Simplify Case Management With an Advanced Email to Case Solution in Salesforce
Quality customer service has become a key driver of growth for almost every brand.
According to recent research, 89% of customers[i] are likely to make another purchase after a positive customer service experience.
In fact, approximately three out of five consumers[ii] report that good customer service is a major factor for them to feel loyal to a brand.
This reflects the importance of extending exceptional customer service to your users.
Customers expect brands to provide prompt support when stuck with a product/service-related query. And emails are one of the most ideal mediums for agents to deliver support.
Thus, they rely on Salesforce Service Cloud to provide better customer service via emails.
In this article, we’ll discuss how an advanced solution for Email to Case in Salesforce can help you simplify and streamline Salesforce case management.
Table of Contents:
What is Email to Case in Salesforce?
Limitations of Email to Case in Salesforce
What is the Alternative to Salesforce’s Email to Case?
Reasons to Opt for Advanced Solution of Email-to-Case in Salesforce
What is Email to Case in Salesforce?
A case refers to a customer inquiry, feedback, or problem. Support agents utilize cases to engage with customers and monitor the resolution of issues.
On the Cases tab, you can generate, find, modify, organize, and filter cases and queues through both standard and customized list views.
Through Service Cloud’s case management, you can assign suitable agents automatically, enhance service workflows, and gain a comprehensive understanding of your cases.
Salesforce’s Email-to-Case functionality empowers you to communicate with customers via email directly from the Service Console, transforming customer emails into cases.
Limitations of Email to Case in Salesforce
1. Creates Duplicate Cases From an Email Thread
When customers reply to an existing email thread, the system might interpret it as a new case rather than appending it to the original case. This could lead to the creation of duplicate cases for the same issue, making it challenging to manage and track customer interactions efficiently.
2. Offers Limited Email Templates to Choose From
The available email templates may not cover the diverse range of cases or issues that customers might present. Limited templates can result in generic or inappropriate responses, leading to misunderstandings or dissatisfaction among customers. A broader set of templates could improve communication effectiveness.
3. Does Not Automatically Reopen a Closed Case
After resolving a case and closing it, there may be instances where customers provide additional information or have follow-up questions. Without an automatic reopening mechanism or notification system, these updates might go unnoticed, leading to delayed responses and potentially leaving customers feeling neglected.
4. Forward Emails as Cases That May Be Difficult to Understand
The system may not always accurately interpret and convert forwarded emails into comprehensible cases. This could result in cases with unclear details or missing information, making it challenging for support teams to understand the customer’s issue. This limitation may lead to increased response times and potential frustration for both customers and support staff.
What is the Alternative to Salesforce’s Email to Case?
Email to Case Advance (E2CA) is the extension of Salesforce’s standard functionality.
It simplifies the job of support agents with efficient processes and automation.
With E2CA, you can enable record types, keep different teams in the loop, extend case comments for outbound and inbound emails, and more.
And the best part is that this application doesn’t hamper any standard Salesforce Service Cloud features like page layout, setting ‘from address’, customized email templates, new email notifications, or any customization.
Now, let’s look at how advanced Salesforce case management enables you to take customer service to a whole new level.
Features of E2C Advance
With this smart solution, you can handle case management effectively. Let’s look at all the features this solution is packed with.
1. Clean Case Comment Creation from Email
Automatically create comments from emails generated in Salesforce.
a. Create case comments from incoming emails and remove unnecessary threading
b. Overwrite To and CC recipients based on incoming emails
c. Enable Case History comments on the Comment timeline based on History tracking for different fields in Salesforce
d. Select the Case history fields from the available fields for which comments should be generated on the comment timeline
e. Define domains for private comments to maintain a list of domains
f. Clean case comments by selecting from Incoming, Outgoing, or Both
2. Notify People in To, CC, and BCC
a. Manage email flows based on WorkFlow and Apex. Workflow is recommended when the case structure is simple and the recipient list is limited to 10. Apex is recommended when the case structure is quite complex with a big recipient list.
b. Define Blacklist domains/emails for which no cases/comments will be created in Salesforce
c. Define domains/emails in Exclude List fields for which cases/comments will be created in Salesforce but no case will be created nor added as a case team member in a particular case
3. Keep Different Teams in the Loop
Choose the team and roles you want to keep in the loop regarding case communication.
a. Enable Case teams on the add case comment page for a particular case
b. Select the Case team member role to be added to a particular recipient
c. Define the default recipient list where a particular Case team role should be included
d. Enable Account teams to be added as a Case Team
Also, you can easily add roles for Accounts and Case teams and send emails to selected teams.
