How to Implement Unified Messaging for Your Business

Switching between marketing channels to reply to customers queries often result in slow responses and poor customer satisfaction. Most businesses use separate platforms like emails, socials and web chat – however, it’s becoming hard to keep track of customer interaction. So, we developed a unified messaging system for you – multi-channel inbox (MCI) that combines all your messages into one easy-to-manage place.

Every message from your customers – emails, socials, live chat, sms comes straight into one hub with MioCommerce multi-channel inbox (MCI). Your team doesn’t have to switch between tools or worry about missing messages. 89% of consumers are retained by businesses with an efficient omnichannel marketing plan in place.

This guide will walk you through how to set up unified messaging with MioCommerce to keep every customer happy. Keep on reading to learn more or skip to the part that interests you the most with our TOC.

What is Unified Messaging

Unified Messaging is a system that combines all of a user’s messages – like emails, sms, live chats, and social media messages – into one inbox.

A unified messaging system makes it easier to manage and respond to all communication from a single place, improving response time, customer satisfaction and retention.

The Importance of Unified Messaging

A major challenge businesses face today is communication with customers across too many platforms. Customers communicate differently – they message on Instagram, send emails, drop inquiries via chatbots, and call for support. Without a central place to track all these messages, it’s easy to miss a few.

MioCommerce’s Multi-Channel Inbox (MCI) is a unified messaging system which centralizes all customer conversations into one inbox. Here’s how it helps:

1. Keep Customers Happy: When customers reach out, they want quick, friendly replies – no matter where they message you. With our unified messaging system (MCI), we help you respond faster and keep customers’ experience smooth and personal. Item 2 below explains how!
2. Omnichannel: All your chats, emails, sms and social messages are funneled into one inbox so your team doesn’t jump endlessly between channels or miss messages. As result, our unified messaging (omnichannel) software helps you save time, delight customers with speedy/timely responses and focus on marketing, sales and customers.
3. Boost Efficiency: When everything’s right where you need it, you’re naturally quicker. MioCommerce’s unified inbox lets your team stay organized and handle more inquiries without the headache – save time, boost productivity without having to go search each channel individually across multiple platforms. In addition, you can switch easily between channels when reaching out to customers, hence making your sales engagement process much more effective.

For instance: if a prospect connects over your chat box, you can easily switch to SMS or another channel, to continue your conversation. So if they started a website chat with you today and you wish to send them a message (including a promo) tomorrow, you can do so via SMS/email/Instagram etc, without having to wait for them to come back on the website chatbox!

4. Team Chat – Work Better as a Team: Your team works better when they’re unified. Collaboration becomes your admin can create Team member groups and send a message to the entire team with just one click. Sharing notes and picking up where others left off keeps the team in sync, so customers get a smooth, reliable experience.

In addition when communicating with Team members, prospects or customers, all their past communication is neatly stored in one thread in chronological order. So all past historical correspondence is easily archived in chronological sequence irrespective of the channel it came in through.

5. Respond Faster: With one inbox, your team can reply quicker, and speed answers to customers’ inquiries. Fast responses sets you apart from competitors because your customers get quick and helpful solutions to their queries – happy customers come back with more customers.

A unified messaging system (UMS) brings all customer interactions into one place, so your team can respond quickly and stay organized. It simplifies collaboration, boosts efficiency, and creates a smooth, personal experience that keeps customers returning.

Why Use the MCI for Unified Messaging

Unified Communication as a Service (UCaaS) is the main tool used by about 30% of businesses for collaboration, customer engagement and communication. A unified messaging software is helpful for your customers, team and entire business. Here’s a breakdown of the top benefits:

1. Convert Your Channels into Marketing and Sales Tools

Customer messages are always an opportunity to drive sales – the possibility is higher with Miocommerce’s unified messaging software. This system allows you to include in a sent message (via SMS, email, FB, Instagram etc) with just one click, any one or more of our multiple MioCommerce integrations, such as:

• Your interactive quoting pages or,
• A live pricing and real-time booking pages,
• A request for a review,
• A tip request for a recent service
• A link for customers to update their credit cards update, and much more.

For example, if a customer asks about your pricing and/or availability, with just a click, you can send a link to one or all of your services’ Live Pricing and Real-Time booking pages and you’ll basically turn any chat, email, text or social media message, into a confirmed scheduled appointment and sale. Help the customer make a decision all from your easy to use Multi-Channel Inbox (MCI).

2. Real-Time Insights for Customer Recognition and New Profiles

Our Multi-Channel Inbox (MCI) has a feature that helps you recognize customers or team members instantly. Whenever a customer or prospect messages your business, the system builds or updates their profile in real time.

This means your team can see key details about the customer – like communication, location, and billing information. You effortlessly create a smooth, seamless experience for both your team and the customer. Speeding up the response time and leaving your customers or prospects delighted with the customer journey with your brand. Hence making it more likely they will come back.

