problem: the entire communication history is saved. This way, the agent can see everything, and the customer does not need to explain the same thing multiple times.
Omnichannel makes customer support services more convenient, faster, and helps companies save resources. If you're ready to make the switch, turn to Simply Contact. We have extensive experience in providing omnichannel support to businesses of all sizes.
In a multichannel setup, a company has multiple communication channels that operate independently of each other. The customer writes in the chat, then calls, and each time they have to explain their issue all over again. An omnichannel approach integrates everything into a single, unified system. It means the communication history is saved, and the customer does not need to repeat themselves.
Yes, an initial investment is required: choosing a platform, connecting everything, and training the customer service team. However, in the end, it pays off—customers are happier, agents work more efficiently, and requests are resolved more effectively.
A gradual transition is typically the most effective approach. Analyze your current setup, then connect the necessary system, train employees, and roll out the system carefully. An experienced outsourcing provider can guide this process, helping you avoid disruptions and ensure seamless integration across all channels.
At Simply Contact, we specialize in creating personalized customer support solutions that drive business growth and customer satisfaction. Let us help you elevate your customer experience and stand out from the competition.
Get fast answers to any remaining questions
Thank you.
Your request has been sent successfully.
