Adopting Omnichannel for Your Business Part 1: Multi-Level Buy-In

Customers today mix and match channels to browse and purchase products. Some prefer to buy online and have their purchase shipped to their doorstep, while others do their due diligence online and then come into the store to try on items and make purchases. 

Keeping up with this variability in customer purchasing (and returns!) means that most retail and eCommerce businesses need an omnichannel OMS solution. But selecting and purchasing a top-notch omnichannel OMS isn’t a one-person job. It requires the buy-in of stakeholders across your organization.

Thus, if you hope to adopt omnichannel technology, you need a clear process for capturing the attention and support of key stakeholders. 

As part one of our two-part series, we’ll start by diving into tips for multi-level buy-in and sharing some implementation strategies to help you get started. 

How to Get Multiple Departments to Buy-In

1. Pinpoint Your Primary Stakeholders 

First and foremost, you need to know who your primary stakeholders are. Not just because doing so enables you to focus your attention and energy on the right people, but because the right stakeholders can be valuable assets. They can offer insight into pitching the solution further up the chain of command. They can provide insight into potential challenges you might face as you present the omnichannel solution to different departments across your organization. In some cases, these stakeholders can become powerful advocates for your solution as well — sharing their enthusiasm with their own teams and discussing it with their connections in your organization. 

Who are your primary stakeholders? Both the key decision-makers who would be directly impacted by the integration of an omnichannel solution, and those who might be indirectly impacted by it. Garnering support from people in both of these categories makes it much easier to get the rest of your organization on board (regardless of what they think and feel about an omnichannel OMS solution). 

2. Speak to Stakeholders’ Pain Points

No matter how many pitches you’ve made or how far you are into the buy-in process, getting stakeholders to see the value in a solution always requires the same thing. You need to help them see the ROI for their departments’ operations and the benefits to their own work.  

This starts by understanding exactly what matters to your stakeholders. What problems do they face on a daily basis that could be remedied with omnichannel technology? What are the big picture concerns for their department? In what ways are these stakeholders trying to make their operations better and faster? And most importantly, how can omnichannel OMS solutions help them solve these issues (even indirectly!). 

Knowing the answers to these questions will enable you to tailor your pitch perfectly to the needs and goals of each stakeholder and get them on-board more easily. 

3. Know the Ins and Outs of the Solution

Even if you have the greatest pitch in the world, you’ll still end up fielding stakeholders’ questions to one degree or another. They may have concerns about implementation, be curious about the cost, or just want to know more about how the solution works.

That’s where doing your due diligence comes in. You can read product pages and whitepapers and connect with sales and customer support teams to discuss or demo the product. Regardless of how you choose to go about your research, having answers prepared can make it a lot easier to keep the attention of key stakeholders and maintain an overall positive opinion of the omnichannel solution. 

4. Generate Enthusiasm and Support at Each Level 

The more people you have on-board with the implementation and value of an omnichannel OMS solution, the better your chances are of convincing the next person in-line to buy-in as well. Often, the easiest way to do this is by connecting with lower-level employees and those who would be directly impacted by the solution, first. 

By garnering support with these groups, you’ll have a greater number of people in favor of the solution and a stronger case for purchasing and implementing it. And as support grows, you’ll be able to pull in different influencers who can move the idea forward. 

While getting the buy-in of all necessary stakeholders can be a daunting task, it’s not impossible. By doing your due diligence, identifying the right stakeholders, speaking to departmental pain points and garnering excitement across your organization, you can more effectively drive positive change.