Picture this: A customer starts a chat on their lunch break, switches to a phone call during their commute, and follows up via email later that evening. Sounds familiar, right? And that’s exactly why getting omnichannel customer support right matters more than ever.
When a customer reaches out, they're not thinking about channels - they're thinking about getting help. Whether reaching out via phone, chat, email, or social media, they want a friction-free experience.
While omnichannel support often looks effortless to customers, it requires complex coordination behind the scenes. That’s where workforce management (WFM) platforms come in.
The right WFM solution is essential to building the operational backbone needed to deliver outstanding omnichannel experiences — without overwhelming your agents.
Omnichannel vs. multichannel customer support: What's the difference?
Although these two terms might sound the same, they mean different things:
- Multichannel support means providing multiple communication channels (e.g., phone, email, chat) for customer contact. However, these channels typically operate in silos, requiring customers to repeat information when switching between them.
- Omnichannel support connects all channels. This creates a smooth journey where customer data and context follow them across platforms, creating more personalized experiences.
In other words, omnichannel customer support isn’t just "more channels" — it’s smarter, more integrated support.
How WFM solutions enhance omnichannel customer support
Before expanding your omnichannel support, it’s important to take time to assess your current operations:
- What's your current volume of customer requests?
- What channels do you actively support now?
- What are your SLAs (service level agreements) per channel?
- What are your hours of operation, and do they align with customer demand?
These insights will help you make informed decisions about your workforce solutions and accurately predict demand across channels.
Dive into our comprehensive guide "What is Workforce Management?" and discover how to improve customer support efficiency.
Smart forecasting for omnichannel
Each channel behaves differently. Phone call volumes may spike in the mornings, while chat sessions may peak in the evenings.
Modern WFM platforms can forecast demand by channel. It uses both past data and current information to make better predictions about staffing.
This ensures you aren’t overstaffed where you don't need it — or worse, understaffed during peak times on critical channels.
Skill-based scheduling
Agents have different strengths when it comes to communication channels. For example, some are better with customers on the phone, while others do their best work handling live chat or social media messages.
Skill-based scheduling ensures that:
- Customers are routed to agents who are trained and comfortable in that channel.
- Agents feel more confident, leading to better, faster resolutions.
Real-time allocation
Demand across channels can shift quickly. Real-time intraday management allows workforce supervisors to:
- Monitor volume and service levels across all channels.
- Quickly shift agents to the channel experiencing unexpected volume.
- Prevent bottlenecks before they impact the customer experience.
Real-time allocation is the difference between a customer waiting two minutes versus twenty.
Aspect Workforce's intraday management delivers the analytics and insights you need to power data-driven decision-making. With detailed adherence tracking, it helps businesses keep daily work targets on track by maintaining appropriate staffing levels. Managers can quickly respond to demand shifts and take action to optimize workforce operations.
Agent empowerment
WFM platforms that offer self-service capabilities—like requesting time off and swapping shifts—make it easier for agents to manage their work-life balance.
This improves schedule adherence, reduces turnover, and creates a more engaged workforce. These are all important elements of the agent experience that directly impact customer service quality.
When agents feel empowered, magic happens! They become more confident, more engaged, and better equipped to help customers, no matter which channel they choose.
Why scheduling is key for improving customer experience
To have the right number of agents ready to help customers through any channel, good scheduling needs to balance a few key things:
- Volume: Different channels peak at different times.
- Agent skillsets: Matching the right agent to the right interaction.
- Flexibility: Allowing for mid-shift adjustments as real-time demand changes.
- Coverage without overstaffing: Ensuring the right number of agents are available across all channels — without inflating labor costs.
Aspect Workforce's dynamic scheduling capabilities can help eliminate these challenges by automatically aligning staffing with real-time demand. The platform uses historical data and advanced algorithms to create optimized schedules considering forecasted volume, time-off requests, and capacity plans.
Best practices for seamless omnichannel customer experience
Keep things simple for agents
The simpler the interface, the better the agent experience and productivity. When agents wrestle with complicated systems, it creates unnecessary friction and slows down their response time.
A clean, unified dashboard where agents can easily access customer interactions, and relevant information across all channels is critical for improving omnichannel support. This not only improves agent efficiency but also ensures they can focus on what matters most: helping customers effectively.
Leverage AI and chatbots
Another important thing to consider is how emerging technologies like AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can support a truly frictionless customer experience.
When deploying AI, keep in mind a clear escalation path to live agents. The key is to make it easy and fast for customers to move from chatbot to human help when needed.
Improve your IVR system
An effective IVR ensures customers are routed to the right department — the first time. Smarter routing:
- Reduces agent workload by automatically filtering and directing inquiries.
- Minimizes unnecessary transfers between departments, saving time for both customers and agents.
- Significantly improves First Contact Resolution (FCR) rates through accurate initial routing.
- Captures relevant customer information upfront to better prepare agents.
- Provides self-service options for common inquiries, reducing overall call volume.
Monitor channels in real time
Workforce supervisors should always have visibility into real-time channel performance. With dynamic monitoring, they can:
- Quickly pull in backup agents when volume spikes.
- Minimize excessive wait times.
- Reduce abandoned interactions.
- Keep customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores high.
Look after your employees
Your agents directly reflect your customer experience. If they’re burned out or stressed, it shows. Consider:
- Build breaks into schedules — especially after intense interactions.
- Create scheduling strategies that balance work-life needs with service coverage.
- Make mental health and job satisfaction a core part of your operations.
Track and measure what matters
It's tempting to focus only on common measured metrics like handle times. But omnichannel success requires a more balanced view.
Combine customer surveys, call scoring, and channel analytics to get a 360° understanding. Then, ask yourself:
- Are customers getting their issues resolved the first time they reach out, regardless of channel?
- Are we seeing more channel switching or abandoned conversations than you’d like?
- How do agent satisfaction scores correlate with customer satisfaction?
- Are our service levels consistent across channels, or does one lag behind?
- What new training or support could help agents deliver even better experiences? Is that skill-based or channel-based?
Continuous feedback loops — from both customers and agents — are key to refining and evolving your omnichannel strategy.
Final thoughts
Creating an omnichannel customer service strategy isn't easy — but with the right strategies and WFM tools in place, it's possible.
By investing in dynamic scheduling, real-time intraday management, and a focus on EX and CX, you can eliminate frictions along the customer journey — no matter where or how the customer chooses to connect with your business.
Ready to build a more seamless, scalable omnichannel support experience? Whether you’re just exploring WFM tools or looking to optimize your current setup, understanding what drives friction-free CX is the first step.
Explore how modern workforce management can help you meet customers where they are while driving operational efficiency. Learn more here: "What is Workforce Management?"
