Omnichannel customer communications: 4 common challenges and how to fix them

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You’ve added chat. You’ve got a phone line. You’re on email, SMS, and probably WhatsApp too. On paper, you’re ticking every omnichannel communications box.

So, why does it still feel disconnected? Why are your agents jumping between systems? Why are customers repeating themselves?

Being everywhere is easy. Making it feel like one continuous conversation wherever customers reach you is what real omnichannel communication looks like. Nowadays, customer preferences are all about seamless conversations, not siloed chaos. In fact, companies with strong omnichannel communication strategies retain up to 89% of their customers.

Yet even with the best intentions, adding new channels over time can lead to overlapping tools, scattered customer data, clunky handovers and support leaders left wondering why CSAT is stuck in the mud.

In this article, we’ll break down the four biggest blockers to effective omnichannel support. We’ll cover issues like data silos, tool sprawl to agent overload; and show you how to fix them.

4 common challenges to omnichannel customer communications and how to solve them

There could be a gap between what your omnichannel strategy promises and what your customers experience. And chances are, it’s not because you’re missing a channel. It’s because of these four common (and fixable) issues that quietly create friction, drop context, and drain your support team. Let’s dig into what’s really slowing you down.

1. Data silos between platforms 

A data silo forms when your support tools like calls, chat, email and CRM aren’t integrated. Instead of one connected system that communicates seamlessly, you’ve got fragmented platforms holding different pieces of the customer journey. With systems out of sync, agents are left guessing and end up with customers repeating themselves.

Let’s say a customer sends an email about a payment issue. Two days later, they call in. The customer service representative doesn’t know about the email, so the customer has to start from the beginning. With every retelling, they will likely get frustrated, impatient and a little less loyal.

It’s not just a poor experience and operational inefficiency. Your team is flying blind, wasting time hunting for context across multiple tabs and tools.

And it’s avoidable.

When your systems talk to each other, your customer service agents get a full view of the customer journey, no matter the channel. 

2. Channel overload and agent burnout

Your customer service agents are on the frontlines, and piling on multiple channels without connecting them sets them up to fail. They’re forced to bounce between separate apps for phone, chat, email, and more.

Every switch to a new issue means that support agents, unfortunately, lose context of what’s happening and experience mental fatigue. This “context-switching” slows their work, increases mistakes, and drags out resolution times. In fact, “context-switching” cuts productivity by a massive 40%. Customer service reps end up firefighting instead of solving problems efficiently.

Overwhelmed agents feel drained and disengaged, and their ability to deliver great service tanks, which increases the risk of burnout within your team. Plus, customers will likely be waiting longer and becoming more frustrated, and your whole support operation will suffer as a result.

Solving this issue starts with connecting your tech stack. Give your support agents one unified platform where all channels talk to each other. That way, they spend less time context-switching and juggling tools, and more time helping customers quickly and confidently.

3. Unbalanced service quality

If your support reps use a different tool for every channel, you could be setting yourself up for inconsistent service quality. With so many different tools in play, training employees becomes a drawn-out, complicated process. Support agents have to learn multiple systems, each with its own features, quirks, and workflows.

This complexity can cause uneven performance across your support team. For instance,  some agents might shine on phone calls but stumble on chat, or vice versa. Without a unified interface, supervisors can’t easily measure or maintain quality standards across all channels. Customers quickly notice the inconsistency, which damages brand loyalty and customer satisfaction.

The fix is simple but powerful: unify all your communication channels into one intuitive platform. When everyone uses the same system, training is faster and more effective. Supervisors gain visibility into agent performance across all channels, making it easier to provide targeted coaching and maintain consistent service.

4. Lack of real-time visibility across channels

Another challenge with managing multiple channels is that systems don’t update fast enough. Delayed syncing means agents often work with incomplete or outdated info, making it tough to track customers’ interactions across channels in real time.

Without real-time data, managers also miss live insights into customer trends or rising issues, reducing their ability to respond proactively.

To solve this, use a platform that instantly syncs customer data and conversations across every channel. This gives agents a full view of the entire customer journey the moment it happens, speeding up resolution time and improving customer satisfaction.

Cloud-based CCM software: The solution to omnichannel communication roadblocks

Omnichannel support sounds great until you realize how many tools and platforms you’re juggling, and how disconnected they’ve become. That’s why cloud-based Customer Communications Management (CCM) software is so essential. It brings everything together, syncing channels and data in real time, so your team can focus on solving customer issues fast.