3. Seamless Channel Switching in One Inbox

Managing conversations across multiple channels is quite difficult but a unified messaging tool brings everything into one inbox, so even your customers message through email, chat, Gmail, or social media, your team can respond from the same place.

You save time and maintain a smooth conversation with each customer, even if they switch between channels. No more switching between apps or platforms because everything is handled in one place – keeping your team organized and efficient.

4. Customer Interactions Made Easy

With MioCommerce’s unified messaging system, your team manages customer interactions smoothly. Every interaction – from a simple question to a detailed support request, appears in the same inbox, so your team has a complete view of the conversation history. This reduces the risk of missed messages and helps your team respond accurately, knowing exactly what’s already been discussed.

5. Streamlined Customer Support

Businesses should prioritize good customer support – quick, clear, and helpful responses. Our unified messaging (UM) system simplifies customer support by providing a unified inbox where your team can view, respond, and organize support requests with ease. This setup helps avoid confusion, keeps messages organized, and ensures that your team responds to each customer efficiently and consistently.

6. Multichannel Marketing Capabilities

MCI also doubles as a multichannel marketing tool – you can send booking links, review requests, and interactive quotes directly from the inbox. The system also supports the use of lists, macros, and tokens to personalize messages or handle repetitive tasks faster.

For example, macros let you send preset responses with a click and save time while keeping messages consistent.

7. TEAM Chat: Manage Your Service Providers

• Team Chat Feature: Seamless team communication, 24/7. With our free ‘Team Chat’ on the mobile app, your team can always reach you, whether they’re on-site or remote.
• Real-Time Updates: Instantly monitor bookings, feedback, and tips for each provider, so you’re always informed.
• Quick Action Management: Effortlessly view and edit provider details from the chat – streamline everything in one smart interface.

How to Get Started with Unified Messaging Using MioCommerce MCI

Try out our unified messaging system for free by clicking here or book a free demo with our team.

Unifying your messaging with the MCI is easy. Follow these steps to get MioCommerce’s multi-channel inbox running smoothly for you and your team.

Step 1: Create a Free MioCommerce Account

To get started with our MCI, visit MioCommerce and create a free account.

Step 2: Assess Our Communication Channels

Our MCI comes with the most popularly used communication channels – Website Chat, SMS, Outlook, Microsoft 365, Gmail, Team Chat, Instagram and Facebook Messenger and many more are on their way! To add a channel, please visit your App Market, under Multi-Channel Inbox!

Step 3: Connect Your Channels

Add your communication channels (like SMS, Gmail, or social media) through the App Market. Once connected, you can manage all your messages in one place – it’s easier to switch between channels.

Step 4: Search Contacts

Use the search bar to quickly find customers or service providers by name. You respond faster no matter what channel they used to contact you.

Step 5: Track Conversations

All your customer chats are grouped together in one easy-to-follow thread, regardless of which channel they use to reach out – email, SMS, or social media, you can keep everything organized in one place. This way, you can quickly catch up on their history, respond faster, and offer a smoother experience – without having to jump between different platforms.

Step 6: Train Your Team

Make sure your team knows how to use the system. Book a demo with our team and read our Get to know your inbox article to get familiar with the key features. This way, everyone can manage customer conversations efficiently and offer great responses. The more they learn, the better the experience for both your team and your customers.

How to Make the Most of the MCI for Unified Messaging

A unified messaging software (MCI) should be adopted by modern businesses looking to improve communication with customers. However, it’s important to avoid these common mistakes to get the best out of it;

• Not Training Your Team Properly: Without proper training, your team may not fully utilize the system’s features. This results in inefficiencies like slower response times and a poor customer experience. Ensure that your team is well-trained to make the most of the unified messaging tools. The great news is MioCommerce’s Multi-Channel Inbox is super easy and very intuitive! No technical experience is required.
• Forgetting to Track Customer History: Not keeping track of conversation history across different channels mostly lead to confusion and missed context. It’s important to maintain a complete record of all interactions and ensure your team has the necessary background to respond appropriately and efficiently because 77% of business leaders recognize offering personalized support experiences leads to increased customer retention.
• Not Setting Clear Expectations for Response Times: Customers’ inquiries might go unanswered if your team is not clear about response time. Establish clear guidelines for response times across all channels to ensure timely and consistent communication with your customers if you’ll not be able to reply instantly.
• Not Using Automation Features: Most unified messaging systems come with automation features, such as pre-written responses and message templates. Not taking advantage of these tools can lead to unnecessary repetition and inefficiency, especially for common queries. Leverage automation to save time and improve communication.

Conclusion

Managing customer messages across multiple channels is unproductive – slow responses, missed interactions, lack of customer satisfaction, the list goes on. This scattered approach frustrates both teams and customers but unified messaging solves this problem by consolidating all customer communications into one inbox.

With everything in one place, your team can respond faster, stay organized, and offer a smoother, more personalized experience. It boosts efficiency, improves collaboration, and ultimately keeps customers happier. Why don’t you give MCI a try? Start for free!