Having a shared email box can help several team members to answer email questions from customers, but email systems lack a lot of the features and functionality that customer service software adds. Some of the prominent features that come with using a customer service tools are: Multiple contact channels – customers don’t have to rely only on email to contact the support team. They can use chat, social, or a help portal. Context-ready data – when a request is received by a customer service tool, it is automatically linked with related information, like customer details, order histories or equipment information. Agents have a much easier time knowing who the customer is and what they need. Clear request histories – unlike with email, all actions that are taken to resolve the customer’s request are tracked in a read only history, so it’s easy for management to see how the situation changed over time. Reporting, SLAs and KPIs – often, customer service teams have clear agreements made about how quickly requests must be handled. Reports can be run to examine key business operations and protect these agreements. Notifications – requests never sit unattended because notifications can be automated and requests can be escalated if they have sat for too long. These are only some benefits of using customer service software over a shared email box. To fully understand how customer service software supports and builds upon customer relationships, contact OTRS experts.