3 times APAC brands  succeeded in their omnichannel goals

The days of linear customer journeys and isolated touchpoints are becoming a thing of the past. Today's consumers demand seamless experiences across a myriad of channels – be it online marketplaces, social media platforms, brick-and-mortar stores or mobile applications.

The most astute brands are responding by providing an omnichannel customer experience.
Hybrid transactions such as click-and-collect, involving online purchases with in-person pickup and the use of mobile apps, have gained significant momentum.

As with many other aspects of CX, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region stands at the forefront of innovation and transformation in this area and there are many examples of brands from the region reaping the benefits of their omnichannel customer strategies. Here, we’ll look at three in particular but first, let’s address the question of why an APAC business should set its sights on an omnichannel customer strategy.

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Why take the omnichannel route?

Due to a combination of rapidly developing technology and habits established during the Covid-19 pandemic, consumers are looking to blend their online and offline activities more than ever. According to research by EY, 54 percent of APAC consumers are doing their grocery shopping both online and in person, and 41percent are visiting stores less frequently.

Moreover, customers expect digital engagement to match in-store reliability. This requires an integrated omnichannel strategy, supported by agile supply chains, providing a consistent and seamless experience across online and offline platforms.

A successful omnichannel customer strategy can also:

• Enhance customer engagement, with brands anticipating consumers’ needs and desires and delivering an experience that creates a meaningful connection. This, in turn, can:
• Foster brand loyalty, turning customers into advocates who champion the brand’s products and services.

So, which brands have successfully navigated the omnichannel path? Here are three prime examples.

Singapore Airlines

One of several notable ways Singapore Airlines has embraced the omnichannel approach is through a collaboration with AOE-integrated airports and shopping malls.

With the aim of seamlessly blending online and offline interactions to enhance the customer journey, the partnership was designed to enable travelers to shop, adjust flight options and make pre-bookings across both physical and digital platforms. Complementing this approach, the SingaporeAir mobile app was developed to facilitate online booking, digital boarding passes and access to onboard magazines.

The airline has also used an omnichannel approach to enhance its customer service offering. By integrating call, email and webchat functionalities through a solution from Genesys, the airline has augmented both inbound and outbound interactions. The unified strategy streamlines various customer-facing teams into a singular system, allowing for seamless integration of new services when required.

A noteworthy innovation is ‘Kris’, a Google-based chatbot accessible via Facebook Messenger. Kris manages inquiries and forwards complex questions to human agents for resolution. This virtual concierge successfully handles more than 85,000 queries weekly and is also accessible on the airline's website.

The achieved aims of the company’s omnichannel approach include personalized service, elevated brand loyalty, increased agent efficiency, streamlined collaboration, real-time reporting and optimized resource allocation.

“Our customers come from all walks of life,” says Marvin Tan, senior VP, customer services and operations for Singapore Airlines. “Our customer contact service operations must be geared up to serve all their needs. These types of services and functionalities are only possible if we have the right technology platform.”

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JD Health

Amid the surge in demand for healthcare resources driven by the Covid-19 outbreak in China, JD Health has swiftly embraced change by harnessing an effective omnichannel strategy encompassing retail and wholesale operations for pharmaceuticals, medical devices and healthcare products across online and offline platforms.

By collaborating with offline medical establishments and pharmacies, JD Health’s ‘Internet + Healthcare’ strategy was designed to facilitate a seamless one-stop experience that offered online consultations, prescription fulfilment, herbal preparations and medication delivery to more than 200 cities.

Furthermore, the company empowered rural pharmacies through its B2B platform, JD Medicine Procurement, equipping them with digital tools, diversified healthcare product categories and physician training.

JD Health's integration of medical services with products included its expansive JD Internet hospital, housing over 65,000 physicians and specializing in various medical areas. The platform's telemedicine services, including the ‘family doctor’ program, aimed to support more than 50 million Chinese families with consistent and comprehensive primary healthcare.
“Internet + Healthcare is reshaping the industry and provides us immense opportunities to work with our partners so as to construct a win-win healthcare ecosystem,” says Lijun Xin, CEO of JD Health.

Telekom Malaysia

Telekom Malaysia (TM) has successfully revitalized its brand by implementing an omnichannel customer strategy focused on enriching various touchpoints spanning retail experiences, contact centers and field teams.

The company’s key focus areas have included managing customers’ usage experience through analytics, strengthening processes and optimizing resources.

TM's omnichannel customer strategy aims to go beyond mere multichannel approaches and aims to seamlessly integrate touchpoints into a unified, interconnected ecosystem.

Differentiated and new digital experiences are designed to empower customers through various self-service platforms.

TM group head of customer experience Lolitta Suffian explains: “Our CX program is designed with a ‘customer first’ management approach – with the highest priority given to enhancing the customer experience at every touchpoint of their journey.”

The omnichannel strategy’s three guiding principles are:

• Simple: keeping options simple, efficient and easy to deal with.
• Convenient: designing multiple touchpoints to serve all customers using their preferred channels.
• Contextual: ensuring the experience is personalized and relevant to the customer.

In addition, TM employs a comprehensive Net Promoter Score (NPS) system, extracting insights to drive improvements across the range of customer touchpoints. The company’s voice of customer (VOC) initiative gathers feedback and informs decisions and enhancements based on customer expectations and preferences.

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Omnichannel value

For companies struggling to meet customer demands, Suffian offers guidance on the value of focusing on a seamless omnichannel presence.

“By creating an integrated experience across all customer touchpoints, be it physical stores or online platforms, you can ensure that customers can transition effortlessly between channels, offering features such as click-and-collect, unified loyalty programs and personalized offers across platforms,” she says.

The message is clear: for enhanced CX, take the omnichannel route.