What’s an Omnichannel Contact Center & How to Build One

How often do you lose track of customer conversations because they’re spread across different channels? 

Today’s consumers expect to reach you on social media, live chat, or messaging apps and want seamless support across all these channels. A question asked on social media might come up again in an email, forcing the customer to repeat themselves. 

The solution? An omnichannel contact center. It makes every interaction easy, connected, and seamless for you and your customers. Let’s find out how.

Table of Contents

• What is an Omnichannel Contact Center?
• Difference Between Multichannel and Omnichannel Contact Centers
• Benefits of an Omnichannel Contact Center
  • 1. Improved Customer Satisfaction and Retention
  • 2. Increased Efficiency and Reduced Response Times
  • 3. Better Customer Insights and Personalization
  • 4. Proactive Customer Engagement
  • 5. Stronger Collaboration Within Teams
• Steps to Creating an Omnichannel Contact Center
  • Step 1: Define Your Customer Touchpoints and Preferred Channels
  • Step 2: Choose the Right Technology and Platform
  • Step 3: Integrate Your Data and Systems
  • Step 4: Set SLAs for Each Channel
  • Step 5: Train Agents on Omnichannel Best Practices
  • Step 6: Monitor Performance and Customer Feedback
  • Step 7: Embrace Continuous Improvement
• Key Tools for Building an Omnichannel Contact Center
  • 1. Customer Relationship Management Tools
  • 2. Automation Tools
  • 3. Live Chat and Messaging Tools
  • 4. Analytics and Reporting Tools
• Common Pitfalls and Challenges in Building an Omnichannel Contact Center
  • 1. Data Silos Across Channels
  • 2. Inconsistent Customer Experiences
  • 3. High Implementation and Maintenance Costs
  • 4. Agent Training Across Multiple Channels
  • 5. Balancing Automation and Human Touch
• Frequently Asked Questions
  • How do I integrate multiple channels into a single platform?
  • What kind of businesses benefit most from omnichannel contact centers?
  • Is it costly to set up an omnichannel contact center?
  • How can omnichannel contact centers improve customer loyalty?
• Conclusion

What is an Omnichannel Contact Center?

An omnichannel contact center is a system that connects multiple customer communication channels into one platform. This means all your emails, phone calls, live chat messages, social media interactions, and SMS are managed from one place.

For example, if a customer starts a conversation on live chat but needs an email follow-up, your team can continue the conversation without asking the customer to repeat anything. This system ensures that no matter how customers reach out, their experience remains consistent and connected.

Difference Between Multichannel and Omnichannel Contact Centers

While both multichannel and omnichannel contact centers support communication on multiple platforms, they handle these platforms differently.

A multichannel contact center treats each communication platform independently, while an omnichannel system integrates them into one allowing seamless transitions between channels without customers repeating themselves.

Here’s a quick comparison between the two.

Benefits of an Omnichannel Contact Center

An omnichannel contact center helps businesses connect with customers easily and provide a smooth experience. This leads to happier customers and stronger loyalty. Here are a few benefits.

1. Improved Customer Satisfaction and Retention

When customers don’t have to repeat themselves, it saves time and reduces frustration. A connected system keeps all past interactions in one place, ensuring agents have the full context. This builds trust and strengthens customer loyalty.

Tip:
Set up shared inboxes or centralized communication tools to keep track of customer interactions across channels. 

Ensure agents can add internal notes to conversations so any team member can step in with the full context.

2. Increased Efficiency and Reduced Response Times

If your team has instant access to past tickets, order details, or chat logs, they can quickly resolve issues. This eliminates the need to switch between tools or ask customers repetitive questions.

Tip:
Automate routing based on the nature of the query and the preferred channel. 

For example, live chat queries might need an immediate response, while social media mentions could be prioritized differently. Set up response time goals to ensure no query goes unanswered.

3. Better Customer Insights and Personalization

An omnichannel system collects customer data across channels, providing a complete view of their behavior and preferences. Knowing that a customer often contacts you via Instagram can help customize communication and offers to that platform.

