Shared email can be impractical and inefficient for customer service collaboration, especially when compared to a dedicated ticketing system specifically designed for customer service.
Here are five disadvantages of using shared email for customer service collaboration:
1. When using shared email, there is a risk of messages being missed or ignored:
When several people share an email account, it can be difficult to keep track of who is responsible for responding to a specific request and which requests require immediate follow-up. This can lead to some messages being overlooked or ignored.
In a ticketing system, all customer enquiries can be organised into separate cases (tickets), which can be categorised by type and priority level. This makes it easier to manage and prioritise enquiries and ensures that all customers receive a quick and efficient response.
2. Shared email provides limited tracking of messages and sharing of information:
When several people share an email account, it can be difficult to track who has responded to a specific email or which messages have been answered. This can lead to confusion and reduced efficiency.
A ticketing system makes it easier to share information between the customer service team, as everyone involved can see the same case and its history. This provides a comprehensive overview of the customer's situation and allows for better and more coherent follow-up.
3. Shared email does not allow for automation:
Shared email is limited in terms of automating tasks and workflows. This can lead to customer service processes taking longer and being less efficient.
A ticketing system can be set up with automated processes that ensure that cases are assigned to the right person and that the customer receives a quick response. This frees up time to focus on more complex inquiries.
4. There is a lack of functionality for prioritisation and escalation of issues when using shared email:
Emails often arrive in a continuous stream, which can make it difficult to identify and prioritise critical issues. This can lead to important issues not being addressed quickly enough. Shared email is limited in terms of customisation and tagging of messages. This can make it take longer to find relevant messages or make it more difficult to organise workflows efficiently.
By using a ticketing system, the customer gets a more professional customer experience by receiving the inquiry in a structured and organized way. Cases can be automatically prioritized based on content or category. Cases can be seamlessly escalated manually and automatically, so the right team can quickly address critical issues. It also improves the customer experience to receive automated feedback that the ticket has been received, as well as having the ability to follow up on the ticket by viewing the status of the case.
5. Shared email reduces security:
If several people have access to a shared email account, it can be difficult to control access and security of customer data. This can lead to sensitive data going astray or being misused.
A ticketing system provides better security by preventing unauthorized access to the information contained in the cases. You can also secure login with two-factor authentication and control access with rights management. You have information about who has access, who has been logged in and who has made changes.
Overall, a ticketing system provides better organization, information sharing, automation, customer experience and security, compared to shared email for customer service collaboration.
Shared emails rarely provide insights into data and statistics, read about critical KPIs to optimize your customer service team here.