INMA_A01.QXD

Stage 1: Customer defines support query

Companies should consider how easily the customer can find contact points and com-

pose a support request on site. Best practice is clearly to find e-mail support options.

Often, finding contact and support information on a web site is surprisingly difficult.

Standardised terminology on site is ‘Contact Us’ or ‘Support’. Options should be avail-

able for the customer to specify the type of query on a web form or provide alternative

e-mail addresses such as [email protected] [email protected], or in

offline communications such as a catalogue. Providing FAQs or automated diagnostic

tools should be considered at this stage to reduce the number of inbound enquiries.

Epson (www.epson.co.uk) provides an online tool to diagnose problems with printers

and to suggest solutions.

Finally, the web site should determine expectations about the level of service quality. For

example, inform the customer that ‘your enquiry will be responded to within 24 hours’.

Stage 2: Receipt of e-mail and acknowledgement

Best practice is that automatic message acknowledgement occurs. This is usually pro-

vided by autorespondersoftware. While many autoresponders only provide a simple

acknowledgement, more sophisticated responses can reassure the customer about when

the response will occur and highlight other sources of information.

Stage 3: Routeing of e-mail

Best practice involves automated routeing or workflow. Routeing the e-mail to the right

person is made easier if the type of query has been identified through the techniques

described for Stage 1. It is also possible to use pattern recognition to identify the type of

enquiry. For example, Nationwide (www.nationwide.co.uk), see Mini Case Study 5.3, use

CHAPTER 5· THE INTERNET AND THE MARKETING MIX

Figure 5.11Stages in managing inbound e-mail

Customer defines

Receipt and

acknowledgement

Routeing

Response

Follow-up

Autoresponders or
‘mailbots’
Software tools or
‘agents’ running on
web servers that
automatically send a
standard reply to the
sender of an e-mail
message.