Aircall gets this right with features designed to break down those omnichannel barriers. Here’s how:

Eliminates data silos

For data silos, the Conversation Center pulls calls, SMS, and chat into a single inbox, giving agents context instantly, no matter where the customer started the conversation.

Simplifies complex systems

Juggling too many systems can overwhelm agents. Aircall’s clean, cloud-based interface keeps everything simple. CRM and helpdesk integrations share data in real time, meaning less repetitive work and more accurate data entry. 

Ensures service consistency

Service inconsistency? Aircall’s Live Monitoring lets supervisors jump into live conversations to coach agents on the spot. This real-time customer feedback loop speeds up training and keeps the quality high across all communication channels.

Real-time customer visibility

Finally, Aircall’s instant Contact Synchronization gives teams real-time visibility into every interaction, trend, and customer journey. Managers can receive alerts when urgent issues arise, enabling faster, smarter decisions.

The bottom line? Aircall is the cloud-based CCM platform built for the complex world of robust omnichannel customer service.

Need a step-by-step roadmap for omnichannel success? View our omnichannel support guide that breaks down how to get it right. 

Case studies: Who’s getting omnichannel right?

Plenty of companies talk about being “omnichannel”. But a few are actually doing it, and doing it well. From smoother workflows to happier support teams, these Aircall-powered businesses prove that connected tools create connected customer experiences.

The Cookware Company

The Cookware Company was scaling fast with 300% growth year over year. But behind the scenes, their support team was buried under a backlog of more than 7,000 tickets.

To meet growing customer expectations, they turned to Aircall and Zendesk to build a fully integrated omnichannel system.

This gave agents visibility into every customer interaction and enabled faster, more personalized support. 

Subsync

Subsync was growing fast, but struggled with multiple communication tools across sales and support. They found a game-changer in Aircall, connecting it with Re:amaze, Pipedrive, and Intercom to unify their workflows.

With Aircall’s smart call routing and live monitoring, they quickly cut down on missed calls and boosted efficiency. The team appreciated how easy it was to get up to speed with the intuitive interface which made onboarding faster.

SeekFlow

As SleekFlow expanded across Southeast Asia, its teams struggled with using personal phones for business calls, which caused inefficiencies and lost insights. 

By integrating Aircall with HubSpot, SleekFlow created a truly omnichannel support setup, giving sales, marketing, and support teams full visibility across the customer journey. This improved agent workflows and helped keep customer interactions organized and accessible. With Aircall’s global calling features, SleekFlow could provide a local touch in every market they served. 

Create an effective omnichannel CCM strategy with Aircall

Rolling out an omnichannel customer service strategy is about weaving together complex channels, tools, and teams into a single, smooth experience. Aircall takes that complexity off your plate by connecting all your customer interactions. 

With the Conversation Center, your agents always know what’s happening across calls, chat, and SMS. Managers gain transparency with Live Monitoring, helping them step in right when it matters. And with over 200 integrations, Aircall slots perfectly into your tech stack, whether you use Salesforce, Zendesk, or any other platform. 

For businesses ready to evolve beyond siloed communication and create unified customer experiences, Aircall provides the foundation for smarter, scalable, omnichannel success.

Want to see what true omnichannel support looks like? Keep every customer conversation connected, all in one place, with Aircall. Try it for free today.

Frequently asked questions about omnichannel customer communications

What are the 4 pillars of omnichannel communication?

The four pillars of omnichannel communication are: seamless channel integration, real-time data syncing, consistent messaging across touchpoints, and personalized customer interactions. Together, they create a unified customer service experience that lets customers switch between multiple channels effortlessly without repeating themselves or losing context.

What is the meaning of omnichannel customer service?

Omnichannel customer service means delivering support through multiple channels so customers get a smooth, consistent experience. Agents have full context regardless of the channel, making interactions more efficient and personalized.

What are common CCM challenges?

Common customer communication management problems include disconnected platforms causing data silos, inconsistent service quality, difficulty tracking conversations in real time, and agent burnout from juggling multiple tools.

How do you solve CCM tool adoption issues? 

Simplify tool adoption by choosing a CCM platform that centralizes communication channels and integrates with existing systems. Provide thorough training and use real-time insights to show agents the benefits, making omnichannel workflows easier to embrace and maintain.

How do you measure CCM success?

You can measure how well your CCM strategy is working by looking at key metrics like customer satisfaction (CSAT), how quickly issues are resolved, how productive your support team is, and how often problems are fixed on the first try.

It’s also important to check how smoothly customers move between channels like chat, email, or phone without having to repeat themselves or face delays. 

Published on July 28, 2025.