Whether or not you are a customer support group making an attempt to help your organization’s clients or main an admissions division at a college and speaking with college students, getting folks the solutions they want — after they want them — is necessary.
However with regards to collaborating and speaking over e mail, it is easy to default to the instruments which might be already out there to you.
The commonest instance of that is utilizing an ordinary e mail shopper — like Outlook or Gmail — to handle your group’s inbox. However these instruments typically lack the options groups have to handle their inboxes in probably the most environment friendly method.
On this article we cowl the benefits and drawbacks of utilizing Outlook Shared Mailbox for e mail communication. We additionally provide seven Outlook Shared Mailbox alternate options to contemplate — and share some notable options of every.
Benefits and drawbacks of Outlook Shared Mailbox
Usually talking, Outlook Shared Mailbox’s largest benefit is that it’s free. You get entry to some very fundamental collaboration instruments that may show you how to kick off your help efforts, and the setup course of isn’t extremely sophisticated.
Additional, for those who’ve been utilizing Outlook as your normal e mail shopper, utilizing Shared Inbox is basically the identical interface. There shouldn’t be a lot of a studying curve for getting used to the fundamental performance of the instrument.
Nevertheless, Outlook Shared Mailbox is not a instrument expressly constructed for group e mail administration. There aren’t automations to scale back handbook work, and also you don’t get entry to the kinds of experiences that may show you how to higher perceive quantity and efficiency — issues that would enhance your group’s productiveness.
What all of it comes right down to is that this: Outlook Shared Mailbox merely isn’t a long-term resolution. In case you use it and have plans to develop, it’s not a query of if you’ll want a special resolution however when you’ll want one.
Indicators you will have outgrown Outlook Shared Mailbox
In case you’re nonetheless uncertain whether or not it’s essential discover a new resolution or not, see if any of the ache factors under apply to you. If a couple of does, chances are high you’re able to spend money on a special resolution.
Conversations are getting misplaced. With out the flexibility to assign conversations, maintaining observe of issues can get troublesome. When conversations slip by means of the cracks, each you and the folks you are replying to pay the value.
You might have hassle understanding group productiveness. Specialised instruments provide insights into issues like particular person efficiency and why persons are contacting you typically. With Shared Mailbox, you don’t get both.
Greater than two persons are utilizing Shared Mailbox. Shared Mailbox merely wasn’t constructed with collaboration in thoughts. We’ve discovered when the person rely exceeds two, issues like duplicate responses to the identical dialog begin taking place rather more steadily, which limits group productiveness and creates a irritating expertise for these contacting you.
You spend extra time creating fixes than responding to questions. When you have already got a program in place, it’s straightforward to attempt to make it bend to suit your particular wants. Nevertheless, typically you find yourself spending a lot time looking for options to deficiencies in a product that it hurts your skill to perform the first objective.
The 7 finest Outlook Shared Mailbox alternate options
In case you’re critical about managing e mail successfully, investing in a devoted e mail administration instrument is the path to go. Under are seven Outlook Shared Mailbox alternate options to contemplate in your search:
There’s some characteristic overlap among the many instruments under, however there are nuances to every possibility that make them higher fitted to totally different makes use of.
1. Assist Scout
Finest general Outlook Shared Mailbox different.
Assist Scout is e mail administration software program that empowers folks to collaborate extra effectively and work extra productively. Assist Scout’s shared inbox consists of collaboration options like:
Inner notes: Go away non-public notes to your teammates or one other division on incoming emails to collaborate extra successfully asynchronously.
Dialog assignments: Triage your incoming emails and rapidly assign them to the one who’s finest capable of present a solution.
Saved replies: Create a library of solutions to steadily requested questions, then insert any of these solutions into an e mail reply in two clicks to reply to routine questions in seconds.
Workflows: Automate repetitive actions — like assigning particular kinds of emails to particular people/departments — to scale back the quantity of handbook sorting work your group has to handle.
Together with a shared inbox, you additionally get entry to Docs, an easy-to-use information base builder. The WYSIWYG interface makes creating articles a breeze. You’re additionally capable of arrange articles by matter, and there’s built-in search performance, making it straightforward for the folks you are serving to to seek out the solutions they want.
Nevertheless, the very best factor about Assist Scout could also be its general ease of use. You may get began in as little as an hour and be an influence person by the top of week one. It’s really a product that’s capable of develop together with your wants and proceed to be a strong resolution for years to come back.
Worth: Beginning at $20/person per thirty days.
2. Hiver
Finest Outlook shared mailbox different for groups switching to Gmail.
One of the simplest ways to consider Hiver is as a Gmail extension. It connects to an present Gmail account however offers further help performance past what’s supplied in the usual e mail shopper. While you enroll, you get entry to collaboration instruments like inside notes and the flexibility to assign conversations to totally different workers.
Together with collaboration instruments, there are additionally productiveness instruments like saved replies, fundamental automations to restrict handbook work like dialog sorting, and experiences to see the place any gaps in service exist.
Nevertheless, Hiver doesn’t embrace instruments for issues like constructing a information base, and it additionally has seat limits on some plans, which can be problematic for some.
Worth: Beginning at $12/person per thirty days.