THE 10 RULES For Evaluating An E-Mail Management Solution.

Have you ever considered how society would function without communication? A world without communication, at the very least, would be a world without commerce. Indeed, we can consider ourselves fortunate to be on the cusp of the latest innovation in telecommunications, namely the Internet. Since its development in the 1960s and the subsequent exponential growth of the World Wide Web in the 1990s, the Internet has enabled society to experience an information revolution on a truly global scale. The arrival of the Internet and, as a result, e-mail as a premier means of communication has fundamentally changed the way in which we interact with each other forever. Recent research estimates the total global online population at 377.65 million [1] with the number of e-mail messages sent on an average day expected to hit 10 billion worldwide this year. By 2005, this will more than triple to a staggering 35 billion e-mail communications sent daily. [2]

Yet in this age of technology, it is amazing that companies still fail to respond to customer e-mail time and time again. A recent survey [3] found that European Internet Banks failed to respond to almost 50 percent of e-mail messages within eight hours. The figure is even higher in the United States at 64 percent. E-mail management is rapidly becoming a competitive necessity. The question, therefore, is not whether to offer e-mail as a channel for customer interaction, but rather which e-mail management product to select. This article outlines the top 10 key issues for large, globally distributed organizations to consider when prospecting for an e-mail response management solution (ERMS).

1) The solution must fit the existing technical infrastructure.

The more enlightened companies have determined that different architectures are appropriate in different settings. The technical architecture needs to dictate the end solution, not the reverse. The software must be able to run in a multitude of environments -- perhaps even within one implementation. In addition, as the company changes, the solution must be flexible enough to change as well.

The solution must have the proper fault tolerance and safety protocols. To the average call center manager it might not feel this way, but a company's customer service function is the most important area of the business. It is quite surprising to see how many ERMS solutions lack important safety protocols such as fault tolerance and back-up capabilities. Simply put, be sure your customers are able to talk to you.

(2.) Make sure the ERMS system can handle the deluge of customer interactions.

Expect the volume of electronic communications to grow. According to a study conducted by the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals in Business (SOCAP) in 1999 to benchmark the e-mail/Internet practices of its membership, "the 57 percent of member companies that actively encouraged consumer contact through e-mail experienced an average weekly increase in mail of 148 percent." [4] By planning for this growth, you are future-proofing your ERMS choice.

Plan for peak periods and expect electronic communications to grow. Remember Victoria Secret's online fashion show last Christmas season? It had everything -- sexy models, sexy underwear and a sexy online delivery -- and it crashed because the volume of interest was much higher than Intimate Brands, the parent company, ever anticipated. Do you want the same thing to happen to your ERMS system?

(3.) Expect intelligence from your ERMS solution.

The solution should help you set it up. Essentially, ERMS solutions work by comparing inbound communications with a defined set of "rules". When the comparison is made, the outcome of these rules assigns a categorization (e.g., this is an e-mail about a bank balance) that, in turn, determines the routing of the communication.

Most often, the generation and modification of these rule sets require manual intervention from a systems and/or customer service expert; however, a handful of vendors have introduced solutions that either suggest or generate these rules. While even rule recommendation is preferable to manual setup, companies seeking an intelligent ERMS solution should look for features that "train" the tool.

These self-learning features will not only reduce setup time (and thus increase ROI), hut since they can also be used to retrain the solution as the business changes, the solution becomes far more adaptable to product, promotional and structural changes.

Demand accuracy. This might seem selfevident, but your ERMS solution is only as good as the accuracy of the categorization of the inquiries. Be sure that your vendor can provide you with evidence that its engine returns accurate categories. If possible, look for outside verification such as the Reuters 21578 data test.

Customers have complex questions. In responding to customer inquiries, it is tempting to consider an automatic response the best possible option. It a perfect world, this might be the case, however, an ERMS system must have the ability to have an internal representative modify a response (i.e., recommended response) rather than simply responding automatically (i.e., automated response).

While the ability to provide internal representatives with responses is important, response templates should be present to facilitate effective response. Also remember, without the human touch, be prepared to lose important customers due to incomplete and impersonal responses.

Don't expect that customers will submit short, simple questions. They will ask multiple questions within one e-mail. Be sure that the ERMS system can answer all of the questions, preferably within a single response.

Look for help managing your staff. ERMS systems have come a long way since the first ones were introduced to manage email for dot com companies. Today, they are capable of balancing workloads, setting response times and determining escalation procedures. Expect your ERMS system to help you administer your support staff.

4) Make sure the ERMS solution works in multiple locations and settings.