4. Add Account Watchers on Case
Enable the Admin to include Watchers on the Account and Case Level. If a watcher is added to a particular Account and a Support Agent has a Contact created for that Account, all updates regarding the cases reported to that Agent will be forwarded to the Watcher.
This gives you the flexibility to add certain key account holders to be Account Watchers. For instance, a sales rep who reaches out to the customer can get an overview of the account as well as get notified whenever a case is updated or any comment is added.
5. Manage Communication on Closed Cases
Select how to deal with customer responses on closed cases. You can select from the following options:
a. Create a new case and set the status
b. Reopen the closed case and set the status
c. Either reopen the closed case or create a new one, and set its status
d. Take no action in case a customer replies to a closed case
6. Prevent Email Looping
Prevent case creation in Salesforce due to email looping when using an autoresponder. Admins can select a number beyond which email transactions will be blocked automatically.
a. Set the time cap for email arrival using the Email Looping Break Time (Min) feature
b. Enable Case Count to check how many cases can be created under the provided time cap
7. Auto-Attach Attachments
Simultaneously share multiple attachments/files using auto-attach.
a. Automatically attach the File with the Case Comment from the Add Comment Page
b. Select whether the uploaded file should be a File or an Attachment
8. Manage Forwarded Cases by the Internal Team
Manage case creation forwarded by agents, managers, technical support engineers, and others.
a. Create the case in the name of the original sender
b. Create a case in the customer’s name instead of the employee’s name
c. Define the record type, and set the status of the case forwarded by the internal team
9. Handle Cases From Non-Customers
Manage case creation from emails sent by non-customers. You can select from the following options:
a. Stop case creation entirely
b. Auto-close with an email to the user to register or log in
c. Create a new contact using the email address and Account ID
d. Create a case and sync the email to the leads
10. Configure Automated Article Suggestion
Auto-attach or search articles based on the email or case subject to send an automated response to the Case Creator.
a. Auto-attach KB articles in the Acknowledgment email sent to the Customer
b. Fetch articles from a third-party search article integration by checking Custom Code for Article Suggestion
11. Enable Duplicate Case Merge
Offer a solution to identify and manage duplicate cases.
a. Mark duplicate cases as child cases and mark one case as the parent case
b. Merge child cases with the parent case and set their status
c. Select Delete Duplicate to close or delete child cases
12. Enhanced Comments
Extend Case Comments for outbound and inbound emails beyond the 4K bytes limit in Salesforce.
a. Create a custom object as Enhanced Comment to include long comments up to 1.31K bytes
b. Create Case Comment against Enhanced Comment and get the expanded view
13. Add Case Comment Page
Enable the agent to draft the comment, update case fields, view the summary, add/change/remove recipients, view attachments, and View Existing Case Comments on a single page.
a. Auto Suggestion of recipients in the Recipient lists, including To, CC, BCC, Watchers, and Case Team
b. Search for users, contacts, case teams, and account teams in the recipients list
c. Addition of Draft and Scheduled Draft Comments on the Case Comment Page
d. Auto-save the draft in case the agent switches between different tabs or screens without manual saving
e. Preview the Email button on the page to view the comment as an email notification before sending
f. Add case team members based on the case team roles and recipients defined on the E2CA configuration tab
g. Include Attachments from the Available list or add new Attachments/files with the Comment
h. Canned Comment Functionality to include customized comment templates
14. Personalize Case Comment Page
Customize the Add Case Comment page with the ability to:
a. Include Rich Text Editor, Canned Comments, Attachments, and Email Templates on the Add Case Comment page
b. Select the no. of fields and the order in which fields should appear under the section Case Summary fields and Case Fields update using the fieldset
c. Include Existing Case Comments on the Add Case Comment page
15. Case Comments Timeline
The comment timeline shows the conversation on a particular case using Case Comments from Salesforce, Email, and Case History.
