How Omni-channel AI Improves Customer Communications

AI is here to stay. Rather than rue its growing influence, let’s embrace AI’s potential to streamline marketing efforts, enhance customer interactions—and hopefully lighten your workload.

Introducing AI to your omni-channel marketing strategy is a great place to start.

What Is Omni-channel AI?

As many businesses have discovered, AI can dramatically improve the speed, efficiency and accuracy of customer interactions across communication channels. Let’s say a clothing brand wants to launch a direct mail campaign to promote its fall collection. The brand can use AI to segment its customer database by purchase history, browsing behavior and demographics. Using AI-powered tools, the marketing team can automatically generate personalized content for each segment, including product recommendations. AI can also determine the optimal timing for sending each piece of mail and use predictive analytics to adjust offers in real time. 

Key Benefits of Using AI in Omni-channel Customer Communications

  • Improve Response Times with Omni-channel Conversational AI

Speed is critical to customer service. Long wait times and delayed responses lead to customer frustration and churn. AI-driven communication systems, like chatbots, provide immediate, 24/7 responses to common customer inquiries, saving complicated and emotionally nuanced cases for human agents. 

  • Personalize Interactions through AI Data Analysis

Personalization builds stronger customer-brand connections. Customers are more likely to feel valued and understood when businesses offer solutions relevant to their age, values, location, interests and/or lifestyle. AI saves time by quickly processing large amounts of customer data—such as past interactions, purchase histories and preferences—to tailor responses to each customer. 

Use AI developed data when sending direct mail.  You can more effectively customize offers, products, images and even design based on past history across all channels with digital printing.  Your direct mail can more effectively create 1:1 marketing relationship.  Customers will receive valuable offers and information, tying them more closely to your brand and improving response.

You can also print regional collateral and signage based on AI collected omni-channel sales data or customer analysis.  For example, a product may be selling well in one region and not another.  You can use AI to quickly identify and make changes to collateral to promote new products.

  • Consistency Across Channels

AI systems follow pre-determined communication protocols to ensure consistency across all customer interactions. Whether customers reach out via social media, e-mail or live chat, AI ensures they receive accurate, high-quality responses that mirror your brand’s identity and communication style.

How to Implement AI in Omni-channel Customer Communications

Step 1: Assess Your Communication Channels

Understanding where and how customers interact with your brand forms the foundation of an AI-powered omni-channel strategy. All touchpoints must be interconnected to allow AI to track interactions and respond intelligently:

  • Social media
  • E-mail
  • Direct Mail & QR codes
  • Live chat
  • Phone support
  • Text messaging
  • Mobile apps
  • In-person interactions 

Step 2: Choose the Right AI Platforms

Businesses have their pick of AI tools and platforms, with more emerging regularly:

  • Chatbots and Virtual Assistants: For simple customer inquiries and tasks, like product information or managing appointments. Best for websites, social media and mobile apps.
  • AI-Based Sentiment Analysis: Studies text and speech to understand customer sentiment, helping businesses prioritize issues and respond empathetically.
  • Optimized Timing: Determines optimal times to send e-mails to maximize open and click-through rates.
  • A/B Testing: Runs A/B testing on different designs, messages and layouts for direct mail pieces, emails, texts and other marketing collateral. 
  • Predictive Segmentation: Groups customers based on behavior and predicts future actions.
  • AI-Driven Kiosks: Provides in-store product recommendations and assistance.
  • Customer Journey Mapping: Links customer interactions across platforms to create a seamless omni-channel experience.

Step 3: Train AI for Better Customer Understanding

Make the most of your AI tools and platforms by feeding them key customer data: 

  • Interaction History: Previous conversations, e-mails and social media interactions
  • Preferences and Behaviors: Browsing and shopping history 
  • FAQs and common customer service scripts

AI systems get smarter over time, so make sure to update them regularly with the latest data and trends.

Best Practices for AI Omni-channel Marketing & Customer Communications 

  • Integrate AI Across All Channels

Once you’ve selected your AI tools, integrate them across ALL channels, including your customer service platforms to ensure seamless communication. For example, if a customer starts an inquiry via chat and later switches to e-mail or contacts customer support, AI should be able to keep pace and reference the entire conversation history so the customer doesn’t have to repeat themselves.  AI will improve customer experience, which is critical to retaining customers.

  • Monitor AI Performance & Customer Feedback

Implement real-time dashboards to track key metrics, such as customer satisfaction, response times and resolution rates. Reach out directly if the metrics indicate any confusion surrounding sales promotion communication or offers.  

Additionally, ask customers to rate their interactions with AI systems. Use responses to fine-tune AI solutions, whether it’s improving response accuracy or adjusting conversation tone. 

  • Ensure Data Privacy & Security

While customers expect personalized experiences, they also value their privacy. Ensure your AI system follows data protection laws and safeguards customer information. Be transparent about how data is used and give customers control over their personal information.

  • Train & Educate Your Team

Even with AI handling routine tasks, human agents are essential for complex or emotionally charged interactions. Train your team to work alongside AI and perform higher-level tasks like:

  • Address escalated cases where customer frustration or dissatisfaction is high
  • Make judgment calls based on AI-provided data, like offering special concessions or custom solutions
  • Ensure smooth transitions between AI and human assistance

Take Your Omni-channel Marketing to the Next Level & Improve Customer Communications with United GMG

Omni-Bridge 2.0® is a data-driven omni-channel platform from United GMG.  It seamlessly integrates traditional AND online marketing for companies of all sizes and industries, making it easier than ever to implement an omni-channel marketing strategy.  

At United GMG, you can be confident our presses and systems can fully integrate AI tools into any printed material, including direct mail. 

To get started or learn more, contact your United GMG sales rep or call 312-427-3537.