How Is Email Evolving and Becoming More Automated?

Nicolas Marcoin at Odigo explores how AI is transforming email as a customer service channel, improving efficiency, classification, and response times.

Email has long been a cornerstone of customer service communication. Popularised early in the rise of the internet, it is one of the few channels that operates across a shared protocol among providers.

Today, nearly everyone has at least one email address, often more. Like other communication channels, email has evolved to keep pace with modern needs, benefiting from the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) while maintaining its user-friendly appeal.

Email: A Key Customer Service Channel That Stands the Test of Time

Despite the rise of new channels, email remains the second most used method of contacting customer services, after live agent calls.

According to the 2024 ContactBabel UK Contact Centre Decision-Makers’ Guide email accounted for 16.5% of inbound interactions. And it’s easy to see why:

• It’s the most widely used digital channel.
• It supports asynchronous communication, allowing both customers and agents to manage their time more efficiently.
• It is a valuable way to create a formal paper trail. According to the Civil Evidence Act 1995 (c.38 section 8) a ‘statement contained in a document’ – considered to include emails – is admissible evidence in a UK civil court.

Email’s straightforward and flexible nature has helped it adapt to new trends and advancements. Today, it’s not just text – email can deliver rich multimedia content, such as videos, links, and documents.

Additionally, the majority of digital accounts, applications, and platforms rely on email as a key component for functionality, often incorporating in-app emailing features. This adaptability has made email indispensable.

The Future of Email: Overcoming Challenges With AI

While email remains a popular and versatile channel, it comes with certain limitations. As volumes increase, response times can lengthen significantly.

According to the 2024 ContactBabel report, in 2022, 31% of email queries took more than five days to reach resolution.

Additionally, 37% of responses were manually composed by agents using a blank email, highlighting the inefficiency and time-consuming nature of handling email enquiries. These delays and manual processes are far from ideal in meeting customer expectations for timely, effective communication.

These issues are compounded by poorly qualified emails and the complexity of certain queries, leading to frustrating back-and-forth exchanges.

Customers may even switch to other channels, affecting both productivity and operational costs. However, new AI advancements are now significantly improving email handling efficiency.

AI Revolutionising Email Classification and Efficiency

The key to efficient email management lies in proper classification. To improve response times and reduce unnecessary email exchanges, emails need to be accurately qualified from the outset.

Traditionally, classification relied on keyword searches and semantic analysis of subject lines. However, as emails grow in length and complexity, this approach is no longer sufficient. Enter AI, with its ability to harness large language models to understand natural language and large volumes of text on a deeper level.

AI’s capabilities extend beyond simple keyword detection. It can now extract:

• The customer’s intentions: what they need to discuss or resolve with the company.
• Crucial information: such as dates, references, or competitor names.
• Emotional cues: including frustration, anger, joy, or relief.

This depth of understanding helps refine prioritisation and with precision approach to each email.

The Benefits of Intelligent Email Solutions

Integrating AI into email management offers clear advantages for both customers and service teams.

For customers, it means faster, more accurate responses and higher first-contact resolution rates. For businesses, it leads to better-quality email handling, fewer service transfers, and reduced channel-switching.

While not yet fully realised, generative AI (such as ChatGPT) is set to enhance this even further. In the near future, AI could automatically draft responses to common queries, streamlining customer interactions.

While this feature is still under development to ensure it meets regulatory requirements, it’s on the horizon. Generative AI, when applied to direct customer interactions, must adhere to higher standards of accuracy, security, and compliance – especially in a channel often used for complex queries.

Use Cases

As a core channel there are clear implications across every sector. Here are some notable examples:

Utilities

For vulnerable customers who may feel more comfortable explaining their situation via email, AI can play a crucial role in ensuring they receive the support they need, by extracting key details and routing to dedicated teams for specialist support.

Insurance

When customers submit supporting evidence for an ongoing claim, such as documents or explanations, AI can swiftly extract relevant details like claim numbers, document types, and incident descriptions.

This allows for faster qualification and routing to the appropriate claims handler, ensuring that complex cases are efficiently managed, reducing the back-and-forth between the customer and the insurer.

Retail

When customer trust is undermined by faulty goods, AI can identify the order number, product information, and purchase date. Rapid accurate qualification expedites the handling of these requests, allowing for timely support.

Public Sector

For eligibility and process queries, AI can analyse incoming emails to quickly determine the nature of the inquiry. By routing these emails directly to the appropriate department, the public sector can avoid delays and ensure that citizens receive timely and accurate responses.

While AI offers many useful applications for email management, its true power lies in integration with a broader, omnichannel communication strategy. In isolation the full potential of AI can’t be realised nor can it resolve all email-related challenges.

That’s why it’s crucial to choose a comprehensive, omnichannel CCaaS platform that can handle emails end-to-end, integrated with advanced AI capable of understanding and improving customer interactions across all channels.

Conclusion

Email, once a traditional channel, is now undergoing a significant transformation, benefiting from the advancements of AI, particularly large language models. These technologies are revolutionising email classification, offering significant benefits for both customer service teams and customers alike.

However, to truly reap these benefits, businesses must choose tools that are specifically tailored to their structure and needs.

This blog post has been re-published by kind permission of Odigo – View the Original Article

For more information about Odigo - visit the Odigo Website

About Odigo

Odigo helps large organisations connect with individuals through world-class, cloud-based contact centre solutions. Our cutting-edge, proprietary technologies enable a seamless, efficient, omnichannel experience for your customers and a satisfying, engaging experience for your service agents.

Find out more about Odigo

Call Centre Helper is not responsible for the content of these guest blog posts. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of Call Centre Helper.

Author: Odigo