Customers want to raise queries, get solutions to their issues and express grievances whenever they feel the need. Companies that empower customers with these capabilities and also consistently meet their expectations can win a lifetime of customer loyalty. However, these are no small ask for even a large company with formidable resources. Salesforce Cloud services can make it possible, irrespective of scale and size, with multi-channel messaging functionalities.
This article discusses the importance of multi-channel messaging in Salesforce for the seamless delivery of essential updates and messages to customers.
What is multi-channel messaging in Salesforce?
Multi-channel messaging functionality within Salesforce Cloud CRM involves the strategic utilization of multiple conventional and digital communication channels, including SMS, emails, social media platforms and live chat.
Some of the popular communication channels for which Salesforce provides native support are:
- Facebook Messenger
- SMS short codes
- SMS long codes
- SMS toll-free
- LINE
- In-app and web messaging
In addition, Salesforce also supports third-party CaaS services and other enterprise-specific communication channels (Bring-Your-Own-Channel) as part of its multi-channel messaging functionality.
The principal objectives behind multi-channel messaging CRM functionality are to widen the scope of customer outreach, ensure confidence in communication delivery, and reach out to customers on their preferred media.
Multi-channel vs Omnichannel
People sometimes interchangeably use these terms, and Salesforce Cloud supports both capabilities. However, they are different in scope and deserve clear differentiation. Otherwise, it may lead to strategy confusion.
As explained, multi-channel primarily refers to a brand’s presence and customer interaction across communication avenues of customers’ choices and convenience. On the other hand, the Omnichannel functionality involves delivering a consistent, unified and personalized customer engagement experience across multiple channels. It helps customers make a seamless transition from one channel to another.
So, we can say multi-channel messaging broadens the spectrum of a brand’s customer reach, while omni-channel functionality enriches the depth of customer engagement. Both are necessary for holistic customer relationship management in any digital-first business.
The business benefits of multi-channel messaging in Salesforce
The right implementation of multi-channel messaging functionality with Salesforce-authorized tools like Communicat-O offers a broad range of advantages for businesses of all sizes and industries.
Some of these benefits are:
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Convenience to customers
Companies leveraging multi-channel messaging functionality can reach out to customers and empower customers to interact with company representatives on any avenue they prefer. This provides customers with unmatched convenience. On the contrary, any restriction on how customers interact with a company can seriously dent customer loyalty.
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Personalized experience
Personalization is the key to grabbing attention in the digital landscape. It also improves a brand’s recall value in customers’ minds. Multi-channel messaging functionality in Salesforce clouds offers capabilities to personalize customer communications for a more engaging and impactful experience. Third-party Salesforce multi-channel messaging tools like Communicat-O help tailor communications based on past interaction with a customer. This can help strengthen connection and trust between a business and its customers.
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Efficiency in communication
Multi-channel messaging can help grab customers’ attention using concise format communication channels and encourage them to receive the same messages on-demand elaborately on other channels at their convenience. This makes communication more efficient. Gen AI tools in Salesforce further improve this efficiency.
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Rich media communication
Conventional SMS and MMS put restrictions on the usage of rich media in messaging. Multi-channel functionality enables businesses to use the latest digital communication channels for engaging and impactful multimedia experiences, like HD videos, GIFs, emojis and AR capabilities.
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Flexibility in terms of time zones
Differences in time zones can pose a serious communication challenge for companies operating across multiple geographies and continents. Multi-channel messaging in Salesforce allows to automate message delivery at customers’ convenient times, irrespective of time zones. This improves the effectiveness of customer engagement.
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Seamless integration with CRM workflow
Salesforce-authorized multi-channel messaging apps like Communicat-O free up employees from the burden of juggling between social media platforms and communication channels while monitoring customer interactions. This enhances teams’ productivity, eliminates loss of data and attention, and makes the CRM workflow seamless.
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Cost-effective communication
The ability to automate customer interaction workflow and establish a direct line of contact with customers on their choice of avenues makes communication cost-efficient. Besides, social media platforms are very cost-effective for communicating through business accounts.
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Round-the-clock customer support
Multi-channel messaging functionality in Salesforce allows integration of AI-enabled chatbots for round-the-clock (at least preliminary) assistance to customers. This helps improve customer experience.
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Enhanced customer loyalty
The capability to virtually meet, interact with and assist customers on their preferred communication channels helps deliver a very positive customer experience and enhance customer satisfaction.
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Analytics capability
Finally, every instance of customer interaction across channels gives opportunities to capture, retrieve, store and run analytics on a treasure trove of business data. Companies leveraging multi-channel messaging capability can use such data to optimize marketing, sales and customer support strategies. Tools like Communicat-O can be especially useful for in-depth data analytics.
Communicat-O: a unified multi-channel social media interaction
Multi-channel messaging in Salesforce offers a broad range of business advantages. However, it also creates a few challenges, like the overwhelming workload of monitoring multiple profiles on social media and digital communication channels. Communicat-O’s mobile-ready Salesforce-native application for unified social media interaction can solve such problems.
Their unified social media interaction solutions are available for all the major digital communication channels and social media platforms, including,
- SMS
- Telegram
- LINE
- Facebook Messenger
- Intercom
- Viber
- Google My Business
- Zalo
Communicat-O enhances the capability of multi-channel messaging in Salesforce through its unique set of features. They are,
- Single UI for unified interaction across social media platforms
- mAI: the Gen AI-powered intelligence communication assistance
- In-depth analytics for business intelligence on social media interactions
- Automated bulk messaging in compliance with platform-specific restrictions
- Convenience of assigning queries to experts and monitoring responses
- On-the-go pop-up chat windows for multitasking on Salesforce
- Easy access to productivity tools through the cleverly designed ‘Utility bar’.
- Native mobile-ready solutions for always on-the-move market, sales and customer service workforce
Final words
In any digital-first business model, it is essential to reach out to customers on their preferred communication channels. This multi-channel approach to customer interaction enhances the quality of communication, customer satisfaction and lead conversion. Communicat-O makes Multi-Channel Messaging in Salesforce more efficient, effective and convenient for marketing, sales and customer servicing teams. Contact Communicat-O for a demo.
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