In the realm of modern omnichannel contact centers, email is often considered an outdated channel compared to instant messaging channels like live chat, WhatsApp, and social media. However, while frequently overlooked, it remains a crucial tool in the customer service arsenal.
Despite the rise of other communication platforms, email has a unique set of benefits and continues to be widely used by many customers. But to truly maximize its potential, brands need to integrate email seamlessly into their contact center operations.
Email integration, therefore, stands out as a key strategy for improving customer service.
“Email enables a variety of features and supports both inbound and outbound communication,” notes Christian Baker, VP of UX and Design at Local Measure.
“When integrated into the contact center platform, it offers some invaluable benefits for businesses.”
So, how can email integration address common issues, streamline operations, and keep brands ahead of the curve? Let’s dive in.
Email as a Customer Communication Channel: Key Differentiators
Before we explore the potential benefits of email integration, let’s look at the main differentiators of email as a customer communication channel.
One unique aspect of email is the depth of information that can be included in it. Unlike other channels, email supports extensive attachments, links, and text, making it ideal for complex inquiries requiring detailed responses.
“Unlike other synchronous communication methods, email is unique in that it enables businesses and customers to interact at their chosen pace and level of detail,” Baker notes.
Another significant advantage is the ubiquity factor, making it a preferred communication for many customers, especially older demographics.
“Businesses still need to be able to have email communication, and they do use it for support purposes,” Baker says.
“However, it often isn’t fully integrated into contact center platforms, leading to inefficiencies.“
How can businesses make email an organic part of their contact center platform, then, and what exactly do they have to gain from it?
The Local Measure Approach
By treating email as “another customer service messaging channel,” Local Measure’s Engage pre-built CCaaS platform allows enterprise customers to truly make the most of it, creating richer, more consistent customer interactions. Here’s how:
- No More Shared Inboxes: Traditionally, many contact centers use a shared inbox where agents “cherry-pick” which emails to reply to, often leaving the difficult queries unattended. Conversely, Engage routes emails directly through the contact center platform the same way calls or chats are routed, ensuring prompt responses and improved efficiency.
- Integrated Customer Profiles: When email is managed separately, crucial information might not be tracked within the main customer database. By integrating emails directly into Engage, Local Measure provides agents with a complete history of customer interactions, ensuring consistency and quality of customer support.
- Cross-Channel Communication: Engage allows agents to send emails directly from the contact center platform, even during voice calls. Agents can confirm email receipt in real time, use templates, add attachments and set up signatures – all from within the platform. Additionally, agents can access tools powered by generative AI to help them compose emails faster.
“Everyone talks about how customers today want to be reached where they are, referring to social platforms, WhatsApp, etc. – but those who don’t regularly use these channels are customers, too,” Baker concludes.
“By not only maintaining email communication but also treating it like any other channel, businesses can better cater to customers and use it for a number of common use cases.”
To learn more about Local Measure’s Engage CCaaS solution, visit their website here.
