What's the difference between an omnichannel contact center and a multichannel contact center?

While both multichannel and omnichannel contact centers provide multiple different communication channels, omnichannel contact centers have the advantage of interconnected channels. They share context between channels and offer a more seamless customer experience.

What is multi-contact handling?

Multi-contact handling is a feature that can optionally be enabled for users, queues, or teams. It allows an agent to handle multiple chat and/or email interactions simultaneously alongside up to one voice interaction. The maximum number of contacts can be set per user, ensuring that expectations for each agent are aligned with their skills and experience.

What are canned responses?

Canned responses are pre-written responses that can be quickly and easily sent during text-based interactions. They allow agents to communicate faster when responding to frequently asked questions, greetings, introductions, and any other responses that come up often.

Offer your customers convenience and flexibility

Let your customers reach you on their channel of choice to ensure you’re keeping all your customers happy, no matter their individual needs and preferences.

Simplify agents’ daily work for increased efficiency

By enabling your agents to handle all channels on one convenient platform, you minimize training requirements and reduce friction in day-to-day work, empowering agents to work at their best.

Reduce time spent on contact center management

Manage interactions, reporting, and routing across all channels from a single platform — reducing complexity, saving time, and easing the burden on IT and supervisors.

Live Voice Calling

Callers speak to an agent in real time, enabling both parties to easily explain complex concepts, ask questions, and receive responses without delay.

IVR (Interactive Voice Response)

IVRs help callers to easily access self-service or reach the support they need by allowing them to navigate through menu options with their voice or keypad.

AI Agent for Voice

Callers can instantly reach a natural language voice bot that can either guide them through self-service or gather context before passing the conversation along to an agent.

Email

Email is a great channel for after-hours communication, non-urgent issues, and topics that are best understood through written explanations or documentation sharing.

Live Chat

Customers can easily start a chat session from your organization’s website — or a user can start an internal chat with another user — allowing them to converse in real time without making a phone call.

AI Agent for Chat

Let customers skip the wait in queue and access 24/7 self-service with a chatbot. During business hours, chatbots can also gather context before handing the conversation off to a live agent.

SMS (Text Messaging)

Let customers easily access chat support, even without an internet connection, by sending a text message. Meanwhile, the agent continues to handle the conversation like any other message.

Social Media Messages

Integrating social media channels into your contact center allows customers to instantly reach you on the platforms they’re already using regularly.

Video

Video chats let customers and agents have personal, face-to-face conversations without being in the same room. They’re especially helpful in situations requiring visual inspections or guidance, such as a demonstration of a process.

Enterprise-grade contact center capabilities for every channel

Leverage these ice Contact Center features across various channels:

AI Smart Routing and/or skills-based routing

Full reporting capabilities

Integrations to third-party systems

AI-powered agent support

Advanced interaction analytics

Natural language customer service bots

Ability to escalate from chat to voice or video or from voice to video

Position in queue and estimated wait time in queue

Supervisor silent monitor, coach, and barge-in

Conference, consult, or transfer

Canned responses

Multi-contact handling options

File sharing

Screen sharing capabilities

Additional Resources

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Omnichannel vs. Multichannel Contact Center

Want to learn more about omnichannel contact centers and how they differ from multichannel ones? Check out our blog!

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The Complete IVR Guide: Best Practices, Features, and More

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iceChat

Dive deeper into our chat offering to learn how it can help your organization.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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