Jump to ↓

Providing a unified customer experience across channels and touchpoints helps businesses exceed customer expectations, creating lasting customer relationships and increasing consumer spending.

Developing a unique and effective unified customer experience strategy requires careful planning, monitoring, and employee training.

In this article, we’ll explain what unified customer experience is, its essential components, and how it differs from standard CX. We’ll also share our best practices for successful unified customer experience implementation.

 

What is a Unified Customer Experience?

Unified Customer Experience (UCE) is the business process of building, analyzing, and maintaining cohesive branding and seamless communication across all touchpoints of the omnichannel customer journey.

Successful Unified Customer Experiences keep customer interactions consistent, familiar, and personalized–even when conversations switch between several communication channels, involve multiple agents, or are entirely automated.

Unified Customer Experience (also known as Unified CX) is consistent in content, purpose, and branding online, in-store, over the phone, and everywhere else consumers engage with your business.

An effective Unified Customer Experience strategy improves brand recognition, boosts consumer trust and loyalty, and differentiates your business from the competition.

 

Components of Unified Customer Experience

Providing customers with a unified experience requires companies to consistently incorporate their business values, mission, communication style, and overall branding strategy into every facet of the customer journey.

Factors to consider when implementing a unified customer experience are:

 

1. Consistency Across Self-Service Channels

Customer self-service reduces stress on live agents, decreases wait times, and enables 24/7 customer support.

67% of consumers now prefer self-service over live agent-led support.[*]

Especially within the e-commerce, banking, and healthcare sectors, self-service lets customers reach out on their preferred communication channels and devices–and on their own schedules.

Self-service options also help customers avoid lengthy hold times and repeating themselves to multiple agents. Instead, customers can use active and passive self-service tools to resolve their issues without speaking to a live agent.

 

Active vs Passive Self-Service

There are two main types of self-service: passive and active.

Passive self-service options include company websites, online knowledge bases, community forums, and interactive FAQs. Passive self-service solutions don’t involve back-and-forth conversations between customers and automated chatbots or voicebots.

Genesys voice bot

Active self-service solutions generally leverage Conversational AI, and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to facilitate two-way conversations between customers and intelligent virtual agents (IVAs).

Popular active self-service tools include chatbots, Interactive Voice Response (IVR), and AI-powered mobile apps.

Active self-service options directly interact with customers, leveraging intent and sentiment analysis to collect customer data, instantly answer customer questions, route customers to the best available live agent, or schedule automated callbacks. Active self-service solutions use machine learning, trending topic analysis, and speech and text analytics to continually improve CX over time.

Regardless of whether or not customers choose active or passive self-service options, self-service tools should maintain consistent branding and reflect the overall customer experience strategy. Incorporate superficial branding elements (logos, company colors, unique lingo, etc.) into self-service tools to unify the customer experience and boost brand recognition.

CCaaS platforms such as Genesys, NICECXone, and RingCentral include custom-branded chatbots.

 

2. Consistent Live Interactions

Customers connect with sales and support agents across an average of ten different communication channels.[*] Popular real-time customer communication channels include:

  • Voice calling
  • In-person conversations
  • Business text messaging (SMS)
  • Live website chat
  • Email
  • Social media messaging
  • Video calling

Businesses must provide a familiar and consistent unified experience across voice and digital channels–even when a single interaction takes place across multiple channels.

Genesys self service\

Omnichannel Routing (also called Intelligent or Smart Routing) directs customer service requests across voice and digital channels within a single pane of glass, showing agents relevant CRM data, notes, and interaction history within a unified interface. This high-level context improves CSAT scores, , ensures agents are prepared for every conversation, and increases first contact resolution (FCR) rates. , CCaaS platforms combine omnichannel functionality with tools such as custom agent dashboards, AI analytics, automated Agent Assist, and more.

 

3. Consistent Employee Training and Onboarding

Hiring and training the right staff is just as important as choosing the right contact center software.

Employees are responsible for implementing your branding strategy and keeping customer interactions consistent–whether they’re connecting with customers in-store, on your website, or via sales calls.

While each team member has their own unique personality, effective employee training ensures customers receive a consistent experience regardless of who they interact with.

8x8 call capture

A great way for new employees to learn how to uphold company values is by studying real-life examples.

Tools like call capture or call recording apps can create playlists of the most successful customer calls for other team members to review. Other CCaaS features like video conferencing, screen sharing, knowledge base management, and on-demand training webinars create a consistent onboarding process.

However, employee training should continue well beyond initial onboarding.

As more data is gathered and new insights are gleaned, team members should be instructed to focus on the areas that need the most attention. Call scripts, agent performance gamification, agent scoresheets, and in-call agent coaching help maintain high-quality customer support.

 

How Unified CX is Different From Traditional Customer Experience

While traditional CX strategies focus on developing customer personas and optimizing the customer journey, unified CX prioritizes consistency across channels.

Here is how the two strategies differ:

 

Lack of Data Silos

Data silos occur when there is a lack of communication between departments. This can be incredibly frustrating for customers, especially those who deal with different departments or use multiple channels to communicate with the business.