Tip:
Use analytics tools to track customer interaction patterns. Review reports regularly to identify common issues and trends. Then, adjust your strategies. 

For example, if you notice frequent questions about a particular product, consider adding a detailed FAQ or video tutorial.

Learn about the 10 Best FAQ Software For Your Business in 2025

4. Proactive Customer Engagement

This involves anticipating customer needs and addressing issues before they escalate into complaints. An omnichannel system can be particularly helpful here. Why? Because it centralizes data from multiple communication channels, allowing your team to identify patterns more effectively.

For example, multiple customers may report the same problem on chat. In that case, you can proactively inform others via email or SMS to show customers you’re on top of things and care about their experience.

Tip:
Set up automated alerts for recurring issues and create a communication plan for proactive updates. 

For example, use a combination of email and push notifications to inform customers of delays or service updates.

5. Stronger Collaboration Within Teams

An omnichannel setup encourages teams to work together. For instance, did a billing issue come up frequently in customer chats? Customer support agents can instantly flag it and assign it to the finance team, ensuring the problem is addressed more quickly and effectively.

Instead of agents spending time manually forwarding complaints or waiting for approval from other departments, the system facilitates direct communication and faster resolution of issues.

Tip:
Automate email tagging with rule-based automation. For instance, emails containing the word “payment” in the subject line can automatically be tagged as “invoice.” 

This way, customer queries can be segmented based on types like product bugs, payment issues, refunds, or urgency. It’s easier for the relevant teams (Customer Support, Finance, IT, etc.) to address issues faster.

Steps to Creating an Omnichannel Contact Center

Creating an omnichannel contact center is a thoughtful process to provide smooth customer experiences across multiple touchpoints. 

To do this well, understand your customers’ habits and use the right tools to meet their needs.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you build an effective omnichannel contact center.

Step 1: Define Your Customer Touchpoints and Preferred Channels

Start by identifying where your customers are most active—email, social media, live chat, or phone. Knowing their preferred communication channels helps you focus your resources well.

Ignoring key channels could mean missing out on engaging a significant portion of your audience.

What to Do:

• Conduct surveys or review past interactions to understand customer preferences.
• Map out the entire customer journey to identify potential contact points.

Example:

If a significant number of your customers interact on Instagram, integrate a tool that pulls in messages directly from that platform into your support dashboard.

Step 2: Choose the Right Technology and Platform

After identifying your main customer touchpoints, the next step is to pick the right platform. Your platform should handle multiple channels and bring all customer interactions into one easy-to-use dashboard.

A centralized system makes it easier for agents to track, respond, and follow up on customer issues all in one place.

What to Look For:

• Centralized Data: Choose platforms that keep all customer interactions in one spot. For example, Hiver lets teams manage customer inquiries across different channels in a single dashboard.
• Scalability: Pick tools that grow with your business. As you add more channels or expand your customer base, the platform should easily adapt.
• Automation: Look for features like auto-ticket assignment, routing, and canned responses to reduce manual work and save time.
• Ease of Use: Choose a platform that’s simple to use and offers good onboarding support. A complex tool can slow down your team.
• Analytics and Reporting: Tools with insights on team performance and customer trends help you spot areas for improvement and track success.

Example:
Let’s say your team handles emails and live chats but struggles to keep up with social media inquiries. With a platform that integrates all three channels, your agents can resolve customer issues faster without switching between tools.

Step 3: Integrate Your Data and Systems

Once you’ve selected your platform and set up the communication channels, the next step is to integrate your data. This ensures that all customer interactions are linked in one place.

What to Do:

1. Adopt a CRM System: Tools like HubSpot CRM or Zendesk centralize customer data and offer integrations with communication channels like email, chat, and social media.
   Example: If a customer emails about an issue and later follows up via live chat, the CRM will display their entire query history to the agent handling the interaction.

2. Use Data Integration Platforms: Solutions like Zapier and Workato help connect tools that don’t natively integrate.
   Example: Automatically sync support tickets from Slack or WhatsApp into your CRM for easy tracking.

