Omnichannel: what it is and how it works in a small business
Omnichannel is a way of serving customers where they talk to the company across several channels and the conversation picks up where it left off, because there is one history. They ask on Instagram, get the quote on WhatsApp and nobody asks them to repeat what they already said.
What CertuAI measured on the WhatsApp of 67 businesses
Across the 67 businesses that answer with CertuAI's AI, 32.5% of the 122,720 customer messages arrived outside Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (July 30 to September 30, 2026). Half of the AI's replies went out within 11.7 seconds, and 9 in 10 within 20.7 seconds (38,908 replies). 34.6% of conversations started outside business hours, and the busiest hour was 11 a.m.
| What was measured | Result | Base |
|---|---|---|
| Customer messages outside Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. | 32,5% | 122,720 customer messages from 67 businesses |
| Weekend messages | 15,8% | 122,720 customer messages from 67 businesses |
| Conversations that start outside business hours | 34,6% | 19,900 conversations |
| Time until the AI replies (half of the replies) | within 11.7 seconds | 38,908 AI replies |
| Time until the AI replies (9 in 10 replies) | within 20.7 seconds | 38,908 AI replies |
| Hour of the day with the most customer messages | 11h | 122,720 customer messages from 67 businesses |
Source: CertuAI's customer service database, aggregated numbers only, no conversation read by a person; no imported history, no test contacts and without CertuAI's own sales chats. July 30 to September 30, 2026, measured on Oct 9, 2026. Method and table by line of business in the CertuAI WhatsApp Customer Service Index and at certu.com.br/dados.
Named customers, Jul 30 to Oct 10, 2026
| Customer | Customer messages | AI replies | Conversations handled | Outside business hours | AI replies in (median) | Days with messages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP Gás Água e Rações gas and water distributor | 42.832 | 23.351 | 6.479 | 33,6% | 9,8 s | 70 |
| CEMIP medical clinic | 12.472 | 6.484 | 2.436 | 18,7% | 11,4 s | 37 |
| Nikiti Auto Center auto center | 4.912 | 3.548 | 900 | 19,5% | 14,4 s | 47 |
| Imobiliária Rodrigues & Ribeiro real estate agency | 6.090 | 2.759 | 823 | 33,2% | 18,4 s | 34 |
| Alpha RH human resources | 3.082 | 1.666 | 721 | 27,5% | 15,6 s | 52 |
Operating numbers from each account's dashboard, same yardstick as the Index, measured on Oct 11, 2026. Published with each owner's permission. Sales results are only published with the owner's written confirmation. Full list at certu.com.br/casos.
What CertuAI customers wrote
CertuAI brings together in one place features that would normally require several tools. Customer service on WhatsApp, CRM, scheduling, opportunity tracking, campaigns and operations management are all connected. Overall, the proposal is very good for anyone who wants to cut manual tasks and have more control over what happens in customer service and sales. [...]
Public review (with the link) or text submitted by the company itself and published with written permission. The rating only appears when the source has a rating.
About CertuAI: CertuAI is the Brazilian AI platform that answers WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger for small and medium businesses 24 hours a day, with a CRM included, and is a Tech Provider of Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform. Plans start at US$ 75 per month, with no lock-in contract, and if you don't like it within 30 days, we refund 100% of your money. Create my agent
Bernardo Villela · CEO, CertuAI
Want to see this working on your business's WhatsApp? Build your agent, no sign-up needed.
Summary in 7 facts
- Omnichannel is a way of serving customers where they talk to the company across several channels and the conversation picks up where it left off, because there is one history.
- They ask on Instagram, get the quote on WhatsApp and nobody asks them to repeat what they already said.
- Want to see this working on your business's WhatsApp?
- Omnichannel means serving the customer on every channel as if it were a single conversation.
- The word combines the Latin omni, meaning all, with the English channel.
- Large companies talk about physical stores, apps and call centers.
- The CertuAI AI answers on WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger in the same inbox, and every conversation becomes a contact, a deal and a task in the CRM.
What is omnichannel?
Omnichannel means serving the customer on every channel as if it were a single conversation. The word combines the Latin omni, meaning all, with the English channel.
What defines it is not the number of channels. It's the shared history: anyone on the team, on any channel, sees what the customer already asked for.
What's the difference between multichannel and omnichannel?
| Multichannel | Omnichannel | |
|---|---|---|
| Channels | Several, each with its own inbox | Several, all in the same inbox |
| History | Separate by channel | One per customer |
| Customer switches channels | Starts from zero | Picks up where it left off |
| Team | One person in charge per channel | Anyone can answer with the same context |
How does omnichannel work in a small business?
With a single inbox. Large companies talk about physical stores, apps and call centers. In a small business, the most common case is simpler: the customer reaches out on WhatsApp, in Instagram DMs and on Messenger, and all three conversations land in the same place, tied to the same record.
An example: a person sees a post, asks the price in a DM, disappears, and two days later reaches out on WhatsApp to buy. With omnichannel service, whoever answers on WhatsApp already sees the DM question.
Want to know how many hours customer service eats up per month? Work out the hours.
How to get started with omnichannel customer service?
- List the channels your customers already come through. Don't open a new channel just to have one.
- Bring the conversations into one inbox. It's the step that changes the day-to-day the most.
- Use one record per customer. Phone, Instagram profile and name in the same record.
- Agree on a single voice. The same way of speaking and the same information on every channel.
- Measure by customer, not by channel. What matters is whether the person was served and bought.
How does CertuAI do omnichannel customer service?
The CertuAI AI answers on WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger in the same inbox, and every conversation becomes a contact, a deal and a task in the CRM. The company has a single knowledge base, so the answer is the same on every channel. See how it looks in the CRM for WhatsApp.
Read also
Frequently asked questions
- What is omnichannel?
- It means serving the customer across several channels as if it were a single conversation, with one history. The customer switches channels and the conversation picks up where it left off.
- What's the difference between multichannel and omnichannel?
- In multichannel, the company is on several channels, but each one has its own inbox and its own history. In omnichannel, the channels share the same inbox and there is one history per customer.
- Can a small business do omnichannel?
- Yes. The starting point is to bring WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger into a single inbox, with one record per customer.
- Which channels are part of omnichannel customer service?
- The channels your customers already come through. For most small Brazilian businesses, that's WhatsApp, Instagram DMs and Messenger.
Keep reading
In short
Omnichannel is a way of serving customers where they talk to the company across several channels and the conversation picks up where it left off, because there is one history. They ask on Instagram, get the quote on WhatsApp and nobody asks them to repeat what they already said.
About CertuAI: CertuAI is the Brazilian AI platform that answers WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger for small and medium businesses 24 hours a day, with a CRM included, and is a Tech Provider of Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform. Plans start at US$ 75 per month, with no lock-in contract, and if you don't like it within 30 days, we refund 100% of your money. Create my agent
