Brands that use three or more channels in a single campaign see a 287% higher purchase rate than those using just one.
That may sound like a win for multichannel messaging, but only if your channels actually work together.
Today’s customers expect conversations that pick up where they left off, no matter the channel.
In this blog, we’ll break down:
- What multichannel communication is (and where it used to shine)
- Why multichannel messaging hurts customer experience and campaign results
- The key differences between multichannel and omnichannel strategies
- What modern teams, from marketers to analysts, unlock with an omnichannel approach
- How Infobip helps you move from multichannel to omnichannel
What is multichannel communication?
Multichannel communication refers to using multiple channels such as SMS, email, or messaging apps like WhatsApp, RCS, or Messenger to reach customers.
However, in this approach, each channel operates in isolation, often managed by different tools or teams, without shared data or continuity.
The problem is that this creates fragmented customer experiences, causing issues like:
- No context on previous interactions and customer data: When communication channels are disconnected, customer conversations and profiles remain fragmented. Agents can’t see past interactions, which may lead to repetitive questions. For example, a customer might email support and then follow up on WhatsApp, only to be treated as a new case.
- No cross-channel automation: Businesses are forced to rely on one-off campaigns or manual handovers, missing out on personalized, event-based triggers that can guide customers from one touchpoint to the next, like sending an email follow-up after an SMS reminder goes unanswered.
- Siloed performance data and shallow insights: Performance metrics live in separate tools, making it difficult to connect actions across the customer journey or understand what’s really working. Marketing and CX teams are left with incomplete analytics, making it harder to optimize timing, content, or channel strategy based on real behavioral patterns.
- Inconsistent messaging and brand experience: Without centralized control, customers may receive conflicting or repetitive messages across channels. Voice, tone, timing, and offers can vary depending on the tool or team managing each channel. You can damage trust and consistency if a customer receives a 20% discount offer via SMS, then later gets a different 15% offer via email for the same product.
Multichannel vs. omnichannel communication: What’s the big difference?
At first glance, multichannel and omnichannel might seem like buzzwords for the same thing, but the difference is real, and it’s game-changing.
Here’s a breakdown of how they compare:
| Feature | Multichannel | Omnichannel |
|---|---|---|
| Integration | Channels operate independently | Channels are seamlessly connected |
| Customer experience | Varies across channels | Consistent across all touchpoints |
| Data sharing | Limited or siloed | Unified and shared across channels |
| Focus | Maximizing reach | Enhancing customer experience |
| Examples | Separate online store, physical store, and social media presence | Unified shopping cart across website, app, and physical store |
In marketing, “multichannel” and “omnichannel” refer to different strategies for reaching customers. Here’s an example of using SMS in multichannel vs. omnichannel marketing:
| Multichannel marketing | Omnichannel marketing | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | This approach involves using multiple channels to engage customers, but these channels operate independently. Essentially, each channel functions separately without any connection to the others. | This approach takes it a step further by integrating the channels. It enables you to track and unify customer data so that you know which customers are using which channels. |
| Example | You might send an SMS campaign to a list of phone numbers and an email newsletter to a list of email addresses. However, you wouldn’t know which phone numbers and email addresses belong to the same individuals. | If you send out an email newsletter and then follow up with a text message to those who clicked on the email and opted to receive SMS notifications, you are connecting the interactions. This allows for a more personalized and cohesive customer experience because you understand how individual users engage across different platforms. |
What omnichannel unlocks for your team
Omnichannel isn’t just a technology shift; it’s a strategic advantage tailored to your team’s specific goals. Here’s how it delivers impact across roles.
For marketers: Campaign consistency, less chaos
Tired of chasing alignment across different channels? Omnichannel platforms let you coordinate every message and promotion from a single interface.
- Simplify marketing communication across channels: Easily automate your communication flows on different channels, all in one place.
- Keep your message uniform: Use shared components and templates to ensure your brand message is consistent everywhere it’s seen.
- Focus on bigger goals: Reduce repetitive tasks so your team can spend more time on planning and creative projects, boosting productivity.
CUSTOMER STORY
How Niva Bupa increased customer acquisition and ROI with personalized, omnichannel messaging
Niva Bupa, a leading health insurance provider in India, needed a more engaging way to connect with today’s digital-first customers. Their goal: improve acquisition, remarketing, and ROI by modernizing their communication strategy.
By partnering with Infobip, they combined the reach of SMS and WhatsApp with the rich interactivity of RCS Business Messaging, tailoring content to each stage of the customer journey.
