Managing customer support manually is like juggling with one hand tied behind your back. You’re constantly swamped with queries, each one demanding a unique, timely, and accurate response. Miss one, and it’s not just a lost opportunity; it’s a dent in your reputation.

Doing it all manually means you’re always racing against the clock. You’ve got a pile of queries waiting for you when you clock in, and just when you think you’re done, more roll in. It’s not just exhausting; it’s inefficient. You’re spending more time sorting through queries and deciding who gets what response than actually helping your customers.

And let’s not forget the human error factor. You may send the wrong attachment or give an incorrect answer because you’re rushing or distracted. These mistakes can turn a small issue into a big problem, fast.

So, what if you could put down the mallet and let the gameplay itself? That’s where Gmail automation steps in, turning that chaotic melody into a harmonious tune.

Table of Contents

• Why use Gmail for Customer Support?
  • 1. Familiarity is King
  • 2. Cost-Effective
  • 3. It’s Scalable
  • 4. Collaboration Made Easy
  • 5. Security
• What is Gmail Automation?
• Benefits of using Gmail Automation
  • 1. Save time
  • 2. Reduce errors
  • 3. Improve scalability
• How to use Gmail Automation to Setup Automated Workflows for Customer Support 
  • Use Gmail Automation for Filtering and Routing of Customer Support Emails
  • 2. Use Gmail Automation to send Canned Responses to Common Customer Queries
  • 3. Unlock Powerful Automations with Hiver
• Get Started

Why use Gmail for Customer Support?

Gmail is like that multifunctional tool you’ve had in your pocket for ages, but you’re only using it to cut paper. It is time to unlock its full potential, especially for customer support. Let’s dive in.

1. Familiarity is King

First off, most of your team is probably already comfortable with Gmail. They know where all the buttons are, how to search for that elusive email from three months ago, and how to set up those nifty filters. Why make them learn a whole new system when they’re already pros at one?

Now imagine combining the familiarity of Gmail with the capabilities of offering support on different channels.

Hiver makes it seamless to manage emails, live chats, phone calls, knowledge base articles, and WhatsApp interactions from the comfort of your Gmail inbox. It orchestrates a symphony of interactions across different channels into a singular, manageable stream, right within a familiar interface. 

Hiver’s omnichannel capabilities not only minimize the learning curve but also significantly reduces the back-and-forth usually associated with juggling between different platforms.

2. Cost-Effective

Let’s talk money. Specialized customer support software can be pricey. With Gmail, you’re likely already paying for Google Workspace, so why not squeeze every last drop of value out of it? Moreover, running your helpdesk operations out of Gmail using Hiver costs you 30-50% less than using solutions like Zendesk or Freshdesk. 

Freshdesk vs Zendesk: What to Choose in 2024 (Comparison)

Plus, the integration options are endless. You can plug in various add-ons and tools to make it as robust as any dedicated customer support software. 

For instance, Hiver seamlessly integrates with numerous applications, enhancing Gmail’s functionality for collaborative and customer support efforts. You can connect 1,000+ apps via Zapier for automated workflows, manage Asana tasks for customer conversations, loop in teams that work on JIRA, automate user access management with Okta, and manage invoices with QuickBooks, all within Gmail. 

These integrations bolster operational efficiency, making Hiver an effective tool for businesses aiming to improve productivity and customer support management.

3. It’s Scalable

Gmail can handle a high volume of customer inquiries, making it a good option for businesses of all sizes. Gmail also offers a variety of features that can help you manage your customer support workload more effectively, such as labels, filters, and delegation.

The scalability of Gmail gets a robust enhancement with Hiver. It effortlessly adapts to your growing business needs. Hiver brings in functionalities like shared inboxes, email tagging, collision detection, and automated workflows right into your Gmail. This means your team can collaborate seamlessly and respond to customer interactions in a more organized and timely manner.

The delegation feature of Gmail is good (when used with filters),but with Hiver, it’s even better. It facilitates easy delegation of emails to your team members with just a couple of clicks, ensuring that every email lands in the right inbox, and is attended to, promptly.

In a nutshell, while Gmail lays down a solid foundation for managing customer interactions, Hiver builds on it to provide a more structured, collaborative, and scalable solution, making it a compelling choice for businesses aiming to optimize their customer support operations.

4. Collaboration Made Easy

Imagine a scenario where a customer emails your support team with a technical issue they’re facing. Now, instead of bouncing between various platforms to find a solution, you’ve got the whole toolkit right there in Gmail.

You can quickly open a Google Doc to jot down steps for troubleshooting, and share that doc with a colleague for input—all without leaving Gmail. Need to escalate the issue? Schedule a Google Meet with your team right from the inbox and get everyone on the same page. You can even set a Google Calendar reminder to follow up with the customer to ensure their problem was resolved.

