Contacting support for anything can be a daunting task for many. Even if it’s for a query, contacting support is like going to that neighbor’s house whom we dislike. However, that’s not what we’re here for. We’re here to know whether using email support is a good idea for businesses of today or not.
Of course, emailing is one of the most important elements of any business. Heck, when you buy a website domain or even launch a brand, not having a business-related email is like walking out bald in a broad daylight.
Well, we don’t know about that but let’s check out some pros and cons of using email as a customer support method. Observing these will surely help us make a decision that can potentially be used for promoting our business’s communication with our customers. So let’s get started:
Pros Of Using Email As Customer Support
Here are the pros of using email as a tool for offering customer care services:
Easy to Communicate
The best thing about it is that it’s quite easy to communicate over email. For instance, you’re looking for the “best internet company near me” and come across the link of Windstream, one of the well-reputed internet companies in the US.
All you have to do is email Windstream customer service, and the company will respond in a matter of hours (response is subject to delivery and time zone differences). But what’s interesting is that you can add relevant details, add a reference to the offer you’re requiring information for, or even list your issue, if any, in the mail.
What happens is that it creates your profile in the company’s database. All concerned sources of the company can be added for entertaining your query or resolving it. Plus, they’ll also be referring to this email whenever you’re contacting them again.
Thus, emails make it easier for companies to host seamless communication with the clients while maintaining a record for future references.
Free To Use
Emails are free to use, and we’ve already mentioned how some processes such as domain purchases offer customized email (some offer free, some don’t). Even if you’re not buying a domain, you can simply create an email and then get a customized one later for free.
What’s meant here is that using emails for communication is easier and free whether it’s used internally or used by customers to reach out to you. Also, it’s one of the primary methods that you can use for letting customers contact since phone numbers for any business usually take time before they’re copyrighted.
Easily Accessible
Another good reason for using an email for customer services is that it’s almost accessible from every location (given there’s an internet connection). Customers can be sitting anywhere in the world and can reach out to support via emailing them.
On the other hand, some sort of arrangements will be required when opting for phone support. It makes it easier for customers to use email support for issues. However, the response rate will still be dependent upon the support team.
Cons Of Using Email As A Customer Support
Now that we’ve seen what are the potential benefits of using email as a customer service mean, it’s time to look at some of the drawbacks of this process:
Information Overload
One of the reasons why emails aren’t recommended for support services, especially for ongoing escalations is that it causes information overload. Representatives will need to find the relevant email and go through the history to check for the information they need.
Plus, if conversations are made in one email, losing that email will cause a potential data loss. This will surely ruin the situation since there’s no backup unless you have something in the trash that can be recovered or backed up on the drive.
Disruptive and Delayed
As highlighted earlier, communication through emails isn’t seamless and is disruptive. That is for people that are communicating in the same time zone. For those in different time zones, the disruption is furthered which truly causes a delay in conversation.
In other words, you cannot use emails for emergency support purposes. What if you’re waiting on a response needed immediately and the support replies after 12 hours because apparently, it was night over there.
Risky to Use Sometimes
Apart from the risk of losing information in the flood of emails and getting late responses, emails can prove to be fatal for your device. Hackers place malicious malware in emails. Opening such emails can release malware on your device.
The malware can also be ransomware that will corrupt every file and there’s no guarantee whether paying a ransom to the hacker will get you your data back or not. Although email customer support services use high-end protection software, there’s still a risk of being hacked via malware placed in an email.
Closing Thoughts
Based on the information shared above, it’s safe to say that email as customer support is a good option, especially when communicating officially. It keeps information secured, lets exchange media, and helps in coordinating effectively via referencing.
On the other hand, it’s risky when it comes to hacking and has a disruptive flow of communication that cannot be used for immediate responses. Therefore, it should only be used for issues or queries that can be tackled even when hours have passed.
