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Today, 4.25 billion people worldwide actively use email, with 319.6 billion emails exchanged daily. Since the first email was sent in 1971, this method of communication has remained the most popular digital channel, accounting for 13.7% of all interactions (Contact Babel 2023)*.
Consumers across all age groups appreciate the convenience of email, allowing them to send messages anytime, from anywhere, without having to dedicate time to interacting with a live agent. This is particularly appealing to younger generations who prefer to avoid sometimes lengthy phone conversations. With ever-growing customer expectations, businesses must adopt the right technology to support efficient email customer service. Implementing the right intelligent AI-powered email processing can empower agents and drive continuous improvements and efficiency.
In many call centres, handling emails is a time-consuming process. Agents must sift through inboxes, send automated responses, and forward messages to the right person. Long emails are challenging to navigate, and identifying customer intent can also take time. This manual process involves copying information, searching for customer history, and crafting responses, which can often lead to impersonal and canned replies.
A report published by McKinsey shows that companies excelling in efficient personalisation generate 40% more revenue than their peers, and 71% of consumers now expect personalised responses. Delivering exceptional customer experiences can create up to a 16% price premium on products and services and foster greater loyalty (PWC, 2024)**.
AI and automation in email management opens up vast possibilities by leveraging customer data, intents, and behaviours to accurately route queries and meet customer needs. When an agent receives an email, the more context they have, the better service they can provide. This turns agents into more effective touchpoints, especially since two of the most frustrating experiences for customers are waiting in a queue and repeating their request as their query is routed between agents.
Quick access to personalised customer information through AI solutions enables agents to resolve issues efficiently, boosting satisfaction and continuously improving key metrics such as Average Handling Time (AHT), First Contact Resolution (FCR), and Customer Satisfaction (CSAT). Integrating AI into an email strategy significantly enhances customer agent effectiveness and their ability to deliver personalised responses that have a real impact.
When used effectively and tailored to business requirements, AI email solutions can provide real value to agents and customers. With generative AI, 80% or more of repetitive requests created can be automated with company specific tone and branding, allowing more time for personalised interactions with customers by providing context and generated responses for more complex issues.
AI email solutions can provide the speed and efficiency agents need to thrive, scaling effortlessly while delivering top-tier personalised customer service. For an effective tool, consider functionality, ease of integration into current systems, scalability, and user-friendliness. Strong data security, reliable vendor support, and cost-effectiveness are key to ensuring the solution’s ability to meet specific business needs, improve efficiency, and provide measurable ROI from day one.
This collaborative approach to email is now reshaping the future of contact centre support, where human agents and AI agents work together to achieve the best outcomes for their customers.
*Sourced from Contact Babel Report 2023
**Sourced from PWC 2024