What Is The Future Of Email?
The software which can't be moved, or, so we thought. Now I hear people claim that email is dead.
From my first encounter in the '80s, I've watched it develop from being a quirky way to send messages around the office to the giant it has become, ending the dominance of the Fax Machine (I still have one, but we won't talk about that).
The thrill of sending messages to each other without actually talking to over the phone has long gone though.
Is Email Becoming Obsolete?
I'm no dinosaur, don't let my age deceive you. Email for many has overstayed it's welcome.
The old fashioned, outdated service that causes headaches and outcry. We have all complained about it. With the new digital platforms on offer, that give you more efficient, more straightforward ways to communicate. Who uses email marketing nowadays?
But it's hard to imagine an office without it. I've heard a lot of people telling me the mighty email is dead. Should we let it die, or is it a faithful companion that we shouldn't put down?
Shall we stick or twist with Email?
Stick
Quick Communication
When you have to send an essential message to a business client thousands of miles away from you, there aren't many communication services quicker than Email. After one click of send and a couple of seconds of stalling, it can hit anywhere.
It is quicker than a letter and you can use attachments to send documents. Calling people is inefficient, especially if you need to get through to a specific person. You end up spending half your time taking to Sue in accounts.
Free!
Yep, not a penny. Many smaller alternatives to email require a paid subscription. Years of experience using email, why would companies reach into their purse to only get the same service.
What is free may never die.
Everyone Uses It
It doesn't require training. From Generation Z to Baby Boomers and Silver Surfers, email is universal and doesn't require you to sit down and explain what a GIF is.
More importantly, your customers use email. You NEED then to have the same way of communication. Or you will just be talking to yourself. Never useful.
Email is More Visible
Not all Twitter posts get read. Facebook is even worse, with the constant array of cat videos to scroll through. Email also suffers from this problem, but at least the email won't disappear from their feed. They'll stay bold to catch the users attention until they open it. In fact, your message is 5x more likely to be seen through email than Facebook.
A much larger percentage of people have email addresses than social media. There are 3x more email accounts than there are Facebook and Twitter accounts combined. It's not bad for an old-timer!
It Keeps Record
Receiving hundreds of emails a day, what if you need to check them later? Having the opportunity to archive individual emails is a godsend. It's organized chaos!
Putting them all into carefully labelled folders to keep everything in check is strangely satisfying (You that too, right?).
Time To Twist?
They are Far Too Long
No one appears to be capable of sending a short email. The whole format invites you to write a long email. The younger generation of tomorrow doesn't want to read long, boring emails. They want snappy information in 240 characters. Well, that's what my sons tell me.
With the speed and reach of the internet ever-increasing, people are less likely to wait for a colleague's long response to their message. The world is running at million mph. People want quick short answers.
Spam Filters Causing Havoc
Spam filters are fantastic - saving time and keeping our inboxes clean - but the increased need to keep inboxes clear also raises the chances of real messages not finding their home.
Although they are a much-needed tool to get rid of all those messages from the young single women in my area who are so desperate to speak to a 50-year-old bloke, that they send pictures of themselves without clothes on! That's not all they block; unfortunately, although my filters successfully move hundreds of spam emails a day out of my inbox, sometimes they don't get it right and remove important emails.
Group Chats on Email?
Targeting larger groups is a mess. Deciding who should be included or not, is a stressful process, especially if you have a large pool. Then you have the problem of formal conversations taking far too long to solve a particular issue.
Every time you reply, you add to the chain of emails. If you leave your inbox for 15 minutes, you can come back to a long string of emails to open, one by one.
To tackle this, many companies have chosen the modern channel of employee apps like Slack, Rocket.chat and Bitrix24.
Open To (Mis)Interpretation
There is a fine line of being conversational but formal on email. We've all used slang terms when trying to relate to a client, but it may be taken the wrong way.
Clients can't see your emotion or tell when you're trying to be jokey. If you have ticked off a client, sending an apologetic email never cuts the mustard.
Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter encourage emotion, which is very hard to portray it in an email.
Is Email Marketing Effective?
Email marketing should never be underestimated. It may have its flaws, but it's so popular for a good reason. To ignore the email channel when communicating with your customers would be insane.
As long as you're able to please and meet your customer's needs, then do it. I would also encourage you to use other tools of communication as well, such as webchats, video, and social media, having a repertoire of tools at your disposal is useful.
It's 2020, Do You Still Use Emails?
Yes. Yes, I do.
Many see email as an old fashioned way of communicating (Yes I can't believe I just said that either), but it is going to be around for a long time. So you shouldn't be planning to give up on email just yet.
How do you make sure you're staff are using email to provide a great customer service? Through Cxceed! By using this software, you can get feedback from your customers on what they did and didn't like about their email conversation with you, making it easy to evaluate and improve the quality of the individual emails your staff are sending to your customers.
If you believe email is dead, I want to know why! Drop a comment below!
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