Managing inbound e-mail communications
For large organisations, e-mail volumes are already significant. For example, Bicknell
(2002) reports that the Nationwide Bank web contact centre receives nearly 20,000 e-
mails each month. According to Mark Cromack, Nationwide’s senior operations
manager, customer contacts by e-mail have increased fourfold between 2001 and 2002,
but through choosing the right process and tools, it has only been necessary to double
the number of operators. See Mini Case Study 5.3 for further information on this topic.
Successful management of inbound communications is important to service quality
as perceived by customers. In order to manage these communications, organisations
need to developinbound customer contact strategies.
Customer contact strategies are a compromise between delivering quality customer
service with the emphasis on customer choice and minimising the cost of customer con-
tacts. Typical operational objectives that should drive the strategies and measure their
effectiveness are:
Minimise average response time per e-mail and range of response time from slowest
to fastest. This should form the basis of an advertised service quality level.
Minimise clear-up (resolution) time – e.g. number of contacts and elapsed time
to resolution.
Maximise customer satisfaction ratings with response.
Minimise average staff time and cost per e-mail response.Customer contact strategies for integrating web and e-mail support into existing con-
tact centre operations usually incorporate elements of both of the following options.1 Customer-preferred channel. Here the company uses a customer-led approach where cus-
tomers use their preferred channel for enquiry whether it be phone callback, e-mail or
live-chat. There is little attempt made to influence the customer as to which is the
preferable channel. Note that while this approach may give good customer satisfaction
ratings, it is not usually the most cost-effective approach, since the cost of phone sup-
port will be higher than customer self-service on the web, or an e-mail enquiry.
2 Company-preferred channel. Here the company will seek to influence the customer on
the medium used for contact. For example, easyJet encourages customers to use
online channels rather than using voice contact to the call centre for both ordering
and customer service. Customer choice is still available, but the company uses the
web site to influence the choice of channel.Viral marketingharnesses the network effect of the Internet and can be effective in
reaching a large number of people rapidly in the same way as a natural virus or a com-
puter virus. It is effectively an online form of word-of-mouth communications.
Although the best-known examples of viral activity are of compromising pictures or
jokes being passed around offices worldwide, viral marketing is increasingly being used
for commercial purposes. Smith and Chaffey (2005) say ideally, viral marketing is a
clever idea, a game, a shocking idea, or a highly informative idea which makes compul-
sive viewing. It can be a video clip, a TV ad, a cartoon, a funny picture, a poem, song,
political message, or a news item. It is so amazing, it makes people want to pass it on. ACHAPTER 8· INTERACTIVE MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
Inbound customer
contact strategies
Approaches to
managing the cost and
quality of service
related to management
of customer enquiries.
6 Viral marketing
Viral marketing
E-mail is used to
transmit a promotional
message to another
potential customer.