When it comes to jobs like sales and support, having the right email collaboration software can mean the difference between success and failure. After all, 75% of employers believe that team collaboration is very important.
The most important features to look for in email collaboration software
What characteristics should you look for in the best email collaboration software? How do you know if you've discovered the right tool?
A good email collaboration tool should at least have the following features:
1. Real-Time Updates
Email collaboration tools should provide real-time email status updates. Real-time updates and notifications are the most effective way to ensure that no email or support request is missed and that management is aware when someone (client) has already been assisted.
2. Personalization
Personalization is essential when your team is working together on a single platform to send out email communication or assist customers in resolving issues. Customers who receive personalized customer service feel more in control of the conversation, which reduces feelings of stress and defeat.
Each user on your email collaboration platform should be able to add their own signature or display their own name so that others know who they're working with.
3. Private Groups and Discussion Threads
Team members may require assistance with a response, so having a dedicated thread for private chats and discussions in your email management tool is a great collaboration feature to have.
4. Integrations
Incorporating your email communications platform with other third-party apps that your team already uses aids in the standardization of processes within your organization.
5. Tracking of accounts
When working in a group, it is critical to hold everyone accountable. Knowing who has handled each account is critical to running a smooth operation, whether it's for sales or support.
The 8 best email collaboration software platforms
1. Help Scout
This is so far the best email collaboration software.
Help Scout is an email collaboration software platform that focuses on customer support and relationship building. Help Scout provides a number of features to assist teams in improving email communication and collaboration, including:
A shared inbox: Allow your entire team to access shared communication and customer requests. Tag conversations easily, receive real-time updates, and share private notes with team members.
Automation: Create workflows to help automate repetitive tasks and conversations, resulting in faster response times and a better customer experience.
Saved replies: Responding to FAQs with saved responses helps you save time with each customer while also providing consistency in communication.
Account tracking: In your Help Scout interface sidebar, keep track of details about each customer and how their accounts have been handled.
Integrations: To streamline processes, Help Scout uses integrations such as Trello, Slack, Jira, Shopify, and Asana.
If you have a small team that already uses Gmail, Google's Collaborative Inbox tool is a great option that will be simple to implement for your team.
Simply create a group with everyone in your Google account (or at least everyone who needs access to the collaborative inbox), then enable Collaborative Inbox. From there, you can assign conversations to each other, resolve completed conversations, and use labels to categorize conversations.
Google Collaborative Inbox is the most basic shared email tool for Gmail users, but it can be a great low-cost solution for teams that don't require extra features.
It's free for teams using google space
Best for Outlook Users and It's Free for Teams using Microsoft 365.
Outlook Shared Mailbox is similar to Google Collaborative Inbox, but it is only available to Microsoft users. This shared inbox feature is intended to provide multiple email users with access to a single email account, such as info@company.com or support@company.com.
This feature enables your entire team to send and receive emails from these generic email addresses without having to repeatedly sign in and out of their email apps.
If your team requires more in-depth online collaboration tools, Outlook Shared Mailbox is probably not the best option for your company. However, if you only need a basic solution that allows your sales or support team to access all emails in a single location, this could be it.
The best email collaboration software for businesses.
Teamwork Desk is a team collaboration tool that includes a help desk and email collaboration features. It includes team chat software, knowledge base management, and a CRM to help teams — particularly agencies — work better together and ensure customer satisfaction.
This is an excellent choice for support teams or marketing firms that require access to multiple collaboration tools in one place.
5. Gmelius
Because Google Collaborative Inbox lacks in feature offerings and can become cluttered, Gmelius can be a great option for teams looking for more from Google Workspace. Gmelius works by inserting itself directly into your Gmail window, saving your team the trouble of learning a new piece of software.
Workflow automation, the ability to convert emails into tickets and update their statuses, and the ability to use Gmelius as a project management tool by converting your inbox into Kanban boards are all features.
6. Hiver
Hiver is yet another Gmail-only collaboration tool for larger teams who are already using Gmail and want an easier way to manage customer emails.
Hiver comes with a number of features to help users manage their email inbox, from delegating emails and adding tags or notes to utilizing email templates and setting up automation. Hiver also has a mobile app to help teams keep up with communication on the go.
7. Missive
Missive, the final tool on our list, combines email collaboration and project management. Signature personalization, conversation assignments, team inboxes, live chat, social media (Instagram, SMS, Twitter, Custom) and SMS messaging, and integrations are just a few of the features available from Missive.
There is a free plan available. Paid plans begin at $13 per user per month.
8. LiveAgent
Live Agent assists businesses in providing better customer service via all communication channels, including email, chat, and phone. With LiveAgent, a customer service software trusted by 30.000+ businesses worldwide, you can wow your customers and grow your business.
Categories in common with Help Scout:
Help Desk
Customer Self-Service
Live Chat
Digital Customer Service Platforms
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