Email Responder Manager: Overview

Email Responder Manager: Overview

This article gives a brief description of Email Responder and the process of using it.

Email Responder is designed to make email customer service faster, easier and more pleasant both for the customer and the service representative.  It does this in two basic ways:

• Automation:  All common tasks are automated.  Messages are assigned to a person or group based on Smart Rules.  Responses are automated using the Template Library and Smart Fields.  Customer contact information is saved automatically.  
• Information Integration:  All information about the customer is at your fingertips.  If you are reading a message, the sender's correspondence History, phone number, and order history are all a single click away. Product and service information is built into the program.  There's no need to look up a URL: just use the appropriate Smart Field and the information is added to your reply automatically.

One useful way to look at Email Responder is to follow a single customer inquiry, start to finish.

1. Marten fills out a web form on your site with a question.  The form data is automatically sent to Email Responder as a message.
2. As soon as the message is delivered, it is analyzed based on Smart Rules and assigned to the Musical Instrument group.
3. Faye in the Instrument Group is the first person to see Marten's message in Email Responder.  She reads it and sees that he needs help unpacking his guitar.
4. Faye clicks Reply, and the Reply window opens.  She clicks Template, and from the Template Library selects How to unpack your musical instrument.  
5. The Template includes Smart Fields for the customer's name and the product name and URL.  When Faye clicks Send, these are automatically replaced by the correct information.  (Email Responder has automatically detected the name of the product by scanning Marten's message.)  
6. Email Responder sends Faye's response to Marten by email.
7. Marten clicks the link and finds the unpacking instructions.

Faye only had to spend about 30 seconds helping Marten.  Marten got his answer very quickly, so he is happy.

Once Marten has sent email to the company, all his information is available in the future.  For instance, if the model of guitar he purchased is recalled, Email Responder can be used to send a mass email to all customers offering a free repair.  If Marten writes in again, anyone reading his message will have access to the history of his exchange with Faye.

Answering email is the core function of Email Responder. Managers will also find the built-in reports invaluable both to help manage their group, and to supply important marketing and product information.