Email as a channel to request support

It may be better to have a mix of channels, including email-to-case, whilst nudging people to the portal or mobile app

The arguments are well rehearsed. It’s better for people to use a portal or mobile app rather than email to get support, right? Well, it certainly makes sense from the support organisation’s point-of-view. Good knowledge articles deflect some cases. Forms capture all the data needed to complete a transaction reducing back-and-forth and errors. Chatbots reduce the load on the telephone and human chat channels.

However, in my experience, some of those people seeking support do not agree… at least at first. This can be especially true for third parties you provide support to like former employees, customers or suppliers. They may be reluctant to register for portal access to ask a “quick question” they previously got answered by email.

After investing in ServiceNow or similar application, it’s tempting to kill those shared mailboxes. It may be better to have a mix of channels, including email-to-case, whilst transitioning people to more modern channels. This can help change management, but the costs should be acknowledged. These can include maintaining email-to-case configuration and having to manually review and assign cases.