Do Contact Centres Really Need Email Management for Good Customer Service?

Customer self-service, email management and communications automation, how important is it all?

BLOG UPDATED: 27/11/2023

In a world where technology is evolving at an unprecedented pace, businesses are in a constant race to find ways to improve their operations, customer service and experience, and gain a competitive edge. One area that has been leading the charge in this technological transformation is contact centres which is leading to improvements across the whole organisation. As customers' expectations and demands continue to develop in B2B as well as B2C environments, organisations have recognised the need to adapt to meet their needs in our digital age and this often starts in the contact centre. A HOT topic for 2023 that is trending at the moment within contact centres is customer email management and automation.

• Customer service email statistics
• Customer service email example - Local Council
• Customer service email example - Housing Association
• What should businesses look for in automated customer service email handling software?

The latest developments in contact centre automation and customer service email management software are transforming the way companies engage with their customers, optimise their processes, and empower their agents to provide outstanding service experiences. These emerging trends are revolutionising contact centres, offering businesses new opportunities to enhance customer satisfaction and experience, streamline workflows, and gain a competitive edg 

54% of customers prefer using email as their primary channel for customer service communication.

Even in this day and age when it comes to communication, email continues to be a popular, fast and cost-effective way for customers to reach out to businesses to get the support they need. Email offers the convenience of being able to communicate at any time of day, without having to wait on hold or speak with a representative in real-time. Also allowing customers to explain their issues in detail, attach relevant files or screenshots, and receive a written response that they can refer to later. As a result, businesses that prioritise their customer email management services are likely to see improved customer satisfaction, experience and loyalty.

A council fielded 60% of emails destined for the contact centre to more appropriate routes within just two weeks of going live.

Despite being a crucial communication tool for businesses, many organisations struggle to manage the sheer volume of emails that they receive, leading to large backlogs that can be difficult to navigate. Inadequate systems and processes often exacerbate this problem, as individual agents are left to sift through emails manually, which can be time-consuming and unproductive.

A housing association is saving over 30 hours daily across its contact centre agents.

The lack of an efficient automated email management system or business process orchestration solution can lead to a waste of valuable time and resources for organisations, ultimately hindering their productivity as well as revenue. Investing in an effective email management software can help streamline email workflows and ensure critical emails are prioritised and addressed promptly can be revolutionary. By doing so, businesses can enhance their overall efficiency and productivity, which can translate into better customer satisfaction, increased revenue, and sustained growth.

So yes, your contact centre DOES need a customer service email management solution or a business process orchestration solution.

But what should you look for when investing in better management tools for inbound emails?

1. Efficiency and speed: an effective contact centre email management solution should be able to handle a high volume of emails quickly and efficiently. This includes orchestrating email routing, prioritisation, and responses based on rules. Automated routing ensures that emails are sent to the most appropriate agent based on factors such as the customer's query and the agent's skill set. Prioritisation allows agents, or anyone else in the organisation that the email has been routed to, to focus on urgent emails first, ensuring that customer enquiries are handled promptly. Pre-written responses to frequently asked questions sent automatically according to predefined rules deflect these emails away from the contact centre, giving agents more time to deal with complex issues and those where they can add human value.
2. Recruitment and retention challenges: There can be no doubt that businesses across the UK are struggling to recruit and retain good staff. Improving and orchestrating business processes to remove the more mundane and repetitive workload makes a difference to job satisfaction, making it easier to recruit, retain and upskill teams. It also reduces the impact of attrition, providing more breathing space for recruitment. One customer has not yet replaced 16 agents lost through attrition and has seen no noticeable impact on customer experience due to increased productivity.
3. Integration with CRM: a robust email management solution should integrate seamlessly with your call centre's existing customer relationship management (CRM) system. This enables agents to access relevant customer information quickly and easily, resulting in faster response times and improved customer experiences. Integration with CRM also allows for better tracking of customer interactions, which can help identify areas for improvement and provide valuable insights into customer behaviour.
4. Reporting and analytics: effective automated email management software should offer detailed reporting and analytics capabilities, allowing managers to track email performance metrics such as response times, resolution rates, and customer satisfaction levels. This data can be used to identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions about call centre operations.
5. Ease of use and training: the automated email management software you choose should be easy to use and require minimal training for agents to operate effectively. This includes intuitive interfaces and clear instructions for using the software. It's also important to consider the level of support and guidance in reviewing business processes and setting up the rules as this can make a significant difference in the ease of implementation and ongoing use of the software.

Let us help you…

Bizvu INBOX is an innovative automated solution for managing emails and improving team collaboration in the workplace. With its user-friendly interface, INBOX simplifies email management by prioritising and categorising emails according to importance, urgency, and project-specific requirements. This helps to reduce email overload and improves productivity, allowing team members to focus on the most critical tasks at hand. One of the key features of INBOX is its real-time collaboration capabilities, which enables team members to collaborate and communicate within the context of their email threads, without the need to switch between different apps. This not only enhances teamwork but also helps to ensure that everyone is on the same page, leading to better decision-making and faster resolution of issues. If you would like more information on INBOX or would like to speak to a specialist today, please contact us.

Are you still unsure on whether email automation is right for your contact centre? See how much time, money and resource you could save with our INBOX ROI Calculator.