What Is an Omnichannel Contact Centre and How Does It Differ from Multichannel?
Customer Experience Strategy
Discover how connected journeys outperform siloed channels, what technology makes it possible, and why 2026 leaders are rethinking contact centre design now.
- Omnichannel CX
- Contact Centres
- AI for Service
8 minute read · Creative Communications Lab Editorial Team
Published: 15 May 2024 · Updated: 15 May 2024
In 2026, customer experience is no longer defined by how quickly an agent answers a call. Customers expect to move between voice, chat, email, social media, and video with zero friction — and they will abandon brands that cannot keep up.
Many organisations still rely on multichannel contact centres where each channel is managed separately. It looks modern on the surface, yet the experience feels fragmented because context is lost every time the customer switches touchpoints.
Omnichannel contact centres solve that gap by unifying channels, data, and workflows. The result is a connected journey that feels personal, efficient, and consistent — for customers and agents alike.
The End of Siloed Journeys
Multichannel contact centres once looked modern, but in 2026 siloed channels simply cannot keep pace with how customers navigate issues. Before investing in change, get clear on what still creates friction and what closes the gap.
Multichannel contact centre
Customers can reach you on several channels, yet each one is managed as a standalone stream with its own data and KPIs — making it impossible to carry context forward when journeys span multiple moments.
- Channels such as phone, chat, email, and social run in separate systems that rarely sync in real time.
- By 2026, customers expect to pick up exactly where they left off — but without shared context they have to restart every time.
- Agents jump between tabs without a unified view of the journey, slowing resolution and insight.
Omnichannel contact centre
Every interaction is orchestrated on a single platform, so conversations continue seamlessly and data follows the customer from the first touch to resolution.
- Channels are integrated, sharing data, routing rules, and analytics without delay.
- Customers move between channels without losing their history or repeating the story.
- Agents see a 360° view of the customer, enabling proactive support and continuity.
From Channels to Continuity
Omnichannel is not about adding more channels; it is about creating a continuous flow of context so customers feel known at every hand-off.
When journeys carry context end to end, you reduce effort, protect loyalty, and give teams the visibility to anticipate needs instead of reacting.
Gartner predicts that by 2027, 75% of customers will expect consistent cross-channel experiences, yet only 30% of organisations will be ready.
Risks of staying multichannel
Operating channels in silos creates blind spots that ripple across CX, operations, and reputation.
- Higher effort for customers leads to longer handle times and negative sentiment.
- 72% of customers switch after a single poor experience, eroding loyalty overnight.
- Agents duplicate work and escalate more cases because they lack context.
Rewards of embracing omnichannel
Integrated journeys unlock efficiency, empathy, and measurable growth across every touchpoint.
- Aberdeen Group reports 89% higher retention for organisations with omnichannel mastery.
- Real-time visibility speeds diagnosis and resolution, protecting NPS and CSAT.
- Consistent experiences strengthen brand reputation and employee morale.
Connected Journeys in Action
Picture a customer starting with a chatbot to reset a password, escalating to a human agent on voice, and receiving a personalised follow-up email with security tips — all within the same case.
In a multichannel environment, the agent sees only the call, not the chatbot transcript, so the customer is forced to retell the story. The recovery is slow, expensive, and frustrating.
In an omnichannel environment, the agent receives the full journey in real time. They greet the customer by name, reference the chatbot dialogue, and close the loop with a proactive email in one conversation.
Omnichannel empowers agents with context so they can resolve issues faster, anticipate next steps, and demonstrate empathy at scale.
Tools That Make It Possible
Delivering that continuity takes the right toolset. We combine Avaya, Salesforce, AI assistants, and cloud platforms so every interaction is orchestrated with context and resilience.
Avaya Experience Portal
Delivers intelligent IVR, voice, and queue-busting journeys that hand customers to the best resource with full context.
Salesforce CTI
Connects voice and digital interactions to CRM records so every agent sees customer history, sentiment, and next-best actions.
AI chatbots and assistants
Multilingual, context-aware bots triage routine enquiries, surface knowledge to agents, and keep journeys available 24/7.
