Omni-channel is an integrated approach to customer-centric processes, where the numerous interaction channels are packaged into a single management system to improve the customer satisfaction, user experience and ensure effective delivery of products and services where cross-channel customer journeys are either required or supported.
Omni-channel as a concept improves customer expectations and experiences; it provides unprecedented freedom to choose where, when and how they wish to engage with their service provider. When the omni-channel customer experience is implemented correctly, it enables businesses to manage the customer journey much more effectively compared to previous models where the hand-off between channels was a sore point, which involved redundant work and loss of information.
The main problem with most omni-channel solutions is that they seem to focus on the online (digital) channels, while neglecting the offline (physical) realm: the realm in which stores and service centers exist, where people are treated by doctors, and where technicians need to provide service to customers at their homes.