Multichannel communication: why can't businesses do without it anymore?

In an increasingly digital environment, adopting a multichannel strategy has become essential for any business. Modern consumers expect brands to be able to interact with them across different communication channels. A multichannel strategy combines the parallel use of traditional and digital channels. This not only maximizes visibility, but also creates personalized interactions with customers on the platforms they use every day. To meet this challenge, it is best to be well equipped. In this case, economic players operating in both B2C and B2B environments now use powerful tools that enable them to deliver targeted communications across different channels, combined with agile and powerful CRM. It is difficult, if not impossible, to do without them...

Why choose a multichannel strategy?

Modern businesses must respond to new consumer expectations. Consumers are everywhere: on social media, in their email inboxes, and on their cell phones. Providing a seamless and consistent experience across these multiple channels is therefore essential. Here's why a multichannel strategy can make all the difference.

1. Increase your brand visibility

One of the immediate benefits of a multichannel strategy is increased visibility. By leveraging multiple media such as email, SMS marketing and relationship marketing, voice messages, faxes, addressed mail, and push app notifications, you multiply the points of contact with your prospects and customers. Each channel represents an additional opportunity to interact with them, thereby increasing your chances of capturing their attention.

Rather than limiting yourself to a single channel, a multichannel strategy allows you to diversify your efforts. For example, some customers will respond better to email campaigns, while others will prefer messages via your app (Push App) or SMS notifications. Depending on your market and customer type, some channels are more relevant than others. For example, consumers remain attached to direct mail. This method of communication can be ideal for promoting a new commercial offer, sending invitations to an event, sharing customer information, publishing an editorial review, or sending brochures. Another example: healthcare professionals who are subject to Article L.1110-4 of the Public Health Code, which requires them, as well as healthcare data hosts and their subcontractors, to respect the right to medical confidentiality. While email is limited to customer relations and is not used (or very little) in the exchange of health data, faxes, on the other hand, comply with the rules of medical confidentiality. 

By being present where your customers are and responding to their constraints, whether you operate in B2B or B2C, you can ensure greater reach for your marketing activities by opting for a multi-channel strategy.

2. Strengthen customer relationships

Today's consumers expect personalized and relevant interactions. With a multichannel strategy, you can tailor your messages to each customer's preferences. This makes segmentation easier to implement, allowing you to target specific segments with customized offers and content.

This personalization not only strengthens customer relationships, but also improves engagement. Customers who receive communications tailored to their interests are more likely to interact with your brand. In addition, consistent messaging across all channels helps build a strong and recognizable brand identity, which contributes to customer loyalty.

Isagri Ingénierie, a subsidiary of the ISAGRI Group, designs software and websites for agricultural cooperatives and traders who work directly with farms. Thierry Bettioui, in charge of customer quality control at Isagri Ingénierie, uses the Docoon messaging platform to send alerts and information via SMS. For him:

Thanks to the Docoon platform, we send thousands of text messages on behalf of our customers to farmers. The messages contain information that is necessary for customer relations. For example, text messages to remind members of an agricultural cooperative of the date, location, and agenda of a General Meeting, quick surveys, or even hail alerts for crops (...). 

3. Maximizing return on investment (ROI)

Each channel has its own advantages in terms of return on investment. For example, email marketing remains one of the most profitable tools with an excellent ROI. At the same time, SMS Marketing and Transactional SMS, thanks to their high open rate, allow you to quickly reach your customers to include order confirmations, delivery notifications, hotel reservation confirmations, last-minute changes, or even flash offers. PushApp notifications are also an excellent way to build a close relationship and constant customer interaction, as they involve sending your messages directly to the mobile devices of your app users. Each SMS message builds trust and improves the customer experience by providing clear, accurate, and timely information. Adopting a multi-channel approach allows you to optimize the use of each channel according to your specific objectives, whether it's boosting sales, promoting a new offer, or improving the customer experience.

