Is it possible to get rid of email? This IT leader is testing it out

Traditional help desk and ticketing workflows have become obsolete as enterprise-wide customer experience solutions fill the gaps left by outdated systems. 

The demand for chatbots, AI, and machine learning continues to grow.

IT leaders are leveraging CX/CI tech solutions to bring customer service to the forefront of day-to-day ticket deflection.

In short: things are changing. And email is first on the list for IT professionals like Derek Moore.

CTO at Palo Alto Unified School District, Derek told us his district had “over 300 shared community mailboxes” at one point. Even worse? “There wasn’t a lot of internal communication around who was managing the inboxes, so it became kind of a black hole.” 

Moving away from email

Palo Alto USD and hundreds of other districts nationwide rely on Let’s Talk from K12 Insight to:

• Contain and streamline incoming inquiries through a unified districtwide inbox
• Automatically route questions to the appropriate department using keyword recognition
• Ensure omnichannel customer support for internal and external customers
• Constantly update a flexible dashboard that helps leaders monitor KPIs, staff performance, and trends

“When we used email exclusively without Let’s Talk, many of the questions sent to our inboxes weren’t directed at the right people. We spent so much time and energy tracking down answers across departments, just to provide acceptable service,” said Moore. “By auto-routing questions without staff intervention, Let’s Talk has elevated the level of customer service we’re able to offer while eliminating shared mailboxes and the associated problems.”

AI can further lighten the load 

Chatbots with AI capabilities improve customer service while shortening to-do lists for staff. A human touch might always be appreciated, direct communication with a live rep isn’t always needed. 

Chatbots can answer questions 24/7 and many, like K12 Insight’s Let’s Talk Assistant, use NLP and machine learning to grow and adapt to your specific school district needs.

Is email a thing of the past?

Maybe not quite yet — but it’s certainly being pushed aside by smarter, more streamlined options. For now, watch Derek and other school IT professionals share how they’re using CX/CI to deflect tickets, reduce redundancies, and streamline communications.

Start leading your district down the email-free path (or at least an email-contained path) by checking out how Let’s Talk works.