Why Integrating Communication Channels is the Key to Connected Customer Experiences

Integrating Communications Channels Creates Outstanding CX

Customers expect seamless interactions. When customers want to reach your business, they expect an instant response over the channel of their choice. Great CX depends on creating effortless experiences. Integrating communications channels makes that possible.

At the core of customer experience is convenience. Finding business communications channels and reaching a solution should be as easy as a single google search. This is where Google Business Messages comes in. Google Business Messages is a rich, asynchronous messaging service, accessible through a number of different entry points. Whether a customer discovers your business through search, maps, ads, or more, they’re only a single click away from instant contact.

And that’s not all. The potential of omni-channel communications is enormous:

• Social networks such as Instagram and Facebook allow users to engage with business content through comments and posts.

• WhatsApp provides convenient direct messaging services.

• SMS and Email integrations ensure that even those without access to social and messaging services can reach your business.

Offering instant, reliable contact over any channel is the beginning of an outstanding customer experience. But to create a great customer experience, you need great agent experience.

Integrating Communications Channels Improves Agent Experience

Delivering great experiences begins with your agents. Integrating communications channels is the first step toward creating a seamless working environment for your most valuable resource.

Switching between tabs and applications is a time-sink. Agents waste 32 business days a year juggling multiple apps. Your business needs a single agent interface that brings every channel of contact into a single location. By integrating communications channels, you grant your agents instant, efficient access to every channel of communication.

How does this work in practice? Let’s return to the example of Google Business Messages:

• A customer reaches out to your business through Google. They type an opening message, stating their concern.

• At once, Natural Language Processing (NLP) detects keywords and sentiment, directing the customer toward the most appropriate outcome, be that AI chatbot or human agent.

• If human, the agent sees the message appear within the single agent interface. No need to switch applications or tab out.

• Alongside the message, the agent might be presented with customer data pops. All relevant information, from personal details to interaction history, is displayed to support the agent through the conversation.

Efficient interactions lead to happy customers. Happy customers lead to happy agents. Agent experience directly improves your bottom line, and integrating communications channels helps you achieve that.

Integrating Communications Channels Future-Proofs Your Contact Center

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has changed the contact center forever. With the emergence of Generative AI and Large Foundational Models (LFMs) your customers know exactly what chatbots are capable of. AI chatbots aren’t just a cute gimmick anymore; they’re an expectation. But before you can embrace the AI revolution, you need to integrate your communications channels.

To get the most from your AI, you need to make it accessible. This means that, whichever channel your customers choose, you should be able to provide a seamless automated experience.

• An AI chatbot should be able to function over any channel, be that WhatsApp, SMS, or Google Business Messages.

• By integrating communications channels, you can provide that chatbot with full customer data and interaction history. This allows the chatbot to deliver personalized experiences, instantly.

• Where it’s necessary to escalate an interaction to a human agent, or to switch channels, that transition should be seamless. Integrating communications channels lets your customers transition between channels effortlessly, with no loss of quality.

The future of customer contact is automated. By integrating communications channels, you prepare your contact center to face the future.

Integrating Communications Channels with Google Business Messages

When picking a cloud CX vendor, you deserve flexibility. This means going with a provider that can integrate a number of different communications channels, to reach your customer whenever, wherever, and however they prefer.

Content Guru has recently expanded its library of channel integrations, by announcing the integration of Google Business Messages into the storm platform. This allows customers to contact business using storm through multiple Google entry points, be that search, maps, ads, or other.

These messages can be answered by an agent—through the DTA®—interface, or by a Machine Agent™. These powerful automated chatbots leverage Natural Language Processing to create a fluent conversational experience for customers.

Google Business Messages boosts communication efficiency in a host of different ways. Customers are presented with ‘quick reply’ options, letting them view answers to the most common questions, and self-service effortlessly. Where inquiries are simple and repetitive, Machine Agents can guide customers to the best outcomes without the need for agent intervention.