- Deliver personalized campaigns across SMS, WhatsApp, and RCS
- Use rich media (images, buttons, carousels) to boost engagement
- Integrate seamlessly with their CRM for real-time targeting and insights
The result? A 75% ROI and improved acquisition by reaching customers on their preferred channels with content that converts.
For strategists: Unified insights, smarter optimization
Juggling performance data from five tools? A centralized view means you can optimize what truly matters.
- Track engagement and conversions across channels in a single dashboard
- Identify drop-off points and channel synergies
- Run A/B tests across workflows, not just messages
CUSTOMER STORY
How UNICEF boosted donor retention with omnichannel engagement
UNICEF faced a familiar challenge: donors were engaged at the start, but many never converted into long-term givers. Their outreach spanned SMS, email, WhatsApp, and telemarketing—but each was handled separately, making it hard to create a seamless donor journey.
With Infobip, they moved to a fully integrated omnichannel approach:
- Segmented donors using People CDP and behavioral data
- Automated communications with Moments for event-triggered flows
- Offered always-on support via WhatsApp chatbot using Answers
- Provided live agent escalation using Conversations when needed
- Optimized delivery with smart failover across SMS, email, and WhatsApp
Personalized messaging and channel orchestration created a donor experience that felt human and helpful, without increasing operational overhead.
The result? A 7.8% rise in recurring donors, a 33.3% drop in donor churn, and a 4% recovery rate on abandoned donation carts.
For Engagement Leads: Conversations that feel human
Disconnected SMS campaigns can feel robotic. With omnichannel, context follows the customer.
- See full conversation history no matter where users reply
- Automatically trigger personalized follow-ups based on behavior
- Blend automation with live agent handover for high-impact moments
CUSTOMER STORY
How Carsome improved lead quality and conversions with omnichannel messaging and real-time support
By partnering with Infobip, Carsome implemented an omnichannel strategy combining live chat, WhatsApp, and SMS for seamless, real-time experiences. They used it to:
- Automate FAQs and route complex queries to agents via Conversations
- Verify customer phone numbers using SMS-based OTPs
- Provide always-on support through WhatsApp Business API and chatbots
The result? A 10% improvement in lead quality and a 7% increase in confirmed appointments, powered by smarter engagement and a connected customer journey.
For sales: Seamless lead follow-ups and deal support
When reps know what happened in the last email or chatbot interaction, they can focus on closing and not catching up.
- Route SMS replies like “Interested” into your CRM with context
- Trigger reminders, demo invites, and quote nudges across channels
- Personalize based on funnel stage, not just the contact list
Infobip’s integrations with platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot make lead sync effortless.
CUSTOMER STORY
How Imagine CX boosted client acquisition by 193% through integrated messaging and automation
Imagine CX, a leading business consulting firm in Latin America and Oracle Gold Partner, needed a communications solution that could integrate seamlessly with Oracle Sales, Service, and Eloqua to support scalable, data-driven CX strategies.
By partnering with Infobip, they delivered powerful omnichannel experiences through WhatsApp, SMS, and marketing automation, which is centralized within the Oracle ecosystem.
- Integrate WhatsApp and Moments with Oracle to centralize customer data and conversations
- Automate personalized text messaging campaigns using CRM insights
- Equip agents with chat history and real-time support tools inside Oracle
The result? A 193% increase in potential clients, a 5% increase in sales revenue, and significant improvements in automation, personalization, and CX delivery.
For analysts: Full-funnel metrics, not just message stats
It’s not enough to know your SMS open rate. Omnichannel data lets you track impact from awareness to conversion.
- Attribute revenue to full journeys, not just clicks
- Compare performance across regions, campaigns, and channels
- Export data directly into BI tools like Tableau or Power BI
How Infobip helps you transition from multichannel to omnichannel
Making the leap from multichannel to omnichannel doesn’t have to mean rebuilding your communication strategy from scratch. With Infobip, you can evolve your messaging stack step by step, without disruption.
Here’s how Infobip helps bridge the gap:
Unified customer profiles
Consolidate fragmented data into one source of truth. People, Infobip’s customer data platform, connects touchpoints across SMS, email, chat apps, and more, so you can personalize messaging based on real-time behavior, not outdated lists.
- Recognize returning users across channels and greet them by name—even if they switch from WhatsApp to to email.
