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Customer communication: E-mails replace service staff
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Electronic mail to replace personal customer dialogs
Three out of four companies want to upgrade their e-mail customer services
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Hamburg, Germany, September 6th, 2004 –
E-mails are all set to become the most important medium for customer communication. About 85 percent of Germany companies responsible for customer communication believe that the importance of e-mail will increase over time. More than three out of four see the internet as a vital focus for customer contact in the future. At the same time, less than half believes that the importance of telephone channels and personal customer dialogs will increase in the same way. These are the results generated by the study "Customer Communication Trends" which was carried out by novomind and the trade journal TeleTalk. The reason that electronic mail tops the list: the costs of personal customer service – especially for low-margin products – quickly outweigh any profits generated by product sales. In most cases, e-mail communication is the best low-cost alternative.
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Of all the communication channels, e-mail is set to lead the field.
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Retailers already communicate with customers more by e-mail than in person. In the future, electronic mail will play an even greater role in customer communication. Why? Personnel and processing costs are significantly lower for e-mail communication than for personal dialogs. For example, a telephone call costs a customer six to eight Euros. In comparison, an e-mail costs just half that. For this reason, three quarters of participants want to expand their e-mail customer services. In-depth, personal dialogs will in future be favored for high-margin products.
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Companies are convinced that e-mail is the medium of the future: more than half believe that the number of e-mail customer requests will increase dramatically over the next two years. Companies want to be prepared when it happens: six out of ten want to improve their e-mail management systems.
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Despite the advantages of e-mail in terms of cost, managers are also aware of the difficulties of electronic mail: 65 percent of those asked are worried about the consequences of decreasing personal contact. Six out of ten are afraid that customers may reject e-mail communication due to the high risk of spam mail. In addition, 40 percent see slow processing times as a potential problem. Online travel agencies, for example, currently only respond to one out of five e-mail queries within the hour. And one in four customer requests is left unanswered.
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However, companies want to confront and resolve these problems: three quarters of participating managers are aiming to respond more quickly to requests in future. 70 percent announced that they will be linking up e-mail communication with telephone and internet channels. In future, just one call center would be able to answer customer e-mails, take customer calls and provide online shop services. The aim is to make customer communication more efficient and more flexible. In addition, one in two is planning to boost trust ratings by dispatching status e-mails.
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The current study – "Customer Communication Trends" – is based on the results of an online poll commissioned by novomind AG and carried out in July, 2004, in cooperation with the trade journal, TeleTalk and with the support of Inworks, specialist for poll and complaints management software. 118 company representatives responsible for customer communication participated. A copy of the study can be requested free of charge by sending an e-mail to novomind at pr@novomind.com.
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novomind AG provides software for the customer communications sector, enabling optimized processes and lower costs. The product department’s portfolio includes e-mail management systems, as well as virtual customer services assistants and interactive online applications enabling interactive communication in real time. The novomind services department develops complex e-business applications, including scalable online shop solutions. novomind’s products and solutions focus on future-oriented service, efficient and personalized communication, and higher-performance administration. A rapid ROI is guaranteed and ongoing customer loyalty ensured. Leading companies from across the market sectors – including Bertelsmann Der Club, Otto, Sparkasse Erlangen, BKK Gesundheit, Travelocity and Hannoversche Leben, as well as public sector representatives such as the German Federal Ministry of Health and Social Security (BMGS) – have already successfully implemented novomind systems to boost customer loyalty, turnover and public relations.
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