Cloud hosting on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud
Provides the resilience, security, and scalability required for high-volume customer operations across regions.
Two Lenses of Value
Omnichannel value shows up differently in the boardroom and on the operations floor. Here's how the C-suite and operational leaders each win.
For the C-suite
Leaders gain confidence that customer promises can be delivered consistently across every market and moment.
- Reduced churn and increased lifetime value create clear financial outcomes.
- Balanced scorecards link operational data to loyalty, revenue, and brand reputation.
- Future-proof investments by aligning AI, cloud, and CRM under a single CX strategy.
For operational leaders
Operations teams finally see the whole journey, enabling smarter staffing, coaching, and automation decisions.
- Simplified workspaces remove swivel-chair inefficiencies and reduce training time.
- Real-time dashboards surface trends across voice, digital, and social channels.
- Consistent knowledge bases ensure every touchpoint reinforces the brand promise.
Your Next Step
Use this five-step roadmap to move from isolated channels to orchestrated journeys without losing momentum.
- 1
Audit current journeys
Map customer effort across channels, identify pain points, and quantify the impact on satisfaction, cost, and risk.
- 2
Prioritise high-impact channels
Focus on the journeys with the biggest customer and commercial outcomes first, then phase in additional channels.
- 3
Integrate CRM and knowledge
Connect systems of record so agents and bots share the same context, scripts, and insight in every interaction.
- 4
Train and empower agents
Equip teams with new workflows, escalation paths, and coaching so human skills keep pace with the technology.
- 5
Measure and iterate
Track loyalty, resolution time, cost-to-serve, and employee experience. Use insights to optimise journeys continuously.
Omnichannel is the CX revolution
The evolution from multichannel to omnichannel is about more than adding channels. It is about orchestrating every moment so customers feel recognised, supported, and valued.
Organisations that invest now will build loyalty moats that competitors struggle to cross. Those that delay risk becoming interchangeable and forgettable.
Ready to design seamless customer journeys?
The Cost of Repetition
When customers have to repeat themselves, loyalty erodes, operating costs climb, and morale suffers. These data points show why continuity matters in 2026.
Customers cite repeating information as their number-one service frustration (PwC).
Higher churn risk when issues require retelling the story across channels (Forrester).
Average channels a customer touches per complex issue, multiplying repetition when systems are disconnected (CCW Digital).
Agent time spent re-entering data customers already provided (ContactBabel).
Average cost per additional minute added by repeated conversations (SQM Group).
Service leaders naming repetition as the biggest barrier to loyalty gains (Salesforce).
FAQs on omnichannel vs. multichannel contact centres
Use these quick answers to align stakeholders, support investment cases, and optimise search visibility.
What is the main difference between omnichannel and multichannel contact centres?
Multichannel centres offer many channels but manage them separately. Omnichannel centres connect those channels so customer data and context travel with every interaction, creating one continuous journey.
Why is omnichannel customer experience important in 2026?
Expectations are rising fast. Research shows 73% of people value experience over price and 72% will leave after one poor interaction, so inconsistent journeys directly threaten revenue and trust.
How does omnichannel improve customer loyalty?
Omnichannel journeys reduce friction and repetition. Agents have the full story, so customers feel recognised and problems are resolved faster — a combination that drives retention gains of up to 89%.
What role do CRM integrations play in omnichannel contact centres?
CRMs like Salesforce or Dynamics connect voice and digital interactions to customer history. Agents can view intent, sentiment, and previous activity in one place, enabling personalised support and shorter handle times.
Can smaller organisations benefit from omnichannel?
Yes. Cloud-based platforms and consumption pricing mean smaller teams can adopt omnichannel capabilities without heavy upfront investment, scaling features as customer demand grows.
How long does it take to migrate from multichannel to omnichannel?
Timelines vary, but phased programmes typically deliver visible improvements within 6 to 12 months. Quick wins build confidence while longer-term integrations continue in the background.
What technology powers omnichannel customer experience?
Core capabilities include contact centre platforms such as Avaya Experience Portal or Genesys, CRM integrations like Salesforce CTI, cloud infrastructure, and AI-driven chatbots that orchestrate automation and insight.