Communication via email is convenient for everyone. Emails provide an easy way to describe a situation in detail and can be sent over an internet connection with ease. This is the reason why email support has become the preferred mode of communication of call center outsourcing companies located across the globe.
Challenges of Handling Emails in Bulk
Personal emails are easy to manage. Just send an email and wait for a response. There is no headache of managing email chains and the communication takes place without any complications. However, the challenge arises when emails are used for professional communication like in the case of email support as part of customer services. While serving several customers and solving their different technical or non-technical issues, it is easy for customer care executives to overlook certain interactions. This leads to a problem in communication and results in unsatisfied customers. To solve this common issue plaguing the customer support domain, email response management systems (ERMS) can be employed.
What Is an Email Response Management System?
Specifically designed for handling bulk emails, email response management system can be used for sorting and categorizing mails sent by several customers. It works according to the rules defined by the users. This system can be utilized for backing up or archiving emails for storage and timely retrieval.
The email system has a GUI (Graphical User Interface) that makes it easily operable by customer care executives. It has many in-built algorithms that prevent emails from being mismanaged or discarded before being read. Hence, it helps in maximizing response by the email teams and keeps the customers satisfied.
Things to Check before Buying an ERMS
Although an ERMS can be a worthy addition to any email teams’ repertoire, it may struggle to live up to the expectations if it lacks the following features:
- Ability to categorize messages according to criteria set by the users – Sorting and categorization of emails can be of great help to any email team. Without this feature, a team will struggle to find the customers who they need to send a response to. This will make the task of email handling extremely difficult. Hence, always look for an ERMS that can sort and categorize mails efficiently.
- Logging the response time – Not all email support executives are equal. Some are quick in their work and other lag behind. Hence, it becomes essential to rate their response time. By rating agents, it becomes easier to provide incentives to employees who are good at their work and retrain the ones who are lagging behind.
- Status tracking – Depending on whether customers’ queries are resolved or unresolved, an ERMS should be able to track the status of every query. This prevents oversights and ensures all customers receive response at the right time.
When an email operation is run in-house, most companies shy away from investing in software solutions like ERMS. Many entrepreneurs are deterred by the cost of such a system. Due to lack of ERMS in email support operations, the customers suffer and it results in an increased customer attrition rate.