Your company is complex. When selecting an ERMS solution, remember that you may need to maintain multiple product lines, multiple geographies and/or multiple languages. Be sure that your ERMS solution contains features that allow you to configure your overall response "hierarchy" to respond in a coordinated, comprehensive fashion. These features include partitioning of the rule sets, automated learning (see above) and efficient handling of multiple languages where necessary.

5) Don't forget about multiple languages.

The face of the public has changed. The days when we dealt with customers with a single set of needs have gone as well. Not only do customers interact with your company for differing needs, but they speak a multitude of languages as well. If you want to be truly global, then your customer interaction system needs to be as well.

Be sure your ERMS system has, the capacity to manage multiple languages concurrently. Companies considering an mail management system need to account for their non-English preferring customers and provide them with the same level of customer service.

Avoid ERMS packages that claim to "translate" the message. Simply put, this is more difficult than it sounds. Across the globe there are many variations of the same language. Particularly when slang is involved, translating online produces erroneous results. In addition, translation per se is unnecessary. The better option is to be sure that the message is put before a customer service representative who is capable of answering in the customer's native tongue, and the ERMS facilitates the process by providing template responses in localized languages.

Don't assume that foreign language means European. Some languages are more difficult to program than others. These languages, which include Japanese, Arabic and Chinese, are typically referred to as "double byte." A truly robust ERMS system is able to manage these languages in much the same way as the European set.

Don't forget about your own customer service representatives. Dealing with multiple languages involves providing your own personnel with interfaces that are comfortable to operate in. If you are a Japanese customer service rep answering Japanese language inquiries, it' is best for you to have interfaces that are also in Japanese.

6) Be security conscious.

Safeguard the confidentiality of your customer interactions. Customers are entrusting you with their most vital information. For more sensitive inquiries, you may need to offer a level of security to ensure the privacy and authenticity of the information being exchanged. Consider an ERMS that supports public key infrastructure (PKI) and secure socket layer (SSL). PKI technology is increasingly being recognized as the de facto standard for e-mail encryption, while SSL is required to secure the connection between servers.

7) Make sure you form a unified view of the customer.

Provide intelligent, contextual responses to all customer inquiries within a specific time frame. The overall objective of installing an ERMS is to empower customer-facing staff with the technology to accomplish the following:

* Respond with the necessary information to formulate an intelligent response,

* Respond within the context of the overall customer relationship, and

* Increase productivity to enable responses within the appropriate time frames.

8) It's all about providing excellent service.

Provide quick answers, not quick responses. Remember that the best response is a quick, yet complete response. Many ERMS packages offer rapid responses to inbound inquiries, but in responding quickly, the solution only meets half the requirement. Customers want answers, not just responsess, to their questions. While it is critical to choose a package that operates with a high degree of accuracy, it is also. important to ensure that the human touch is available.

Give your best customers-priority. As they tell you in business school, not all customers are created equal. When selecting an ERMS solution, choose one that under stands this axiom. Your best customers need to be recognized instantly and given preferential treatment (e.g., bumped to the beginning of the line or given special handling).

9) Insist on a solution that is easy to implement.

Ensure rapid implementation. Whether a company determines the success of a software implementation through return on investment (ROI), net present value (NPV), hurdle rate, strategic evaluation, or some other method, it is always in a company's best interest to achieve benefits as soon as possible. Therefore, a company should look for a solution that can be implemented within a short time. Best implementation times currently occur within six weeks.

So how do you achieve this implementation time? Look for automated learning features (see #3), experienced Implementation personnel and a solid understanding of the company's needs.

10) Choose a vendor that understands your business and operations.

ERMS solutions cannot be bought"off the shelf." Inviting customer interactions via email requires commitment from all involved to ensure a successful implementation and future relationship. This requires confidence in not only the vendor's technology, but also its ability to deliver on pre-implementation and post-implementation support.

Some final tips:

* Check for a successful track record in your industry.

* Seek assurance of a vendor's commitment to the development of technology in this area as evidenced by its product development road map.

* Judge your vendor by the company it keeps.

* Check focus and ability to adapt operations based on your needs -- pick a vendor that nurtures customer relationships.

E-mail offers organizations the opportunity to communicate with customers via a cost-reducing, modern interface. In fact, many would argue that e-mail is the Internet's only killer application. What we can say for certain is that it is by far the most popular method of asynchronous communication currently available. E-mail has a long-term future and is experiencing exponential adoption rates across the globe. Your decision to implement an ERMS should therefore be a strategic one. Consult widely and choose carefully for the long term.

Erik Hille is the vice president of marketing of Amacis, Inc. (www.amacis.com), a provider of ERMS solutions for the global market.

(1.) Nua Ltd.

(2.) International Data Corporation.

(3.) Cap Gemini Ernst & Young.

(4.) "You've Got Mail: Managing Customer

E-mail," Nelson, Stephen R. Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals in Business survey, 1999.