a. Enable different comment channels and types on the Comment timeline like Case Comments, Emails, Case History, Public/Private, and Drafts
b. Use the Search bar to search for different comments using keywords
c. Add Comment numbers to visualize the comments against their numbers using bottom to top approach
d. View the pagination on the comment timeline
e. View the different options like edit, delete, view, and preview email against different comments on the Comment timeline
f. Add different colors for different comments on the comment timeline
g. Add a comment on the comment timeline using different options like Public/Private buttons or Quick Comment “+” button
Reasons to Opt for Advanced Solution of Email-to-Case in Salesforce
1. Transform Support Operations With Effective Case Management
Integrating Email-to-Case Advance into your Salesforce Service Cloud simplifies case management for your support reps.
It ensures that all the case-related information is easily accessible and organized so that agents can provide quick and accurate customer support.
Moreover, it maintains a consistent communication channel between your customer and support reps and ensures that all the relevant parties are updated throughout the case resolution process.
It streamlines the Salesforce case management process and enables the support agents to handle customer cases much more efficiently and effectively.
This will lead to a boost in agent productivity. Customers expect prompt and efficient service, and this advanced solution for Salesforce’s Email to Case enables you to deliver according to their expectations by streamlining the case management process.
2. Fast-Track Your Case Resolution
Emails are still the favorite communication channel for many customers and the standard Email to Case functionality doesn’t offer enough features for support reps to expedite the case resolution.
Email to Case Advance helps businesses empower their support agents by providing clean cases to accelerate the process of case resolution.
As a result, customers receive timely responses to their queries and an elevated experience.
3. Deliver the Best Possible Customer Service
Successful implementation of customer experience strategies leads to improved satisfaction rates, reduced churn, and increased ROI.
And a better customer experience can be provided through superior customer service.
One way to achieve that is to manage their cases efficiently. Efficient case management plays a crucial role in achieving this goal by providing seamless information across the service team.
Salesforce Case Management empowers agents with comprehensive details such as service history, order status, and communication preferences. This enables personalized service and deeper customer understanding, benefiting the entire organization.
4. Solidify Customer Base
Solidifying your customer base becomes a seamless endeavor with the robust Case Management capabilities offered by Salesforce Service Cloud. Leveraging this powerful tool allows businesses to efficiently track, manage, and resolve customer issues, ensuring a superior customer experience.
Salesforce Service Cloud’s Case Management system enables support teams to create, prioritize, and assign cases swiftly, streamlining the entire customer service workflow. With features such as automated case creation from emails, comprehensive templates, and intelligent routing, Service Cloud ensures that no customer concern goes unattended.
Additionally, the platform’s ability to prevent the creation of duplicate cases, notify teams of new information, and reopen closed cases as needed, enhances responsiveness and fosters stronger customer relationships.
By utilizing Salesforce Service Cloud’s Case Management, businesses can address customer issues promptly and proactively engage with their clientele, ultimately solidifying and expanding their customer base through unparalleled service excellence.
How Email to Case Advance Facilitates Managing High Case Volume for Support Reps
Email to Case Advance plays a pivotal role in streamlining the intricate process of managing high case volumes for support representatives.
This innovative solution seamlessly integrates email communication into the case management system, providing a cohesive and efficient platform for support teams.
By automatically converting incoming emails into manageable cases, it eliminates the need for manual data entry and ensures a swift response to customer inquiries. The tool’s advanced features enable support reps to categorize, prioritize, and assign cases with ease, allowing for a more organized and systematic approach to handling a large volume of support requests.
Additionally, Email to Case Advance fosters collaboration among team members by centralizing all relevant information within the case management system, enhancing communication, reducing response times, and ultimately improving overall customer satisfaction.
Wrapping Up
With E2C Advance, you can improve your support efficiency and customer experience by saving emails as case comments, adding multiple attachments with the case, cleaning comments, and more.
Take, for example, how we enabled one of our customers, a leading cloud security provider, to boost their agents’ productivity with Email to Case Advance by simplifying case management. Find out more about it here.
If you wish to hit the support experience ball out of the park, Email to Case Advance is the way to go!
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