Multichannel vs. Omnichannel: What is the difference?

Discover the difference between multichannel and omnichannel contact center services. Learn how businesses can use each approach to engage with customers across channels and improve customer satisfaction.

Multichannel vs. Omnichannel Contact Center: What Is the Difference?

As the world changes and technology advances, there are increasingly exciting opportunities for bigger, more immersive marketing campaigns. Many companies create omnichannel or multichannel strategies to achieve more brand loyalty and recognition, increased sales, and a better overall bottom line.

Ready to utilize these cross-channel marketing campaigns for your business? Let’s delve further into what these terms mean, how they differ, and a few ways to implement them into your marketing strategy. If you have any questions about omnichannel and multichannel marketing strategy, contact the TeleDirect team — it’s one of our specialties.

Multichannel Customer Experience

Multichannel marketing refers to a campaign that uses more than one “channel” to attract customers. So, let’s say you run a nail salon. If you advertise on social media but send out promotional emails and text message alerts about sales, this uses multichannel marketing. It gives your customers multiple chances to interact with your brand.

There are lots of benefits to multichannel marketing. It provides better brand awareness than relying only on one channel and is flexible and scalable. You can customize your multichannel marketing campaign to suit your current customer base and their needs.

Plenty of big brands go down the multichannel marketing route over omnichannel. A great example of this is Trader Joe’s. Sure, they have a website. Customers can pick up a little newsletter, The Fearless Flyer when they leave the store. They have a podcast, and a YouTube channel, too. But they do not, for example, have any TV ads, despite being a major national grocery store. These marketing choices work for the quirky, laid-back brand voice that Trader Joe’s has developed.

If your brand only utilizes one channel, it might be time to go multichannel. This can be as simple as incorporating an outbound communication service into your strategy. By outsourcing a service like this, you can create a branded call flow for your call center, allowing for a seamless and interactive customer experience.

Omnichannel Customer Experience

Omnichannel merchants are also referred to as geniuses in our offices. We believe that omnichannel marketing can be the key to a brilliant success in the business world. It is such a comprehensive way of marketing that has an incredibly far reach.

Omnichannel marketing uses every available form of media to advertise. This includes television, email, billboards, print, social media, apps, and text — you name it! Omnichannel marketing can reach leads and customers at every level — and it does. While it certainly can be a big investment for a company to engage in omnichannel marketing, there are significant returns to be had. Omnichannel marketing is a fantastic way to make your mark as a company. It can help you to ensure visibility, express your unique brand voice, and see booming business.

Many major brands utilize omnichannel marketing. A great example is Disney. This company is so skilled at omnichannel marketing that it can be easy to forget it is a brand. For many consumers, Disney seems more like a “feeling” or experience than a product, but it is still 100% a brand. Disney advertises across every platform, from social media to traditional television commercials.

Implementing an omnichannel marketing campaign is a big undertaking and requires serious planning and collaboration. We highly recommend working with industry professionals across intended channels. For instance, a creative agency will be able to tackle your social media and design needs, while a call center will handle outgoing and support-based communication with branded scripting. Outsourcing these roles will help ensure your big rollout is smooth and professional.

Multichannel vs. Omnichannel: Key Differences

The key difference between these two forms of marketing comes down to scale. Multichannel marketing is any campaign that relies on more than one advertising channel. This means that omnichannel marketing encompasses all the available advertising channels and is a large-scale form of multichannel marketing. Companies may begin utilizing a multichannel marketing strategy but eventually, expand to an omnichannel solution.

Choosing the Right Approach

The amount and types of channels that your company wishes to utilize will ultimately be a personal decision. Depending on your budget, industry, current demand, and target audience, you might find that the multichannel or omnichannel route is better for your bottom line.

Whether your business plans to engage in multichannel or omnichannel marketing, your best way forward is through outsourcing. At TeleDirect, we make your rollout easy by offering call center services for small businesses and larger ones. Our dedicated crew of customer support agents becomes a seamless extension of your business, providing scalable multichannel communication in your branded voice. We even work with your team to learn your verbiage and values to create customized scripts, offering customers a curated brand experience.

Our complete call solutions guarantee a cohesive, stress-free way to ensure your cross-channel marketing campaign is a hit. TeleDirect operates across the United States and provides live inbound and outbound call center agents, lead response management services, and a comprehensive contact center platform that can truly deliver.

Ready to get started? Get in touch with the TeleDirect team to discuss your marketing needs and how our contact center can help you further your reach. Call (800) 776-1081 for a conversation about your company. We can’t wait to learn about your brand and help your business grow.