Data silos are more likely to occur in a business using a traditional CX strategy.  By contrast,  UCE software enables brands to build an internal and external knowledge base that acts as a single source of truth for employees and customers alike.

 

Tailored Customer Experiences

While traditional CX strategy tailors service to the “ideal customer”, UCE personalizes each experience for the individual customer. Agents and chatbots can leverage CRM data like contact history, location, and age to create bespoke experiences–while preventing customer repetition.

UCE software also distributes customer surveys automatically to collect more data and continually improve service.

 

Innovative Self-Service Options

Traditional CX strategy focuses on in-person and telephony interactions with customers, with little attention paid to self-service options. UCE, alternatively, leverages self-service tools such as chatbots, web forms, and community forums to relieve pressure on live agents, shorten wait times, and make customers happy.

 

Seamless Transitions Across Channels

Traditional customer service strategies add popular communication channels social media and texting only as needed. By contrast, UCE streamlines all communication channels under one pane of glass.

When agents can view complete interaction histories before or during customer conversations, they’re equipped with the context they need to provide stellar customer support.

 

Consistent Brand Messaging

One of the pitfalls of traditional CX strategy is that agents answering customer calls may follow a different set of standards than agents answering live chat questions or responding to social media messages.

UCE focuses on keeping branding and service standards consistent across all touchpoints. Often, agents will switch between communication channels from one unified dashboard.

 

What Technologies Are Needed for Unified CX?

When it comes to meeting customer needs and providing a customer experience unified in quality, purpose, and branding, the right technology is essential. A UCaaS or CCaaS platform streamlines multiple communication channels and CX features into one unified interface. When selecting a platform and plan, here are the features to look for:

 

Omnichannel Customer Service Platform

Providing a unified customer experience doesn’t just require multichannel communication.

To truly prevent communication silos and data loss, all available communication channels must be integrated into one intuitive agent dashboard/workspace. This allows agents to access detailed customer account history and review prior interactions before participating in a live support conversation.

Standard contact center features like omnichannel routing, auto attendants, and Intelligent Interactive Voice Response (IIVR) streamline and personalize the customer experience across channels.

 

Customer Self-Service Tools

Customer self-service tools provide customers with a completely unified experience and virtually eliminate the chance of human error.

Self-service is fast, convenient, frees up agents, and improves customer satisfaction rates.

Popular customer self-service tools include:

  • Voicebots and chatbots
  • IVR
  • Searchable online knowledge base
  • On-demand video tutorials/webinars
  • Automated scheduling tools
  • Website portals
  • FAQs

 

Team Collaboration Software

In order for employees to provide customers with consistent high-quality experiences, they need to be on the same page with one another

Team collaboration tools facilitate inter-departmental communication, create a more united understanding of company values, and improve customer service and support.

Dialpad team collab

Team collaboration enables real-time internal communication allowing reps to provide better, more informed support bolstered by input from relevant coworkers–without creating lengthy email chains.

Popular team collaboration tools include:

  • Team chat messaging
  • Task management
  • Whiteboarding
  • Screen sharing
  • File sharing/editing
  • User presence (status updates)
  • Video calling

 

Quality Management (QM) tools

Quality Management (QM) helps companies understand the full experience their customers receive by recording, evaluating, and scoring interactions across channels. Recording can include voice, screen capture, and transcripts.

Many QM platforms also allow supervisors to monitor interactions in real time and intervene if necessary.

QM features include:

  • Call/Video recording
  • Live transcription
  • Call monitoring (listen, whisper, barge, etc.)
  • Coaching (enables supervisors to send targeted assistance to agents and drive consistent communication)
  • Automated QM (AI-powered tool that records all interactions and flags inconsistencies and non-compliance)
  • CRM integrations

 

Agent Assist

Agent Assist is a CCaaS feature providing contact center agents with real-time, in-conversation company knowledge base and customer data via CTI screen pops, increasing first contact resolution rates and preventing follow-ups.

Agent assist uses NLU and sentiment analysis to identify the customer’s issue and sends relevant information directly to the agent in real time.

Genesys agent assist

Agent Assist ensures all agents receive the same information when resolving the same issue, creating a consistent and uniform experience.

Agent Assist eliminates the need for team members to conduct manual data searches and automatically updates CRM data to reflect the latest customer interactions.

 

Reporting and Analytics

Reporting and analytics software is essential for improving customer service, as identifying and rectifying pain points quickly boosts customer satisfaction scores.

Many metrics and KPIs can be automatically tracked with CCaaS reporting tools, but businesses should also obtain more open-ended feedback via customer surveys.

Five9 Analytics

The following metrics should be monitored to ensure unified customer experience: 

  • Average Handle Time (AHT)
  • Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)
  • Customer Effort Score (CES)
  • Net Promoter Score
  • Customer Retention Rate
  • Customer Churn Rate
  • First Contact Resolution
  • Average Resolution Time

 

Business Benefits of Unified Customer Experience

A unified customer experience doesn’t just benefit your clients–it improves your business as a whole.

The benefits of having a unified customer experience include:

 

Reduced Costs

Companies with a UCE have lower operating costs because workers do not need to duplicate their efforts. All customer information is organized and delivered to employees right when they need it.

