Importance of Omni Channel Customer Service in The CPG Industry
Modern consumers interact with brands across multiple touchpoints, from social media and mobile apps to in-store visits and call centers. According to research by McKinsey, “Omnichannel customers shop 1.7 times more than shoppers who use a single channel”. This has led to an increase in expectations for more connected and consistent customer service experiences. To tackle this overwhelming demand, CPG businesses are inclining more towards omni channel customer service.
By inclining more towards an omni channel customer service strategy, some CPG businesses have been able to offer a seamless, integrated support experience. This omni channel support has enabled businesses to empower their customers through self-service portals, AI Agents that converse with them in human language and are present round the clock irrespective of business hours. An effective omni channel customer service strategy ensures that businesses are improving customer retention and streamlining the customers’ journey.
An omni channel customer service is crucial for CPG businesses aiming for strategic client relationship management. A recent study by Forrester shows that “US digital-influenced retail sales to grow from $2.7 trillion in 2022 to $3.8 trillion in 2027 at a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.2%. Digital-influenced retail sales’ share of total retail sales will increase from 60% in 2022 to 70% in 2027. In that same year, digital-influenced offline retail sales will grow to $2.2 trillion, and online retail sales will grow to $1.6 trillion.”
This shows that consumers not only want fast, responsive service, but also expect CPG businesses to remember their history and preferences, regardless of the platform they’re using.
Unfortunately, many traditional retailers and CPG businesses are still relying on legacy systems where the online and offline channels function independently. This fragmentation leads to poor customer experiences, as the support teams receive inconsistent information. Such fragmentation damages customer satisfaction and reduces loyalty.
With Salesforce Agentforce and Consumer Goods Cloud, businesses can create better omnichannel customer experience strategies that are better equipped to meet the needs of tech-savvy customers. They can track interactions across multiple channels, personalize support, and deliver the kind of responsive service that boosts both engagement and loyalty.
Difference Between Omni Channel Customer Service and Multi-channel Customer Service
What are Some Omni Channel Customer Service Strategies CPG Businesses Need to Leverage?
For CPG brands aiming to strengthen customer relationships and increase revenue, adopting the right omni channel customer service strategies are essential. Here are some strategies that CPG companies can implement to enhance their customer service strategy and deliver a truly integrated omnichannel customer experience:
Strong Online and Mobile Presence
One of the first steps in creating an effective omnichannel customer service strategy is expanding digital touchpoints. CPG brands must ensure that their products are available through official websites, mobile apps, and third-party e-commerce platforms. Partnering with retailers also increases visibility and accessibility, enabling CPG businesses to meet customers wherever they prefer to shop.
Facilitating Click-and-Collect Services
Click-and-collect is a bridge between online convenience stores and offline stores. Customers can place orders digitally and pick them up at a physical store, combining the ease of online shopping with in-store experiences. This approach enhances the omnichannel customer experience by offering flexibility and control over the buying process.
Integrating In-Store Technology
To keep physical retail stores relevant, many CPG businesses are investing in interactive technologies, such as smart shelves and product scanners. These tools enrich in-store engagement while simultaneously linking to the brand’s digital ecosystem. Whether customers are exploring a product demo or scanning a QR code for more info, the omni channel customer experience is consistent and dynamic.
Social Media Integration
Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and X are vital for real-time communication and customer engagement. Integrating social media into the omni channel customer service model allows businesses to respond instantly to queries, resolve complaints, and build loyalty through interactive campaigns, influencer marketing, and UGC (user-generated content), like consumers sharing product reviews and feedback through their social media channels.
Unified Customer Support Across Channels
CPG businesses must maintain consistent service quality across all channels, whether it’s a chatbot, customer support agent, phone call, or social DM (Direct Messaging). A unified customer support system ensures that customers receive timely, accurate, and personalized assistance at every stage of their journey, without having to repeat their queries to different customer support agents.
Coordinated Online and Offline Promotions
By integrating omni channel customer service strategy, businesses can synchronize their marketing efforts. Promotions and campaigns can be mirrored across both online platforms and offline stores. Whether it’s a loyalty offer, festive sale, or product launch, customers can now experience the same message and feel valued regardless of how they interact with the brand.
In-store Community Engagement and Experience Building
Physical stores are evolving from only selling products to providing immersive brand experiences. CPG businesses now host in-store events such as product demos, workshops, influencer meetups, and community gatherings to improve customer retention strategies. These initiatives strengthen customer relationships with the brand.
Benefits of Omni Channel Customer Service
Here’s how an effective omni channel customer service strategy can transform your CPG business:
Expands Customer Reach
By integrating multiple channels, ranging from online marketplaces and mobile apps to physical retail locations and social platforms, businesses can reach broader and untapped customer segments. This multichannel presence allows CPG businesses to tap into new market trends and connect with diverse audiences, regardless of their location.
Stronger Brand Presence and Recognition
Omni channel customer service strategies ensure that brand messaging, tone, and service quality remain uniform across all touchpoints. Whether a customer interacts with your brand through Instagram, in-store, or a mobile app, they have the same experience.
