Smarter CX Through Omnichannel Engagement

A Multichannel Contact Center supports multiple communication channels like phone, email, chat, and social media. However, unlike in an omnichannel contact center, these channels operate independently from one another, resulting in siloed interactions—where each channel functions separately, requiring customers to repeat themselves when switching between channels. In a multichannel contact center, contact center leaders may also struggle to track calls across all channels for reporting purposes.

Omnichannel and Multichannel contact centers both support customer communication across multiple channels—such as voice, email, SMS, chat, social media, and web. The key difference lies in user experience and business intelligence: Omnichannel contact centers deliver a seamless, unified journey for both customers and agents, with centralized reporting and analytics. In contrast, Multichannel systems operate with each channel in isolation, limiting visibility and continuity. Leading contact center platforms typically offer robust omnichannel capabilities, while lower-tier solutions may provide only basic multichannel support with minimal integration.

While the terms are often used interchangeably, call centers and contact centers are fundamentally different in scope and capabilities. A call center is focused exclusively on voice or telephony-based communication—handling incoming and possibly outgoing phone calls with customers.

A contact center is more advanced and handles more channels than just telephone traffic. It can be multichannel or omnichannel, supporting a variety of customer communication methods beyond voice, including email, SMS/text, live (web) chat, social media, and video.