3. Leverage Unified Customer Platforms: Tools like Freshdesk or Hiver bring together data from multiple touchpoints, ensuring agents have a complete view of customer interactions.

4. Ensure API Compatibility: Choose platforms that offer robust API capabilities, enabling seamless data flow between systems.

Step 4: Set SLAs for Each Channel

Now that your channels and data are set up, the next thing to focus on is setting Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for each communication channel. They’re ideal for managing customer expectations and prioritizing queries across different channels.

What to Do:

1. Set Response and Resolution Times: Adjust SLAs for each channel. For example, aim for a 2-minute response time on live chat, but allow up to 24 hours for email replies.
2. Use Automated Routing and Escalation: SLAs help direct urgent issues to the right team and make sure they’re handled quickly. If an issue isn’t resolved on time, it’s automatically escalated.
3. Use Tools with SLA Management: Tools like Hiver help you manage SLAs by setting time limits for responses and resolutions.

Example: If a customer sends an email, you can use Hiver to make sure the first reply is sent within 1 hour, and the issue is resolved within 24 hours. If not, the agent gets an alert, and the issue gets escalated automatically.

4. Monitor and Adjust SLAs: Regularly check your SLAs to make sure they still meet customer needs and your business’s capabilities. Update them as needed, especially as your customer base grows or you add new channels.

Step 5: Train Agents on Omnichannel Best Practices

Once your systems are set up, equip your agents to manage multiple channels and provide consistent service. Some agents may be comfortable handling emails but could struggle with the faster-paced demands of live chat. 

Proper training helps agents adapt to the unique needs of each channel, ensuring smooth, consistent customer experiences.

What to Do:

• Offer Channel-Specific Training: Train agents on tone, speed, and issue resolution for each channel (e.g., quick responses for chat, more detailed for email).
• Provide Tools: Equip agents with resources like knowledge bases and playbooks, which can help them respond quickly and accurately.
• Role-Play Scenarios: Set up role-playing exercises to help agents practice switching between channels and adjusting their responses accordingly.

Step 6: Monitor Performance and Customer Feedback

Ongoing feedback helps you identify areas for improvement and respond to customer needs faster. Regularly listening to customers lets your omnichannel system stay aligned with their expectations.

What to Do:

• Implement a VoC Program:Voice of the Customer (VoC) programs dig deep into customer needs and pain points, helping you adjust your services accordingly.
  Example:Stephanie Ouellet at Earth Rated used customer feedback to launch new products and improve existing ones based on real consumer input.
• Gather Feedback Across Channels: Use tools like Qualtrics or Medallia to streamline the collection of customer feedback from all channels.
• Analyze and Act on Feedback: Regularly review customer feedback to uncover patterns. 

For instance, OpenSea uses monthly reports to address product issues and introduce new features based on user suggestions.

Here’s what the director has to say:

• Encourage Collaboration: Ensure your support and product teams collaborate regularly. At SourceBreaker, this approach helped reduce negative customer satisfaction scores. 

Step 7: Embrace Continuous Improvement

Setting up your omnichannel system is just the beginning. To stay effective, you need to continually update your processes.

Why It Matters:
Customer preferences and technology are always evolving. Regular updates to your system ensure it remains relevant and responsive to changes in customer behavior.

What to Do:

• Conduct Regular Audits: Perform quarterly reviews to spot any gaps or inefficiencies in your omnichannel setup.
• Stay Up-to-Date: Keep an eye on industry trends and new tools. For example, messaging apps like WhatsApp are growing in popularity. Consider integrating them into your contact center to meet customer needs.

Key Tools for Building an Omnichannel Contact Center

To set up a successful omnichannel contact center, you need the right tools. These tools help your team manage customer interactions across different channels, automate tasks, and keep everything running smoothly. 

