If you’re running a support team, you’ve probably heard the pitch: “Omnichannel is the future of customer service.” Sounds great, but what does it actually take to enable and manage omnichannel support—without losing your mind or burying your agents in complexity? If you’re using Five9 or thinking about it, this is for you: a no-fluff, step-by-step guide on how to set up, run, and (most importantly) not regret your omnichannel rollout.
Why Bother With Omnichannel?
Let’s be honest: most customers don’t care what “channel” they’re using. They just want a quick answer—whether that’s on the phone, in chat, by email, or even social media. Omnichannel means your team can handle all those touchpoints in one place, ideally with all the context in front of them.
But there’s a catch: adding more channels can add more headaches. You need to set it up right, or you’ll just multiply your problems. The good news is Five9 has real tools for this. The bad news? You can’t just click a button and be done.
Step 1: Decide Which Channels Actually Matter
Before you start toggling switches in Five9, ask yourself—where do your customers actually reach out? Not every business needs to be everywhere. More channels mean more complexity.
Here’s what usually matters: - Voice: Still king for urgent issues. - Chat (web or in-app): Great for quick questions. - Email: For stuff that isn’t time-sensitive. - Social (Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp): Only worth it if your customers actually use these to contact you.
Pro tip: Check your current contact logs and website analytics. Don’t waste time on channels nobody uses.
Step 2: Enable Channels in Five9
Once you’ve decided on your channels, it’s time to set them up in Five9. Here’s what you need to know:
A. Voice
This is Five9’s bread and butter. If you’re already using it for calls, you’re set.
B. Chat
- Go to the Admin panel, then “Digital Channels.”
- Click “Add Channel” > “Chat.”
- You’ll need to add a chat widget to your website—this means copying a snippet of code (get your web team if you’re not comfortable with HTML).
- Set your chat hours, routing, and canned responses.
C. Email
- Still in “Digital Channels,” add “Email.”
- You’ll need to hook up your support inbox. Five9 will pull in emails so agents can reply from the same dashboard.
- Set up rules for auto-acknowledgement and ticket assignment.
D. Social (Optional)
- Add channels like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp by authenticating your business accounts.
- Be honest: if you don’t have someone who actually wants to answer social messages, skip this for now.
Heads up: Not all plans include every channel. If you don’t see an option, talk to your Five9 rep—just don’t get upsold on stuff you don’t need.
Step 3: Set Up Routing and Queues—Don’t Overthink It
Here’s where things can go sideways fast. Five9 lets you create super-granular routing rules, skills, and queues. That’s powerful, but you don’t need a maze.
Keep it simple: - Start with broad queues (e.g., “Support – Phone,” “Support – Chat”). - Assign agents to what they’re trained on. Don’t force everyone to do everything (unless you really have to). - Use skills-based routing only if you have clear differences in agent abilities or languages. - Avoid over-automating. If you need a whiteboard to explain your routing, it’s too complex.
Pro tip: Test your routing by acting like a customer—see how fast and accurately you get connected.
Step 4: Train Agents for Omnichannel Work (and Don’t Burn Them Out)
Switching channels isn’t as easy as it sounds. Chat is not the same as phone, and social is its own beast.
What works: - Cross-train in pairs. Don’t expect everyone to master every channel at once. - Use Five9’s unified agent desktop so agents aren’t flipping between tabs. - Teach agents how to handle multiple chats at once—this is a skill, not a given. - Set clear expectations for response times per channel.
What doesn’t: - Forcing agents to handle three chats, five calls, and social DMs at the same time. That’s a recipe for burnout.
Ignore: Fancy channel-specific dashboards unless you have a giant team. Most teams do fine with the basics.
Step 5: Use Reporting—But Focus on What Matters
Five9 spits out a ton of data. Not all of it is useful.
Look for: - First response time per channel. - Case resolution rate. - Customer satisfaction (CSAT) by channel. - Agent handle time (but don’t obsess over it).
Skip: - Vanity metrics like “average wait time” if you’re not using them to make decisions. - Overly complex “channel blending” reports unless you’re running a call center with hundreds of agents.
Pro tip: Check your reports weekly, not daily. You’re looking for trends, not noise.
Step 6: Integrate With Your Other Tools (Carefully)
Five9 plays nicely with most CRMs (like Salesforce, Zendesk, ServiceNow) and some helpdesk tools.
Here’s what’s worth integrating: - CRM for customer data pop-ups. - Knowledge base, if agents need fast access to answers. - Ticketing systems, if you want everything logged in one place.
What to watch out for: - Over-customizing integrations. Keep it simple at first. - Relying on “out-of-the-box” integrations to work perfectly. They often need tweaking.
Ignore: Super-complex workflows until your team is comfortable. Get omnichannel basics right before adding more automation.
Step 7: Iterate—Don’t Set and Forget
Omnichannel isn't a “set it and forget it” deal. Your customers' habits will change, and so will your team's needs.
What to actually do: - Review channel usage every quarter. If nobody emails you, consider dropping email support. - Ask agents which channels are working (and which are a pain). - Regularly update canned responses and routing as you learn what customers really want.
Pro tip: Small adjustments beat giant overhauls every time.
What Works (and What Doesn’t) in Five9 Omnichannel
What Works Well:
- Unified agent desktop: Agents see all channels in one place, less tabbing around.
- Routing flexibility: You can keep it simple or get fancy as you grow.
- Reporting: Enough data to find and fix bottlenecks.
What Doesn’t:
- Social integration: Setup can be clunky, and not all features are available for every platform.
- Overly complex routing: Easy to create a mess if you keep adding rules.
- Agent overload: Just because you can route every channel to every agent doesn’t mean you should.
What to Ignore (for Now):
- AI chatbots and “virtual agents” unless you’ve truly nailed the basics.
- Omnichannel marketing tools—support and marketing are different beasts.
- Fancy dashboards you’ll never look at.
Keep It Simple, Review Often
The best omnichannel support isn’t about having every possible channel—it’s about making it easy for customers to reach you, and for your team to help them. Start with what matters, keep your setup simple, and don’t be afraid to trim what doesn’t work. Omnichannel support in Five9 can actually make your life easier—but only if you keep things straightforward. Iterate as you go, and you’ll save yourself a lot of headaches (and angry customers).