Increases Agility and Adaptability
As consumer preferences are constantly changing along with new market trends, CPG businesses need to make their marketing and customer service strategies agile. An omnichannel system empowers businesses to quickly respond to trends, adjust marketing strategies, and introduce new product lines with ease. It also helps companies stay relevant and ahead of their competitors.
Flexible Order Fulfilment
Customers prefer same day delivery and convenience, regardless of where they are shopping. With omni channel customer service, businesses can streamline their order fulfilment processes, making it easier to meet customer expectations while improving service satisfaction and loyalty.
Data-Driven Personalization and Inventory Optimization
An integrated omnichannel model generates unified data across all platforms, offering valuable insights into customer behavior, buying patterns, and product preferences. This enables CPG brands to personalize promotions, recommend relevant products, and fine-tune inventory management, minimizing stockouts and overstocking.
Boosts Revenue and Customer Retention
“About 60 to 70 percent of consumers research and shop both in stores and online”. These omnichannel shoppers tend to spend more than single-channel customers. By offering a consistent and connected experience across all touchpoints, businesses increase the likelihood of repeat purchases and long-term engagement. As a result, they see a direct impact on both revenue and a reduction in customer churn.
Enhances Operational Efficiency
Collecting and managing customer data across disconnected systems is time-consuming and inefficient. Salesforce Agentforce and Consumer Goods Cloud enable businesses to implement better omni channel customer service strategies. Salesforce empowers businesses to simplify operations by centralizing data and providing 360-degree view of customer profiles on a single platform. This fosters team collaboration and lowers operational costs.
How Agentforce Can Be Beneficial to CPG Businesses Inclining Towards Omni Channel Customer Service
As CPG businesses move toward delivering seamless, personalized customer experiences, the need for scalable and intelligent tools becomes critical. Salesforce Agentforce and Consumer Goods Cloud support businesses in executing a robust omni channel customer service strategy. With capabilities like intelligent routing, automated case handling, and seamless escalation, Agentforce integrated with Consumer Goods Cloud enhances service efficiency, personalization, and consistency across all communication channels.
Here’s how Agentforce empowers CPG brands to deliver customer-first, omnichannel service at scale:
Unified Customer View
For an omni channel customer service strategy to be successful, Agentforce integrates data from Salesforce CRM and provides a 360-degree view of the customer to CPG businesses. Agentforce integrates seamlessly with Salesforce CRM platform, capturing customer data, purchase history, and customer engagement records across multiple platforms. This consolidated view ensures that every customer interaction is personalized, relevant, and consistent, regardless of which communication channel they are using.
Intelligent Conversation Routing Across Channels
Source: Salesforce
Using Omni-Channel Flow, Agentforce automatically routes customer conversations across messaging platforms, in-app chat, email, and more. This means whether a customer reaches out via mobile, web, or social media, their queries are handled promptly. When queries become too complex, Agentforce escalates them to a human agent through predefined rules, ensuring no customer query goes amiss.
Autonomous Response
Agentforce’s AI capabilities allow it to autonomously respond to customer inquiries, such as delivery tracking, product availability, or return status. For example, when a customer emails about an order, Agentforce Service Agent can instantly reply with the estimated delivery date and tracking link. This reduces response times and operational overhead while keeping customers informed in real time.
Centralized Data Sharing Across Functions
A successful omni channel customer service model demands centralized data accessibility across teams, marketing, sales, ecommerce, and service. Agentforce provides a single source of truth for customer data, enabling teams to share insights, align messaging, and tailor offers based on real-time customer behavior. This creates a seamless brand experience across every engagement.
Scalable to Support Business Growth
As CPG brands expand into new markets and launch new digital initiatives, scalability becomes important. Salesforce Consumer Goods Cloud can be leveraged to accommodate the growing volumes of data on a single platform. Deploying Agentforce allows businesses to launch new websites, apps, and service channels without overwhelming their teams. While AI Agents answer your customers’ queries, your teams can focus on creating tools and strategies that will strengthen your customer relationships.
Supports a Customer-First Culture
Human labor when integrated with Agentforce, creates a “customer-centric” business model, rather than “revenue-centric”. Both the AI agents and human agents help reinforce a strategic client relationship management approach by enabling teams to prioritize customer needs, respond faster, and resolve issues more effectively. With intelligent automation handling repetitive tasks, human agents can focus on delivering hyper-personalized customer service.
Conclusion
For CPG businesses, omni channel customer service strategies help them meet consumer expectations and interact with brands on their terms, across any channel, without losing context or consistency. By investing in a connected, data-driven omni channel customer service strategy, businesses can gain more than just higher satisfaction scores; they build loyalty, boost revenue, and stand apart from their competitors.
With platforms like Agentforce and Consumer Goods Cloud, brands can automate customer support, personalize interactions, and deliver fast, frictionless service at scale. This helps businesses build stronger customer relationships, smarter operations, and a unified omnichannel customer experience, improving customer retention and driving long-term growth.
