What is Unified Inbox? Things You Must Know!

Sayeda Rudaina Zannat

September 7, 2024

Have you ever experienced switching from Gmail to Outlook, or Facebook to WhatsApp to ensure you are reaching your customers at the right time with the right services? Did you feel overwhelmed by doing that continuously, or did you feel waste of time by spending too much time switching different media to entertain your customers?

Unified Inbox is the idea that replaces the pain of businesses. Businesses can respond to customers now in a unified inbox, no matter from which platform they are receiving the messages from the customers.

You can also ensure seamless customer interactions for your business by using a unified inbox platform like Mevrik CX AI.

Let’s learn more about this unified inbox, usage, management, and setups.

What is Unified Inbox?

A Unified Inbox is defined as an inbox that can rule over all messages in one platform. It centralizes all messages from different platforms like email, Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, and LinkedIn. Switching to different channels is no longer required when everything is possible to handle in a single platform.

Now, you can manage your customers on one platform, and your response will articulate the original channel from which your customers approached you.

What are the Benefits of a Unified Inbox?

There are a lot of benefits to a unified inbox. In this section, we’ll highlight some of them. 

1. Improved Response Time

Customer response is more improvised with fast, seamless, and interactive customer engagements in this unified inbox. Business agents are assigned through auto-assignation which makes the response process time faster. With all customer messages in one place, it's easier to prioritize and respond quickly, reducing response times and enhancing customer satisfaction.      

2. Auto Assignation

The SaaS platform has settings to optimize auto-assignation which is also known as auto-routing. Through this auto-routing assignation, the right agent can reach with right service with your customer. 

3. Centralized Data & Analytics

By gathering all communications in one place, businesses can more easily analyze interactions, identify trends, and gain insights into customer behavior. This data can inform decision-making and improve overall strategy.

4. Consistent Customer Experience

A unified inbox ensures that customer interactions are consistent, regardless of the channel used. This helps maintain a cohesive brand voice and reduces the chances of miscommunication

Manage Your Customers with Mevrik Unified Inbox

Managing your customers with the Mevrik Unified Inbox is a powerful way to centralize, streamline, and enhance your customer service operations. Here’s how you can effectively use the Unified Inbox to manage customer interactions and improve overall customer experience:

1. Centralized Customer Communication

Unified View: The Unified Inbox brings together all customer communications across various channels—such as email, social media (e.g., Messenger, Instagram DM, WhatsApp), SMS, live chat, and video chat—into a single, cohesive platform. This allows your team to manage all interactions from one place without having to switch between multiple tools.

Contextual Conversations: By centralizing communications, agents have full visibility into each customer’s history, enabling them to provide more personalized and informed responses. This reduces the time spent searching for information and ensures consistency in customer interactions.

2. Efficient Message Routing and Assignment

AI-Based Routing: Mevrik’s Unified Inbox leverages AI to intelligently route incoming messages to the most appropriate agents based on factors like message content, customer history, and agent expertise. This ensures that inquiries are handled quickly and by the right people.

Task Assignment: Agents can easily assign tasks or specific messages to team members, ensuring that no inquiry goes unanswered and that each customer issue is addressed by the most qualified person.

3. Enhanced Team Collaboration

Shared Views and Internal Notes: The Unified Inbox supports collaboration by allowing agents to share views of customer interactions and leave internal notes for their colleagues. This fosters teamwork and ensures that all agents are aligned on customer issues, leading to more effective resolutions.

Real-Time Collaboration: Teams can work together in real-time on customer cases, discussing issues and sharing insights directly within the platform, which enhances the speed and quality of service.

4. Automated and Consistent Responses

Canned Responses: Create and store pre-written responses for frequently asked questions or standard inquiries. This not only speeds up response times but also ensures that your messaging remains consistent across all channels.

Auto-Responses: Set up automated responses to acknowledge receipt of customer messages, providing immediate reassurance that their inquiry has been received and is being handled.

5. Advanced Analytics and Insights

Customer Interaction Analytics: Use the analytics features in Mevrik’s Unified Inbox to track and analyze customer interactions. You can monitor key metrics such as response times, resolution rates, and customer satisfaction scores to identify areas for improvement.

Agent Performance Monitoring: Gain insights into agent performance by tracking metrics like the number of interactions handled, resolution times, and customer feedback. This helps in identifying top performers and areas where additional training may be needed.

By leveraging the features and capabilities of Mevrik’s Unified Inbox, you can manage your customers more effectively, leading to improved satisfaction, loyalty, and business growth.

How do You Set Up a Unified Inbox with Mevrik CX AI?

Setting up a Unified Inbox within Mevrik CX AI involves several steps to ensure that it is tailored to your business needs and integrates with the appropriate channels. Here’s a guide to help you through the process:

Step 1: Access the Unified Inbox Setup

Login: Start by logging into your Mevrik CX AI dashboard.

