A friend recently told me why he switched pharmacies after a decade of customer loyalty. COVID-19 prompted it: He needed to change his prescription preferences from in-store pickup to home delivery.

Doesn't seem that difficult, right?

Well, after several frustrating attempts to make the change by phone and chat, he gave up. He decided to take his business to a competitor because they offered a simple digital experience and consistent customer service across communication channels (also known as omnichannel service).

When he shared his story, I wondered if it was the digital experience or the cross-channel consistency that pushed him to change pharmacies. It turns out it was both.

These days, it's not enough to adopt digital experiences for the sake of customer choice; they have to be unified. And to keep all customers happy and loyal, smart brands will provide frictionless customer service, which means blending digital service automation with human interaction.

The question is how.

Embracing digital assistants, fluid customer journeys, and AI-driven decision-making are just a few of the ways companies can support such blended services, while solving customer inquiries and delivering a seamless customer experience.