Here are the main types of tools you’ll need:

1. Customer Relationship Management Tools

A CRM tool helps manage customer interactions in one place, making it easier to track conversations and follow up. Here’s how these tools stand out:

• HubSpot CRM: An easy-to-use tool with automation features, ideal for small teams, and includes a free plan for managing customer data.
• Zendesk: Excellent for managing inquiries across channels (email, chat, social media) and offers analytics for better service performance.
• Hiver: Integrates with Google Workspace to streamline email management, ticket assignments, and performance tracking. Comes with a free forever plan.

2. Automation Tools

Automation tools save your team time by doing repetitive tasks automatically. They can assign tickets, send follow-up messages, and route customer inquiries, making everything faster. Some popular automation tools are:

• Zapier: Connects different apps to automate workflows like sending emails or updating customer info.
• Workato: Automates tasks and connects your systems to keep everything in sync.
• Hiver: Automates email routing, ticket management, and tracking interactions.

3. Live Chat and Messaging Tools

Live chat tools let you provide instant support to customers, which helps improve satisfaction. These tools let you chat with customers in real time. Some of the best live chat tools are:

• Intercom: Supports multi-channel messaging and automates responses for efficient customer support.
• LiveChat: Provides instant chat support with seamless tool integration.
• Drift: Focuses on automation for common inquiries and real-time customer communication.

When asked if live chat taking over is a good thing, a Reddit user said:

4. Analytics and Reporting Tools

Analytics and reporting tools help track performance, understand customer behavior, and identify areas for improvement. Here’s how some of the top tools stand out:

• Hiver: Provides in-depth email analytics, letting you track response times, ticket volumes, and customer satisfaction. Its dynamic dashboards give real-time insights into team performance, bottlenecks, and SLAs, helping you make data-driven decisions. 

You can create custom reports, schedule leadership updates, and monitor CSAT metrics for continuous improvement.

• Google Analytics: Tracks website traffic and user behavior, essential for understanding digital customer journeys.
• HubSpot Analytics: Offers insights into customer interactions across sales, marketing, and service teams for better performance tracking.

Common Pitfalls and Challenges in Building an Omnichannel Contact Center

1. Data Silos Across Channels

When systems don’t integrate, customer data gets stuck in separate places. This makes it hard to offer smooth, consistent support. A unified system ensures agents can access everything they need, right when they need it.

2. Inconsistent Customer Experiences

Different channels, different answers. 
Without integration, customers might get conflicting info or have to repeat themselves. Connecting all channels gives customers a consistent experience, no matter how they reach out.

3. High Implementation and Maintenance Costs

Building and maintaining an omnichannel contact center can be pricey. It takes the right tools and skilled people to keep everything running smoothly. But, with smart planning, you can manage costs while getting the best return.

4. Agent Training Across Multiple Channels

Agents need to be trained on multiple platforms, which can be overwhelming. Without proper training, response times and quality can suffer. A clear, focused training plan helps agents stay sharp and ready for anything.

5. Balancing Automation and Human Touch

Too much automation feels robotic while relying solely on humans slows things down. Balance is key. Let automation handle repetitive tasks and human agents handle complex or emotional issues. This way, customers feel happy and heard.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I integrate multiple channels into a single platform?

Choose a platform that supports integration with all the channels you use. Most modern CRM and contact center tools come with built-in integrations for email, social media, and live chat.

What kind of businesses benefit most from omnichannel contact centers?

Businesses with a large customer base or those that operate across multiple communication platforms benefit the most.

Is it costly to set up an omnichannel contact center?

Not necessarily. Tools like Hiver offer cost-effective solutions, including a free forever plan for small teams. This lets you manage customer conversations efficiently without hefty investments.

How can omnichannel contact centers improve customer loyalty?

Provide consistent, hassle-free support across channels so customers trust your brand and keep coming back.

Conclusion

Setting up a strong omnichannel contact center means using the right tools to make everything run smoothly and keep your customers happy. With the right CRM, automation, chat, and analytics tools, your team can work more efficiently and deliver a better experience.

Improve your contact center, try Hiver for free, and see how it can help!