Navigate to Settings: In the dashboard, find and click on the "Settings" option.

Select Unified Inbox: Within the settings menu, locate and select the "Unified Inbox" option to begin the setup process.

Step 2: Connect Communication Channels

Add Channels: Begin by adding the communication channels you want to consolidate into the Unified Inbox. This can include:

  • Email accounts (e.g., Gmail, Outlook)
  • Social media accounts (e.g., Facebook Messenger, Instagram DM, WhatsApp)
  • SMS services
  • Live chat and video chat services
  • Other digital platforms your business uses.

Authentication: For each channel, you will need to authenticate your accounts by following the prompts (e.g., logging in, and granting access permissions).

Configure Channel Settings: Customize how each channel is managed within the inbox, such as assigning default tags, setting up auto-responses, and routing rules.

Step 3: Set Up AI-Based Routing

Define Routing Rules: Set up AI-based routing to ensure that incoming messages are directed to the appropriate agents or departments. You can configure routing rules based on:

  • Message content (keywords)
  • Channel type
  • Customer history
  • Agent availability and expertise.

Automate Assignments: Enable automation to assign messages to the best-suited agents, reducing manual workload and improving response times.

Step 4: Customize the Interface

Personalize Layout: Adjust the layout of the Unified Inbox to suit your team’s workflow. This can include rearranging message views, setting up tabs for different channels, and customizing the appearance of the interface.

Set Up Canned Responses: Create and save common responses for frequently asked questions or standard inquiries to speed up the reply process.

Organize Folders and Tags: Set up folders, tags, and categories to organize messages effectively, making it easier to track and manage customer interactions.

Step 5: Configure Notifications and Alerts

Enable Notifications: Set up notifications and alerts for new messages, priority inquiries, or messages that require urgent attention. Customize how and when your agents receive these notifications (e.g., via email, or desktop alerts).

Step 6: Test the Setup

Conduct a Trial Run: Before going live, test the setup by sending test messages through each channel to ensure they are correctly routed and displayed in the Unified Inbox.

Check Analytics: Review initial analytics to confirm that data is being captured accurately and that all integrations are functioning as expected.

Step 7: Train Your Team

Provide Training: Ensure your agents are trained on how to use the Unified Inbox, including how to manage messages, utilize AI features, and customize their settings.

Create Documentation: Provide or create user guides and documentation for your team to reference as they become familiar with the new system.

Step 8: Go Live and Monitor

Activate the Inbox: Once everything is set up and tested, activate the Unified Inbox for live customer interactions.

Monitor Performance: Regularly monitor the performance of the Unified Inbox through the analytics dashboard to ensure it meets your business needs and make adjustments as necessary.

Step 9: Optimize and Scale

Gather Feedback: Collect feedback from your team and customers to identify any areas for improvement.

Make Continuous Improvements: Use insights from analytics and feedback to optimize the setup, add new features, or scale the system as your business grows.

By following these steps, you can set up a Unified Inbox that streamlines customer communication, enhances agent productivity, and improves overall customer satisfaction.

FAQs

Which channels are supported by the Unified Inbox?

The Unified Inbox supports multiple channels, including email, Messenger, Instagram DM, WhatsApp, SMS, live chat, video chat, and co-browsing. It integrates seamlessly with other social and digital platforms to provide a cohesive customer experience.

How does the Unified Inbox improve agent productivity?

The Unified Inbox enhances agent productivity by offering a single interface for managing all customer interactions. Features like AI-based routing, canned responses, task management, and real-time collaboration tools reduce the time spent on managing multiple platforms, allowing agents to focus on resolving customer issues more efficiently.

Can I customize the Unified Inbox to suit my business needs?

Yes, the Unified Inbox is highly customizable. You can configure it to prioritize certain channels, set up custom routing rules, and tailor the interface to your team’s workflow. This flexibility ensures that the tool adapts to your business needs rather than the other way around.

Is the Unified Inbox equipped with AI capabilities?

Absolutely. The Unified Inbox is powered by AI features that enhance its efficiency. AI-based routing ensures that messages are directed to the right agent, while AI-driven analytics provide insights into customer behavior and satisfaction. The system also supports generative AI for creating responses, reducing response times, and improving customer engagement.

How does the Unified Inbox help with customer satisfaction?

By consolidating all customer interactions into one place, the Unified Inbox ensures that agents have a complete view of the customer journey. This enables faster and more personalized responses, which leads to higher customer satisfaction. Additionally, real-time analytics and insights allow businesses to continuously improve their customer service strategies.

Is the Unified Inbox secure?

Yes, the Unified Inbox is built with robust security features to ensure that all customer data is protected. It complies with industry standards for data privacy and security, including encryption, access controls, and regular security audits.

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