When you’re first digging in as a startup, a common way to manage customer service requests is through a shared email inbox. Support requests get routed there and employees take turns responding to customers. 

Over time, many fast-growing startups also outgrow being able to use this shared inbox efficiently for customer support. This is especially true as they expand their company, as well as their support team and customer base.

So when exactly is the right time to switch from email to a dedicated support solution? Here are five tell-tale signs you should make the change:

1. Limited email folder functionality

Email folders can definitely help with filing customer requests, but they still lack key features to effectively automate the customer support response process. These include the ability to assign emails to certain agents and being able to automatically add a priority level to a specific customer.

2. Customers complain on other channels

In today’s world, customers expect an instant response to their support requests and they are not afraid to be vocal about bad service experiences. When your support agents have slow response times, customers of today tend to take to Twitter or Facebook to complain. And they can do it in a matter of seconds through their mobile devices.

3. Fewer customer email requests

Email is still an important communication channel for customers today, but more and more, social media is becoming the outlet of choice for customers to voice their support requests – especially when they don’t get a response fast enough via email. Keep an eye out for declining email traffic, as that might be a sign that it’s time to look at a comprehensive solution that monitors all your customer service channels.

4. Too many cooks in the kitchen

“Agent collision” is common when using shared email for customer support. It happens when agents have no way to assign customer emails to their colleagues, or when agents unknowingly respond to the same customer email, often with different responses. This gives customers the impression that your support team is unorganized and there is a lack of communication between agents.

5. Emails go missing with no way to track them

Certain limitations on how companies can set up a shared inbox can lead to significant problems for your support team. Emails get lost, buried, accidentally deleted – the list goes on and on – and no one is accountable. These situations only increase as companies grow and having the right tools in place to automate these processes is critical.

Have you outgrown your shared email inbox for customer support? Click here for more info on how to make the switch to a customer support solution.

With the right technology, a Customer Engagement Center provides customer service support to all the channels where customers engage with your business. Read this e-book to learn how.