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Here’s a hard truth: a staggering 93% of customers have a clear message for businesses—they want customer support tailored to their preferences. What does this mean?
Well, they're not just looking for assistance; they're willing to spend more with companies that offer support through their preferred channels.
Now, these channels can be as diverse as the customers themselves—ranging from traditional web forms and emails to more modern platforms like Slack and social media. So, in response to this growing demand for personalized support, companies are increasingly adopting multichannel customer service strategies.
Without embracing this shift, there's a real risk of losing valuable customers.
So, what exactly is multichannel customer support? What are its advantages, and where does it face challenges? Is it the optimal solution for modern businesses?
Stick with us as we explore these questions and provide the insights you need.
Why multichannel customer support matters?
Customer expectations have shifted dramatically. Today, it’s not enough for businesses to offer just one or two ways for customers to reach them. A staggering 93% of customers say they prefer brands that offer support on their favorite channels. This means that by not offering multichannel support, businesses risk frustrating customers and losing them to competitors who are more accessible.
At its core, multichannel customer support is about meeting customers where they already are—whether that’s email, live chat, Slack, or social media. By doing so, businesses show that they value customer convenience, which directly impacts satisfaction, loyalty, and revenue growth.
Examples of multichannel customer support
In practice, multichannel support might look something like the following scenario.
Imagine you are a SaaS company that offers project management solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises. You utilize the following channels to provide support:
Email: This channel is used for detailed inquiries, troubleshooting, and feedback, allowing for comprehensive conversations and documentation of interactions.
Live chat: Integrated directly into your SaaS platform, live chat offers instant assistance during business hours, facilitating quick responses to operational questions.
Slack Connect: A dedicated channel for each client within the Slack workspace, enabling fast communication, request management, and updates.
Self-service portal: A comprehensive knowledge base that includes articles, video tutorials, and FAQs for DIY troubleshooting and learning, accessible 24/7.
These varied channels offer multiple ways for your customers to reach you, enabling your clients to choose the mode of communication that best suits their preferences.
Advantages of multichannel customer support
As we just mentioned, multichannel customer support is what’s expected. If you care about cohesive and positive customer experience, providing multichannel support is not a choice.
There are other benefits to multichannel customer service. Let’s take a look at some:
Increased sales and revenue
A positive customer service experience can directly impact sales. One study found that 58% of customers are willing to pay more for a better customer experience. Multichannel support can be a key factor in providing this superior experience.
Customer retention and lifetime value
Furthermore, multichannel support enhances customer retention by providing more touchpoints for engagement, resolving issues efficiently, and meeting customers on their preferred platforms. Happy customers are more likely to remain loyal, increasing their lifetime value to the company. Studies have shown that improving customer retention by just 5% can increase profits by 25% to 95%.
Proactive service opportunities
Multichannel support isn't just reactive; it allows businesses to be proactive in addressing customer needs. For example, noticing a trend in inquiries about a specific issue on social media can prompt a company to create and distribute helpful content across channels, preventing future inquiries and demonstrating attentiveness to customer needs.
Operational efficiency
Lastly, with the right tools, multichannel support can streamline customer service operations. Automated responses, chatbots, and self-service options can handle routine inquiries, freeing up human agents to tackle more complex issues. This can lead to faster resolution times and reduced operational costs.
But there are some challenges, too
While multichannel support offers numerous benefits, it also comes with its own set of challenges that businesses need to navigate carefully:
Integration and coordination
Seamlessly integrating various support channels demands substantial effort and investment in technology. Without effective integration, customer information may end up isolated in silos, resulting in fragmented customer experiences and operational inefficiencies. This issue frequently arises in companies offering multichannel support, as opposed to omnichannel customer support, because the former often fails to consolidate data across all channels.
Measuring performance
Siloed channels and data make tracking performance and measuring customer satisfaction across multiple channels difficult, too.
For this reason, businesses need to implement comprehensive analytics and reporting tools to gain insights into customer interactions and the effectiveness of their support strategies. This might require additional financial resources and human capital to ensure you can derive valuable insights from multiple sources.
