In this article, Maxine Smith discusses the difference between omnichannel and multichannel, summarising it as a strategic shift from being internally focused to externally focused. Max highlights that companies succeeding with omnichannel focus on leadership, culture, and capabilities.
Without the right people, skills and culture, teams will not deliver the true omnichannel experience for their customers. The secret to success lies in a truly collaborative and cross-functional way of working that is totally focused on the customer.
Maxine says that to be experts in omnichannel and stronger customer engagement, we will need careful strategic planning and strong leadership. While omnichannel has been fast-forwarded due to the pandemic and technological change, it now needs to be driven by strategy and people.
However, sometimes by working to connect the brand ‘magnets’, together we can build extraordinary structures that help us realise the internal and external benefits to be gained.
Why omnichannel, fast-forwarded by the pandemic and technological change, now needs to be driven by strategy and people
I think very few people will have failed to notice that our industry is currently in some turmoil, as each company and team looks at how to leverage the benefits of engaging with various customer groups in an omnichannel way. Omnichannel was already on the horizon as we all made forays into multichannel, but the pandemic hit the fast-forward button, forcing all pharma companies to look at how to make this fundamental change in their customer engagement.
I recently had a great discussion on omnichannel with some of my consultant colleagues, and as we were debating the issue of the day, I realised it would be very helpful to share the themes of our discussion and my team’s insights on where and how we need to focus for strategic omnichannel success.
We started by discussing the difference between omnichannel and multichannel, which some on the team said they get asked about all the time. Very simply, it is a strategic shift from being internally focused to externally focused. Multichannel is about getting as many touchpoints as possible across multiple channels and focusing on the customer journey. Omnichannel, on the other hand, is focused on the customer and the quality of the experience. It is about a seamless and personalised experience across online and offline channels – the customer should have the same experience regardless of the channel through which he or she chooses to engage.
So far, so good, I felt. But then we moved on to an examination of the teams and companies succeeding with omnichannel. When we look more closely at these companies, what really sticks out is their focus on leadership, culture and capabilities. While the tech infrastructure (such as AI and marketing automation) is absolutely needed, without the right people, skills and culture, teams will not deliver the true omnichannel experience for their customers.
This is because the secret to success lies in a truly collaborative and cross-functional way of working that is totally focused on the customer. This focus on the customer ensures brands deliver value and meet expectations, which in turn means customers are more likely to provide their consent for data capture and continued engagement. Without this consent and their data, delivering a true omnichannel experience is impossible. The team and I have all observed teams that have prioritised consent capture, precisely because of its importance in omnichannel engagement, but without simultaneously prioritising value delivery, sadly leading to precious-won consent being revoked. Put simply, teams are too focused on their own metrics rather than the customer experience, and once consent is lost, it is very hard to regain.
Successful companies are also ensuring teams have the capabilities to engage across channels, especially digital channels. Digital transformation capabilities take time to build organisationally in order to make the transition to omnichannel. To be successful in the virtual world, we need to understand how to deliver modular content digitally, how to gather and use customer data, and how to work in a very agile way. Omnichannel takes all of this to the next level.
We both feel silos are probably the biggest barrier to omnichannel, whether they are organisational or data silos. The omnichannel experience must be seamless, across functions and across brands. This also means data needs to be centralised across the organisation, with access across teams.
Closely following this is an over-focus on tools and on training teams to use them, rather than on the shift in mindset and behaviours. Again, while the tools are a prerequisite for omnichannel, if they are not used collaboratively, or the emphasis is on brand messaging rather than customer experience, they will not deliver. The tools can deliver the data, but it takes a shift in behaviour to make data-driven decisions.
So, if we were to summarise our top tips, they would look something like this:
- Be truly customer-centric. We’ve heard the term bandied around our industry for years, but it takes a huge mindset, leadership and organisational shift to be truly customer-centric.
- Focus on leadership and people. Leadership needs to drive a culture that supports omnichannel, including a collaborative work environment and data-driven decision-making. Leadership also needs to make sure that the organisation has the right mix of people and capabilities. Leaders need to motivate, incentivise and support the organisation through the changes needed.
- Don’t get sidetracked with the tools and technology; focus on the transformation and change needed, and then employ the tools as required to support this.
True omnichannel is some way off still for certain pharma companies, the ones that find themselves serving the omnichannel machine rather than driving it. To be masters of omnichannel and stronger customer engagement, we will need careful strategic planning and strong leadership. While omnichannel has been fast-forwarded due to the pandemic and technological change, it now needs to be driven by strategy and people.
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