4. Optimization of planning and analysis

For a multichannel strategy to be effective, careful planning is essential. This includes creating an editorial calendar that brings together all your campaigns across different channels. Ensure your messages are consistent and avoid redundant communications. Campaign management tools make it easier to track the performance of each channel and adjust your strategy based on the results obtained.

Thus, according to Thierry Bettioui:

First, we have a user-friendly, easy-to-use multi-channel sending platform. The Docoon sending platform connects to our own information system via API, which is a big advantage. We also have real-time statistics available, such as campaign open rates and message deliverability. This last point is important because it allows us to alert the customer in the event of an incorrect email address or mobile number, so that the error can be corrected. We therefore have statistics on the various mailing campaigns that we share with our customers.

Why is multichannel communication essential for an e-merchant?

In the world of e-commerce, multichannel communication is an essential strategic lever. It allows businesses to reach customers through various channels, while offering a consistent and personalized experience. By combining multiple channels, such as email and SMS, an e-merchant can multiply touchpoints and strengthen customer engagement.

Think about it: online stores never close. Customers who order a product or service expect impeccable service quality from the moment they place their order. A bad experience because the order was not fulfilled, the package was delivered late, or there was a lack of information after the order was placed, and your customer will not hesitate to go to your competitor for their next purchase. Customer service is the only point of contact between your online store and your customers. An e-merchant must therefore ensure that the customer experience they deliver is optimal. To do this, they must be able to combine several communication channels. E-commerce companies that deliver the best quality of service understand this and adopt a consistent approach, where each channel complements the other. The goal is to improve customer satisfaction by making every interaction smooth and relevant.

Consumers are becoming increasingly attentive to the quality of the information they receive. Ultra-connected, they expect the following from a company: – a message to confirm that the online financial transaction has been completed successfully; order confirmations as soon as the transaction is completed; acknowledgments of receipt for sensitive information transmitted, or reminders for appointments scheduled online.

→ On this topic, read: Sympl, a rapidly growing startup, chooses Docoon

Email and SMS: the winning multichannel combo

SMS and email, although used for different purposes, complement each other perfectly in a multichannel strategy. Here are a few examples of integrated use:

• Orchestrate a welcome campaign: welcome your new customers with a personalized welcome email, welcoming them to your community and presenting the benefits of your brand. Offer them a discount code for their first purchase as a thank you for signing up. A few hours after sending the email, send a short text message to reinforce the welcome message and remind them of the special offer. "Welcome to [Company Name]! Enjoy 10% off your first order with the code WELCOME10. See you soon!"

• Promotion and reminder : send an email with details about a promotional sale, including images and product descriptions. Then use a text message to remind customers that the promotion is ending with a concise message: "Last chance to enjoy 20% off the entire collection. Ends in 2 hours!"

• Delivery notifications: this is a must for e-merchants. As soon as the order is shipped, send a push notification via your mobile app to inform the customer that their package is on its way. Provide a direct link to track the delivery in real time .Follow up the push notification with a text message when the delivery is imminent or the package has been delivered. "Your order [Number] will be delivered today. Track the delivery here: [Link]. Thank you for your purchase!"

• Re-engagement of abandoned shopping carts: if a customer abandons their shopping cart, a reminder email can be sent with an offer to encourage them to complete the purchase. A few hours before the offer expires, a text message can also be sent to remind them of this opportunity. This double reminder significantly increases the chances of conversion.

• Surveys and Customer Feedback:  Send an email asking your customers for feedback on a recent product or service. Explain why their opinion is important and provide a direct link to a short survey.

Follow up the email with a text message inviting customers to share their opinion. "Your opinion matters ! Take two minutes to give us your feedback here: [Link]. Thank you!" " The text message can take different forms: either the brand sends a link to the customer via text message, allowing them to open the questionnaire on a dedicated, mobile-optimized web page, or the customer answers a series of questions asked directly via text message. Each answer is sent with a word or number corresponding to the desired response. The questions then follow automatically as the conversation progresses.