To start a path towards omnichannel, the first thing is not to get technology and a great team of experts, of course these two types of enablers are essential to walk that path, but first, you have to change the basis in the vision of the organization, to achieve omnichannel, the whole philosophy has to be focused on the customer, not the company.

What does this mean?

When a company focuses on the customer, the processes of all areas respond to provide a good experience to their audiences, the main objective becomes the satisfaction and create a continuity between all possible points of contact that the company has with its users, therefore, all efforts made have satisfaction as the ultimate goal, and the return on investment will come as a consequence.

When the company’s objectives are focused on the company itself, we could be talking about multichannel, a concept that can sometimes be confused with omnichannel. The main difference lies in the fact that the entire organization of the multichannel company revolves around the commercial offer, promotions, benefits, etc., and the customer remains in the second or third place. That is why the main change has to come from the top management’s mentality, it is not a simple change, but it is worth the attempt.

What are the main challenges to becoming an omnichannel company?

1. Having the necessary enablers: technical and organizational resources are the main ones. Technical resources include reliable data, technological infrastructure, and actionable metrics. Organizational resources include strategic alliances, team competencies and a culture of constant testing and learning.
2. Responsible and orderly data collection: With changes in regulations and the data privacy environment, it is necessary to comply with global standards in the way you collect and treat data from your organization’s customers and prospects. More than ever before, it is important to answer the question: why would users decide to share their data with the company? If the company keeps that question and its possible answers in mind, it is more likely that the relationship with its audiences will become a win-win.
   
3. Advanced usage and data activation: Now, the investment in collecting and storing user data would not make sense if it is not for that data to be used and activated. Outputs can be as simple as: appropriate ads, an email campaign; to more complex ideas such as personalizing the website according to the interests and tastes of a person and this can scale as much as the company is willing to invest in continuity and let the imagination fly (based on the strategy).

The advanced use of data also means measuring properly, knowing how much each touch point a user followed to become a customer is worth.

While the road to omnichannel does not seem easy, it is not impossible. It has to start with small actions and digital marketing is a key tool to achieve it. Companies that decide to undertake efforts in this direction, will naturally have an evolution in their digital maturity, one is a consequence of the other.

Finally, the time factor is also relevant: how long can it take for a company to go from being multichannel to omnichannel? That will depend on each organization, on impregnating the customer centric vision in the culture and DNA of the company and then, on allocating all the necessary resources to achieve it (time, money, knowledge, etc.) having a clear objective and working day by day on it. It is not the task of one person or one area, it is a work of the whole organization and of constant paradigm changes.

“If you want to go fast, walk alone, if you want to go far, go together.”

– African proverb