Or you could use Hiver, and effectively cross-collaborate with other teams without needing to give them full access to your shared inbox.

5. Security

Last but not least, Gmail is secure. Two-factor authentication, TLS encryption, and Google’s robust security protocols mean you can rest easy knowing your customer data is safe.

Gmail for customer support is like finding out that your Swiss Army knife also has a magnifying glass, a toothpick, and yeah, that bottle opener you never knew you needed. 

What is Gmail Automation?

Gmail automation is the process of using technology to automate tasks that are typically performed manually in Gmail. This can include tasks such as sorting emails, sending replies, and integrating with other apps.

Gmail automation can be a powerful tool for saving time and improving productivity. It can also help you provide better customer service by automating tasks such as responding to customer inquiries and following up with customers.

Benefits of using Gmail Automation

Managing an email inbox can be a daunting task, and Gmail automation offers a way to simplify this process, allowing you to focus on what truly matters. For example, you could automatically send a welcome email to new customers, follow up after a purchase, or even route inquiries to the appropriate department. 

These automated actions not only save time but also contribute to a more organized and responsive customer service approach. Interested in learning more? Let’s delve into the practical benefits of using Gmail automation.

1. Save time

Gmail automation can help you to save time by automating repetitive tasks. For example, you can use Gmail automation to automatically sort customer queries into different folders, respond to common customer inquiries, and schedule follow-ups with customers. This can free up your time to focus on more important tasks, such as building relationships with customers or developing new products and services.

2. Reduce errors

Gmail automation can help to reduce errors by automating tasks that are prone to human error. 

For example, you can use Gmail automation to automatically send emails to the correct recipient, attach the correct file to an email, and format emails according to your company’s style guide.

3. Improve scalability

Gmail automation can help to improve the scalability of your business by allowing you to automate tasks that would otherwise require you to hire more staff. 

For example, you can use Gmail automation to automatically route customer inquiries to the appropriate team, send, and escalate customer issues to the appropriate level.

Overall, Gmail automation is a powerful tool that can help you to save time, improve productivity, provide better customer service, reduce errors, and improve the scalability of your business.

How to use Gmail Automation to Setup Automated Workflows for Customer Support

Gmail automation can be a powerful tool for customer support teams, helping them to save time, improve efficiency, and provide better customer service. Here are some of the basic features of Gmail automation that can be used for customer support:

Use Gmail Automation for Filtering and Routing of Customer Support Emails

Gmail automation can be used to automatically filter and route customer queries to the appropriate team member or department based on the content of the email. This can help ensure that customer inquiries are handled promptly and efficiently. For example, you can use filters to:

• Route emails based on the sender’s email address. For example, you could create a filter to automatically route all queries from a particular customer segment to a specific team member.

• Route emails based on the subject line. For example, you could create a filter to automatically route all emails with the subject line “Billing Inquiry” to the billing team.

• Route emails based on the body of the email. For example, you could create a filter to automatically route all emails that mention a specific product or service to the team responsible for that product or service.

You can also use filters to route emails to different folders or labels. This can be helpful for organizing customer emails and making it easier to find specific emails. For example, you could create a folder for all billing inquiries, a folder for all technical support inquiries, and a folder for all customer feedback.

Here are some specific examples of how you can use Gmail automation to filter and route customer emails:

a. Route emails based on the sender’s email address.

You could create a filter to automatically route all emails from your high-value customers to a specific team member.

To create a filter to automatically route all emails from your high-value customers to a specific team member:

• Go to your Gmail inbox.

• Click the Settings gear icon in the top-right corner of the page.

• Select See all settings.

• Click the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.

• In the Forwarding section, click the button ‘Add a forwarding address’.

• Now add the forwarding address of the person you want to transfer the mails of your high-value clients to.

• Ask the person to verify their email address on the link sent from your email address.
  

• Once that’s done, click the Filters and blocked addresses tab.

• Click the Create a new filter button.

• In the From field, enter the email addresses of your high-value customers.
  

• Click the Create filter button.

• On the Choose what you want to do with the filtered messages page, select the Forward it to option.

• In the Forward it to field, enter the email address of the team member who is responsible for handling emails from your high-value customers.

• Click the Create filter button.

b. Route emails based on the subject line.

You could create a filter to automatically route all emails with the subject line “Urgent” to a specific team member.

To create a filter to automatically route all emails with the subject line “Urgent” to a specific team member:

Follow the steps above, but in the Subject field (scroll above to Step 10),enter the subject line “Urgent”.

c. Route emails based on the body of the email.

