What is omnichannel? Or an omnichannel strategy?
That depends on who you ask.
“Just another buzzword,” says the disillusioned CFO who just approved the marketing department’s latest invoice from some fluffy seminar titled “Sustainable Omnichannel Strategies in the Wake of the Climate Crisis.”
“So 2018 (…or was it?),” sighs the anxious strategist.
“What even is omnichannel?” say most of us.
If you’re one of the latter, you’re in the right place.
Here, we’ll go through what the term actually means and share our own view of omnichannel and strategy.
Because no matter how you look at it, omnichannel is here to stay.
Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away…
Back in the day — long before social media, websites, and digital channels — companies had maybe one or two channels to manage. It was fairly easy to ensure a consistent customer experience across them.
Think of it like a sightseeing boat on Göta Canal.
There’s one (water)way. Customers cruise along at a steady pace, enjoying the view, finding themselves, and sipping freshly brewed coffee. Even if the weather shifts, the scenery stays the same.
Today, the landscape is a little more complex. More like… Amsterdam.
You need to keep track of all your channels and every customer interaction to make sure the experience is consistent — no matter where the customer meets you. Otherwise, things can easily collide when channels cross.
That’s what omnichannel is all about: making sure your customer experience doesn’t clash when your customers turn the corner from one channel to another.
It should feel smooth — as they say.
Multichannel ≠ Omnichannel
Most companies today already use several channels — probably yours too.
Your customers can reach you by email, phone, chat, social media, web forms, or even in physical stores.
You have a presence across channels that mostly operate independently. Each channel often lives in its own world, handled by different systems and departments.
That means the customer experience varies depending on whether they email support or chat with an agent. That’s what we call multichannel — multiple channels side by side, not fully connected.
So what makes omnichannel different?
Omnichannel, on the other hand, means one unified channel.
It’s an integrated approach where customers get the same experience and information no matter how they contact you.
It’s not a fuzzy concept — it’s about ensuring everything looks and feels the same, with consistent information across all touchpoints.
To achieve that, you need close coordination between your teams and channels. Whether the customer calls, chats, emails, messages on social media, or uses your website, the feeling should be identical.
The key word here? Feeling.
Who needs an omnichannel strategy?
Some might think omnichannel is only for massive corporations with hundreds of websites, Facebook pages, and call centers across dozens of countries.
Sure, the scale looks different — but the goal is the same.
Omnichannel is about creating a consistent customer experience. And that’s just as important for a local real estate agency, shop, or restaurant as it is for McDonald’s.
At its core, it’s about giving customers the same experience and impression in every channel. That builds trust — and happier customers.
Omnichannel at lynes — not always obvious
When we first encountered the term, we were a bit skeptical.
Wasn’t it just another way of saying “great customer support”?
Did we really need to change anything?
But the deeper we dug, the less it felt like a buzzword — and the more practical it became, especially in our digital channels.
Today, we work with a clear omnichannel strategy — and honestly, it’s simpler than most people think.
Why we chose to adopt an omnichannel strategy
At first, we were a classic multichannel company.
Support handled chat like pros. Marketing sent newsletters and ran campaigns. Sales? Let’s just say they had their own channel — passionate, customer-focused, but sometimes a bit… scattered.
Our customers were using many different channels, and that’s what pushed us forward. We wanted to be present where our customers felt comfortable — but just as importantly, we wanted them to have the same great experience no matter where they met us.
A unified experience, where every channel connects.
So how did we implement omnichannel?
For us, it started with a simple goal:
We wanted to always be perceived as customer-focused and truly in tune with our customers’ needs.
It shouldn’t matter if someone chatted with us on the website, made a purchase, or contacted support afterward — they should always feel seen, understood, and receive updated, relevant information.
To make the shift to omnichannel, we needed two things:
- A clear and consistent strategy
- A smart, user-friendly system
We began by asking ourselves a few key questions (feel free to borrow them):
- Which channels are we currently active in?
- Which channels will we use in the future?
- Where are our customers?
- How do we currently handle inquiries in each channel?
- What types of cases do we manage per channel?
- How do we document customer interactions and cases?
- Which business systems do we use?
- Which systems should we integrate with our communication tools?
Our own experience shaped our PBX development
Without the right systems in place, implementing an omnichannel strategy is tough — we learned that first-hand.
That’s why we built our own cloud-based PBX with those experiences in mind.
The strength of cloud-based systems lies in their ability to integrate with external tools.
lynes Telephony works with Puzzel, one of the most innovative Contact Center solutions available.
Together, lynes Telephony and Puzzel allow you to connect your channels and execute your omnichannel strategy seamlessly.
This means you get one interface to manage:
- Social media
- Telephony
- Chat
- Case management systems
All in one place.
The contact center solution is:
- Fully integrated with Puzzel
- Independent of geography, platform, and operating system
- 100% web-based and time zone–independent
- Compatible with any operator or PBX service
- Customizable as your needs evolve
- Expandable with additional features, including Swish and ID verification integrations
Want to learn more about how we and our telephony solution can support your omnichannel strategy?
Get in touch — we’ll be happy to tell you more!
