It's time to talk about the sixth dimension of the Omnichannel CX Management Maturity Model: Processes. Here, I'll explain what it evaluates and the criteria it considers.
For omnichannel to be possible, processes must enable the articulated delivery of products/services, as well as integrated customer service, and facilitate customer interactions with the brand throughout their entire lifecycle.
Additionally, processes must allow for:
- Data privacy.
- Returns and replacement management.
- Order/payment visibility for all relevant parts of the omnichannel system.
- Continuous customer feedback requests and their incorporation into the experience.
Processes are all those procedures that happen behind the scenes, out of sight, but make it possible for everything visible to the customer to work… for the magic to happen. And when I say "magic," I don't necessarily mean wow services and Disney-like experiences (not everything is equally relevant or impactful for people).
Often, the magic is simply ensuring there's heating in an apartment or a hotel room. And if it doesn't work because something broke, well, it's about having the speed and expertise to get a maintenance technician there to fix it immediately.
Processes are part of what we call the "backstage" in service design. And no, you don't need to be a large or mega-automated company to have processes. A bank has processes, a car repair shop has processes, and the neighborhood coffee shop must also have processes.
If you evaluate your company using our Omnichannel CX Management Maturity Model, you'll see that the Processes dimension is operationalized as follows:
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Order/payment visibility: Order and payment data are visible to relevant parts of the omnichannel system.
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Privacy: Our customers' personal and financial information across different channels is not shared with third parties unless necessary for product or service delivery.
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Interaction-oriented: All communication and transaction methods, as well as our actions, are integrated at the customer level.
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Continuous customer feedback: We constantly solicit customer feedback about the experience delivered throughout the lifecycle, feedback that we dynamically incorporate into the service experience, beyond the purchase process.
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Integrated customer service: Our integrated customer service provides standard and consistent responses and services across all channels, all provide after-sales service to each other, and the customer can use multiple channels to report service failures.
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Processes: We have the appropriate processes to consistently support customer interactions with our company.
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Returns and replacements management: Our company has the procedures, processes, and system capabilities to fully manage a return or replacement in-store, online, or through a third-party service.
In this series of articles on omnichannel, I often mention interactions as a fundamental element for connecting people with brands. Interactions mean recurring use or contact. Being there in people's lives, making them see your brand, use it, remember it, and recommend it, becoming a mental reference.
Processes enhance these interactions. We'll talk about this topic again soon; in the meantime, I leave you with the following questions:
- What interactions do people have with your brand?
- What processes support those interactions?
The original version of this article was published on LinkedIn for the Omnicanalidad en español Newsletter. You can also follow me on that platform.
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