You could create a filter to automatically route all emails that mention a specific product or service to the team responsible for that product or service.

To create a filter to automatically route all emails that mention a specific product or service to the team responsible for that product or service:

Follow the steps above, but in the ‘Has the words’ field (scroll above to Step 10),enter the name of the product or service.

• You could create a folder for all customer feedback and then use Gmail automation to automatically forward all emails in that folder to a Google Sheet. This would allow you to easily track and analyze customer feedback.

By using Gmail automation to filter and route customer emails, you can streamline your customer support workflow and provide a better customer experience.

2. Use Gmail Automation to send Canned Responses to Common Customer Queries

Canned responses are a great way to save time and improve the efficiency of your customer support team. By creating canned responses for common customer questions, you can ensure that your team is providing consistent and accurate answers to customers, even when they are busy or handling a high volume of inquiries.

To create a canned response in Gmail, follow these steps or refer to blog with detailed screengrabs:

1. Go to your Gmail inbox.
2. Click the Compose button.
3. Type the canned response in the body of the email.
4. Click the More options button (three dots) in the bottom-right corner of the compose window.
5. Select Templates.
6. Select Save draft as template.
7. Enter a name for your canned response.
8. Click the Save button.

Once you have created a canned response, you can insert it into a new email by following these steps:

1. Go to your Gmail inbox.
2. Click the Compose button.
3. Click the More options button (three dots) in the bottom-right corner of the compose window.
4. Select Templates.
5. Select the canned response that you want to insert.

Canned responses can be a valuable tool for customer support teams. By using canned responses, you can save time, improve your team’s efficiency, and provide consistent and accurate answers to customers.

Here are some tips for using canned responses effectively:

• Personalize canned responses whenever possible. This shows customers that you are taking the time to address their individual needs.
• Keep canned responses concise and to the point. Customers don’t want to read through long blocks of text.
• Proofread canned responses carefully before using them. Make sure that they are free of errors and that they are easy to understand.
• Review your canned responses regularly and update them as needed. This will help to ensure that they are always accurate and relevant.

3. Unlock Powerful Automations with Hiver

Hiver is a Gmail-based customer support solution that takes Gmail automation to the next level, specifically tailored for customer service teams. Hiver allows you to create shared inboxes within Gmail, making it easier to manage customer emails as a team. No more forwarding emails or CC’ing team members; everyone can see and respond to customer queries directly. Here’s how it can help with respect to automations:

a. Automated Workflows

Hiver enables you to set up automated workflows that can sort, tag, and assign emails based on predefined rules. For example, all billing-related queries could be automatically tagged and assigned to your finance team.

b. Conditional Assignments

Automatically assign emails to specific team members based on conditions. For instance, emails with the word ‘Payment’ in the subject or body can be directed to finance specialists.

c. Skill-Based Auto-Assignment

Assign conversations to team members based on their skill set. Emails about ‘Reimbursement’ could go straight to payroll specialists in the Finance team.

d. Round-Robin Assignment

Distribute workload equally among active team members manually or using the round-robin assignment. Team members can also update their availability using simple toggle controls.

e. Smart Follow-Ups

Automatically send reminder emails if the recipient doesn’t respond within a set time frame. This ensures that conversations don’t go unattended.

f. Automated Tagging

Organize emails with tags automatically. For example, every email from a specific address can be tagged as ‘Priority’.

g. Collision Detection

To avoid multiple team members responding to the same email, Hiver offers collision detection. This feature alerts you if someone else is already working on the email you’re about to respond to.

h. Email Templates

Save time by using Hiver’s pre-built email templates for common customer queries. You can also create your own templates and share them with your team.

i. SLA Management

Hiver helps you set and manage Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to ensure that customer queries are resolved in a timely manner.

j. Analytics and Reporting

Hiver provides robust analytics and reporting features that help you track key metrics like response time, resolution time, and customer satisfaction, all within your Gmail interface.

k. Inbox Clutter Management

Automatically close unimportant or junk emails. For example, emails with the phrase “thank you” in the email is automatically closed. This prevents unnecessary SLA breaches and recording of long response times.

Try Hiver for Free

Get Started

Gmail offers a treasure trove of automation features that can significantly streamline your customer support operations. From basic functionalities like auto-sorting and canned responses to more advanced features like email scheduling and follow-up reminders, Gmail automation is a game-changer.

But why stop there? With Hiver’s specialized features like shared inboxes, automated workflows, and robust analytics, you can supercharge your Gmail to create a customer support system that is not just reactive but proactive. It’s about transforming your Gmail from a simple communication tool into a comprehensive customer support hub.