When customers know they’ll get the same experience and level of service whether interacting with self-service bots or live agents, they’re much more likely to select self-service options.  The cost of a self-service transaction is mere pennies while the cost of a live transaction can range from $7-$13 per transaction.[*]

Unifying employee training through the use of videos, quizzes, and scripts is not only good for customer experience management (CXM) but it also clarifies the expectations for employees, leading to a decrease in costly employee turnover.

 

Increased Employee Productivity

A unified customer experience means each employee knows the company policy for resolving common support issues and ensures they have access to customer-specific information in real time.

Without the need to look up answers manually or come up with their own strategies, staff members can handle more inquiries and resolve issues faster. Having access to customer data reduces the sales cycle by 8-14%.[*] This leads to more efficient resolutions, happier customers, and a lower cost per contact rate.

Auto attendants and IVR similarly eliminate the need for agents to waste time transferring calls, freeing them up for more productive tasks.

 

Improved Customer Satisfaction

When a company provides a unified experience, every customer knows they will receive quality service when they have an issue.

For most customers, this knowledge is a defining factor in which brands they choose to do business with. Unfortunately, it only takes one bad experience to put doubt into a customer’s mind.

When customers know that they will receive the value they have come to expect regardless of what channel they use, they will be able to communicate using their favorite channels. According to one study, over 73% of customers prefer to use multiple channels for shopping.[*]

 

Increased Sales

Companies that provide a personalized customer experience across channels will gain more brand recognition. The ROI on CRM usage alone is expected by experts to reach 30 to 1.[*]

This, along with having a presence on multiple platforms and channels, creates a competitive advantage leading to more exposure and more sales.

Higher customer engagement and satisfaction rates mean more personal recommendations and referrals, as loyal customers are undoubtedly the best brand ambassadors.

 

Better Employee Retention Rates

Unified CX creates a better experience for employees by automating mundane tasks and empowering agents with helpful data such as customer preferences and purchase history in real time.

UCE also improves employee satisfaction by decreasing wait times thanks to unified CX tools like automations, omnichannel routing, IVR, and self-service options. Lower wait times mean that employees are dealing with less frustrated customers, allowing them to focus on solving problems instead of de-escalating.

Self-service tools may also contribute to agents being able to work fewer hours and take time off when they need to. This results in a better work-life balance, which over 71% of employees say is more important than salary.[*]

 

How to Deliver Unified Customer Experience

UCE offers a host of benefits to all industries and to small businesses, enterprises, and everything in between.

Here are five steps for a unified customer experience initiative:

 

Step 1: Create a Customer Experience Plan

You’ll need a detailed plan to deliver a consistent–and high-quality–omnichannel customer experience.

Look at your company’s mission statement and values to inform customer profiles, scripts, content, and the way your team members interact with employees.

Identify market segments and key demographics, and poll customers to get a better understanding of their needs and expectations.

The CX plan should integrate these values and preferences into every aspect of the customer lifecycle.

 

Step 2: Implement CX Plan Across Channels

Once a customer experience plan has been established, it must be implemented across all active channels including voice, email, live chat, and social media

For example, if one of the company values is sustainability, the business should provide information about the environmental impact of its products while customers are on-hold, via social media posts, or in email newsletters.

 

Step 3: Train Employees

For the CX plan to be unified, employees must be unified.

This is especially important when it comes to honoring your business values and mission.

Expectations should be clearly laid out for employees with the opportunity to ask questions. Team members should then be monitored for compliance and consistency, with further guidance provided when necessary.

 

Step 4: Integrate CX Plan Into Customer Self-Service Options

As mentioned above, providing self-service options is an important aspect of any unified customer experience. The company website, knowledge base, chatbot, and any other self-service tools should reflect the mission statement, values, and branding of the company.

 

Step 5: Analyze Data and Make Improvements 

As with any other company-wide improvement, building a unified customer experience is not a quick fix.

After the initial plan is set in motion, metrics like average wait time, AHT, and FCR should be carefully monitored. Customer insights should be regularly collected to track CSAT and Net Promoter Scores. As better data comes in, the plan should be continually refined and improved.

 

Unified Customer Experience Best Practices

Implementing unified CX will look a little different for each company. It may take some trial and error to find a process that works for both your team and your customers.

Here are some unified CX best practices to keep in mind during the process:

  • Create comprehensive customer profiles that include CRM system information such as purchase history, inquiry, service history, etc. to ensure customers don’t need to repeat these details
  • Encourage open team and inter-department communication and eliminate silos so that employees stay on the same page
  • Ensure that branding and business values come across on all channels including email, SMS, social media, live chat, self-service portals, etc.
  • Collect and analyze customer feedback and data such as average handle time regularly so that issues can be addressed quickly
  • Monitor employee performance to ensure consistency across departments
  • Balance AI-powered tools such as chatbots with human interaction to ensure that customers with complex inquiries feel heard
  • Automate repetitive tasks so that team members can focus on engaging with customers
  • Optimize user interfaces (such as the company website) to reinforce branding and mission statement
  • Take a customer-centric approach where every decision considers the needs of the customer first and foremost