Email may not be the newest or flashiest communication channel out there, but you can’t deny it’s got staying power. There are more than 4 billion email accounts in the world, outpacing newer channels like social mediaby more than 2 billion. When you look at email in business, research from Dimension Data found that more than 90% of contact centers offer email. What’s more, MarketingSherpa conducted a survey and found that more than 70% of customers prefer email for communication with companies, far surpassing every other channel in the survey.
Why? Because using email for customer service gives you:
- Properly targeted customer communications
- In-depth, timely company responses
- An automatic record of the conversations
- Easy integrations with support software like Desk.com
- Additional uses like onboarding, updates, and special offers
But while email is a popular and powerful channel on its own, companies can’t rely on email alone for customer service. That’s because customers are using more channels than ever to contact customer service, and they demand more omnichannel service. In fact, three in four customers use at least three different channels to contact customer service, and more than 85% of customers think brands need to do a better job of providing service across channels.
So how can you make email a part of a united customer service strategy? We’ve got a few ideas… First, take steps to integrate your communication channels and CRM. If you already have a helpdesk provider that manages email, see if it offers an integration with a phone provider. This way, if someone reaches out on phone and then follows up over email, you have a record of it across channels, leading to a consistent customer experience.
That leads to the second suggestion: encouraging customers to interact with you on different channels. If you have a lot of customers reaching out to you on social media, but their queries would be better managed via email, let them know you’ll reach out over email and track that in your CRM. Also consider including your phone number and social profile links in emails to encourage cross-channel communication.
Email may not be the newest channel on the market, but its reach and impact can’t be denied. Combine it with other channels for an even stronger customer service strategy.
To learn more about the best way to improve customer service from the experts, download our whitepaper here.
This post originally appeared on Desk.com.
Image of keyboard on desk from Pexels. CC0 license.