Risk of channel overload
Lastly, spreading your support across various channels might create a scenario where the influx of customer inquiries surpasses what your team can handle. It's tricky to pinpoint exactly which channels will be in high demand at any given moment.
Getting caught off guard by unexpected spikes in queries is a headache for your business. And, it's also a letdown for your customers. When they can't get through to you or face delays in responses, their experience takes a hit. No one wants to feel left hanging, especially when they need support the most.
Best multichannel customer support software
The right software makes or breaks your multichannel strategy. Some of the best tools in 2025 include:
Thena – Designed for B2B businesses, Thena centralizes support in Slack while connecting with email, web chat, and CRMs. Its AI-powered ticketing ensures no request is missed.
Zendesk – A robust option with integrations across multiple channels, great for large enterprises.
Freshdesk – Known for affordability and easy setup, supporting email, phone, chat, and social.
Intercom – Best for conversational support and proactive engagement through chatbots.
These tools allow businesses to streamline customer communications while avoiding data silos.
Best practices for implementation
Rolling out multichannel customer support successfully requires careful planning:
Start Small – Launch with a few channels that your customers use most frequently.
Train Agents – Ensure your team understands each platform’s nuances.
Centralize Data – Use software that integrates all interactions into a single view.
Automate Where Possible – Deploy chatbots and workflows to handle FAQs and free up agents.
Monitor and Iterate – Continuously analyze channel performance and adapt based on usage trends.
Metrics to track multi-channel support performance
To ensure success, track these key metrics across all channels:
First Response Time (FRT) – How quickly customers get an initial response.
Average Resolution Time (ART) – How long it takes to fully resolve an issue.
Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) – Direct feedback from customers on support quality.
Channel Utilization Rates – Which channels customers prefer and use most.
Ticket Escalation Rate – How often cases move from one channel/agent to another.
These KPIs provide insights into both efficiency and customer satisfaction.
FAQs about multi-channel customer support
1. How is multichannel support different from omnichannel support?
Multichannel support provides service across several platforms (email, chat, social media, etc.), but often in silos. Omnichannel goes further by integrating these channels into a single, seamless experience, ensuring customers don’t have to repeat themselves.
2. Does multichannel support improve customer retention?
Yes. Customers are more likely to stay with businesses that are accessible on their preferred platforms. Multichannel support provides flexibility, which builds trust and loyalty over time.
3. How can businesses decide which channels to include?
Start by analyzing where your customers already engage with you. Surveys, customer journey mapping, and usage data can help determine the most valuable channels to prioritize.
4. When should you choose multichannel customer support?
If your customer base is diverse and engages with your business across multiple platforms, it’s time to offer multichannel support. It’s especially useful for businesses aiming to boost retention, expand reach, and meet modern customer expectations.
What’s next?
When your customers have a problem, they expect you to be available on multiple channels to help them out. That said, having multiple channels might not be that good after all if none of the data from these channels gets centralized.
If you’re forcing your customers to repeat information every time they speak to somebody via email or live chat, they aren’t going to be happy with this. Equally important are the insights you can draw from customer interactions. With multiple channels that don’t speak to each other, you can’t run an effective customer service department. This is precisely where the beauty of omnichannel customer support shines through.
It allows you to be present across your customers' preferred channels while offering a unified view of data. This approach streamlines the management and analysis of customer interactions, ensuring a smooth, personalized experience. Ultimately, omnichannel support enhances customer satisfaction and fosters loyalty by making every interaction count.
Are you a B2B business looking for a user-friendly solution to provide your omnichannel customer support? Thena might be the tool you need.
Thena is a B2B customer engagement solution designed to help businesses provide omnichannel customer support through Slack, offering a comprehensive solution for managing customer interactions across various channels such as Slack, email, and web chat.
Our tool uses AI to identify customer requests and prioritize messages in Slack, ensuring you never miss an important request with smart notifications. It seamlessly connects with popular ticketing systems and CRM tools, transforming conversations into tickets for better tracking. The best part is that it organizes all the important customer service data, allowing you to make business decisions with confidence.
?Want to see how it works? Schedule a free demo today.