- Trigger a loyalty offer for customers who’ve made three purchases in 30 days, regardless of the purchase channel.
- Segment users by product interest (e.g., “smart home” vs. “wearables”) using web behavior + SMS replies.
Drag-and-drop journey orchestration
Stop managing channels separately. With Moments, Infobip’s customer engagement hub, you can design fully orchestrated journeys across all channels using a single, no-code interface.
- Start with SMS, follow up with WhatsApp, finish with email
- Trigger flows based on events like purchases, app opens, or time delays
- Use built-in A/B testing and send-time optimization to refine results
Unified channel integration
From SMS and email to RCS, Viber, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Apple Messages for Business, Infobip gives you access to all major communication channels in one place, with native support and global compliance.
CUSTOMER STORY
How AccioJob reduced support wait times with automated omnichannel journeys
AccioJob, a leading Indian EdTech company, needed a way to reduce repetitive inquiries and free up their support team for complex questions. Over 80% of their incoming queries were FAQs, eating up resources and slowing down response times.
With Infobip, they launched an automated WhatsApp chatbot using Answers, integrated with live-agent support via Conversations, and tailored responses based on user type (new visitor vs. registered student).
- Create a WhatsApp chatbot that instantly answers FAQs and resolves most questions without human support
- Route complex queries to live agents through Conversations for seamless handoff
- Segment and personalize communication across touchpoints based on user profile
- Use WhatsApp Flows to guide learners through course information and enrollment steps
The result? A 40% drop in support wait time, a 20% boost in CSAT, and a 150% increase in team satisfaction, all driven by a unified omnichannel strategy.
AI-powered personalization at scale
Infobip’s platform combines AI technology, unified customer profiles, and real-time segmentation to send the right message on any channel, every time. Recommend products, customize responses, and optimize customer journeys using a simple, no-code platform—no IT team needed.
- Instantly send personalized cart abandonment messages with dynamic product names, live discount offers, and urgency prompts to increase sales.
- Suggest the next best action—like “upgrade to Pro” or “schedule a demo”—based on each user’s behavior and preferences.
- Align onboarding experiences to each audience: retail customers receive inventory tips, while SaaS users get step-by-step trial setup guides, all automated.
- Easily scale personalization to boost engagement, drive more conversions, and deliver a better experience—with less effort.
Automated customer engagement across channels using AI
Today’s customers expect fast, personalized experiences. Infobip’s platform uses powerful AI to automate every step—so your team can connect with more customers and save time.
- Conversational marketing: AI automatically sends the right messages on the right channels, follows up with leads, and recommends products based on each customer’s profile.
- Conversational commerce: AI guides buyers from product discovery to purchase with automated flows—making every step easy and personal, without extra work for your team.
- Conversational support: AI-powered chatbots answer questions instantly, solve common issues, and route more complex cases to human agents when needed. The system remembers past conversations to make support faster and smoother.
With Infobip, you can automate marketing, sales, and support—providing customers with timely, personalized interactions, all managed in one easy-to-use platform.
FAQs about multichannel communication
If we haven’t answered all of your questions above, here are some of the most common questions about multichannel communication.
Multichannel communication means connecting with customers through different communication channels, like SMS, email, and chat apps. However, businesses often use these channels separately. For example, you might send transactional SMS messages with one tool, use another for promotional email newsletters, a third for customer support, and yet another to manage customer data, like a CRM system.
On the other hand, omnichannel communication means combining customer data and interactions across all channels into one platform. This approach keeps customer information, such as names, service histories, and past interactions, together in the same system you use for sending SMS messages, promotional emails, and providing customer support.
Not necessarily. Many businesses already have the building blocks in place. Platforms like Infobip integrate with your existing tools, such as your CRM platform, support software, and analytics. This way, you can evolve from multichannel to omnichannel without starting over.
Yes. Omnichannel isn’t just for enterprise. Small businesses benefit from automated journeys, better personalization, and time-saving tools. Even simple, automated workflows like follow-ups via SMS and email can boost engagement without requiring large teams.
Start by mapping your current touchpoints (SMS, email, WhatsApp, etc.) and identifying where customer experiences break or feel disconnected. Then, use a platform like Infobip to unify those channels, consolidate your customer data, and automate key moments in the journey.
Some improvements, like faster responses and better engagement, can appear within days of implementation. Full impact (like higher conversion rates and retention) typically becomes clear within the first 1–3 months, especially if you’re using data-driven personalization and A/B testing.
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