As customers increasingly demand to interact with brands through their preferred channels, many modern companies have embraced a data-driven omnichannel contact strategy to drive higher engagement and better customer experiences.
While “traditional” omnichannel marketing still offers a number of benefits that businesses continue to leverage, the advent of AI and enhanced conversational capabilities offers the opportunity to take customer engagement a step further. This next step is End-to-end customer journeyswhere the entire service and sales funnel runs through the only channel chosen by the customer.
“We already know that customers want a two-way conversation with brands through the channels they use with their friends and family,” says Borja Garcia, Product Manager at BT. “But what’s even more interesting is that we’re seeing increasing demand for smoother, less disjointed experiences within the same channel – be it RCS, WhatsApp or other rich messaging channels.”
This effectively means that brands need to start rethinking their customer engagement to deliver truly frictionless conversational experiences. Brands can take the next step forward with rich channels that provide a set of features that lay the foundation for such journeys.
What will it look like?
This is what an end-to-end marketing funnel could look like:
- Awareness and consideration – In this initial phase, brands could use rich messaging channels to send customers personalized offers and provide dynamic carousels where consumers can browse and discover different items.
- engagement – This step still takes place through the customer’s preferred messaging channel and includes a personalized message with a discount code or voucher that they can redeem.
- Up- and cross-selling – Continuous communication via the same channel with defined clickable options for similar offers or upgrades.
- Buy – A “Buy Now” button in the same conversation thread connected to one or more payment apps.
- Reintegration and loyalty – Still on the same channel. The customer is informed that their order has been completed and is offered additional clickable options, such as downloading a purchase manual, exploring add-ons or completing a survey.
“As the The entire customer journey will be shifted to a single preferred channel. We also expect embedded tracking features and one-tap response suggestions that will make it even easier for customers to interact with brands,” Garcia adds.
A natural evolution of Omnichannel
You’re probably reading this and wondering: How can single-channel and omni-channel coexist? In fact, we’re talking about an evolutionary process that starts with a single-channel, develops into omni-channel, and now moves on to end-to-end journeys.
End-to-end journeys continue to provide omnichannel interactions by they offer the full range of channels. What existed before, however, was a version of omnichannel that was still somewhat disjointed, with different communication elements spread across different channels – now once a customer interaction starts in a particular channel, it stays there for the rest of the journey.
“The entire customer journey runs through a single digital channel. But that is not because the company does not have other channels available.” Garcia clarifies. “It’s about completely removing any potential friction that comes with switching back and forth between multiple channels and giving customers the ability to self-serve and interact with brands through the channels of their choice.”
The advantages
What are the main benefits of handling customer interaction through one channel?
On the customer side, it enables a simpler and more consistent experience.
“Customers can now do everything in one place, which is much more convenient,” Garcia Remarks. “It’s also very helpful for them to be able to track the interaction details because there’s only one thread they can refer to.”
For brands, end-to-end journeys mean lower abandonment rates throughout the buying journey, higher sales rates and stronger customer loyalty.
“Companies that embrace this trend early on can also position themselves as future-oriented, innovative brands,” Garcia Sanchez says.
And let’s not forget Conversational AI:
“Conversational AI technology is the intelligence that helps connect these comprehensive end-to-end customer journeys and make interactions more personal and contextual.”
With BT the future starts now
It is important to note that end-to-end customer journeys are not a thing of the future – they are already happening today and are a growing trend worldwide.
“WhatsApp payments for businesses are a great example of this trend. They are already available in countries like India, Brazil and Singapore, and this is just the beginning,” Garcia says.
With its Smart Messaging solution, BT helps brands deliver end-to-end conversational experiences across Rich Communications Services (RCS), WhatsApp for Business, Apple Messages for Business and more, leveraging the capabilities of conversational AI. They also offer advice from their SMS security experts and work with organizations such as the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre to keep businesses and their customers safe.
“With a robust infrastructure and direct connections to UK mobile networks, our experienced messaging team offers best-in-class account management and customer success services to support businesses every step of the way,” Garcia closes.
For more information about BT’s Smart Messaging solution, visit the website Here.
