Let’s Talk About Email: Kassanndra M. R. of Zoho

We love talking about email on the ZeroBounce blog. Today our guest is Kassanndra M. R., Product Marketer at Zoho. She calls herself a “communication specialist.” It’s only fitting that a communication fanatic like Kassanndra would be a believer in email. Enjoy reading the insight of a talented and passionate professional!

Let’s talk about email with Kassanndra M.R.!

The best email you received today:

The holiday gifts announcement for Diwali, the Indian festival of lights! Even though 90% of our work is now happening remotely, Zoho hasn’t compromised on making us feel valued and cared for. We always make it a point to use our own software wherever possible, and have sent Zoho forms to collect mailing addresses and delivery preferences for every employee.

The last email you sent:

A response to a review request for our latest product Bigin, an easy-to-use tool for small businesses who are making the leap from spreadsheets to business software. The pandemic has accelerated the process, and we’re glad to be providing hands-on support for businesses during the switch.

The most intriguing subject line you’ve ever seen:

“Zoho CRM’s our pick again for 2020” (PCMag’s Editor’s Choice Award – it’s our second win in a row!)

Your biggest email pet peeve:

Being added to webinar lists when I haven’t subscribed. Consent is important.

How often do you check your email?

At the beginning of my workday and towards the evening. Zoho notifications on my phone, desktop, and other synced devices help me act immediately if I get an urgent email. 

The word or phrase you most use in your emails:

I usually sign my emails with “best.” I’ve found it to be a good mix of formal and informal language.

The best thing about sending a newsletter:

Checking the open rate of our emails with our analytics tool! Time and again we’ve been pleasantly surprised by subscribers reaching out personally over email if there’s a delay in our newsletter reaching their mailbox. Either we’re doing something right, or we’ve got a base of avid tech enthusiasts. I’d like to believe it’s both.  

If you could email any famous person, who would it be – and why?

Sundhar Pichai – just to get a heads up on all the information Google needs and how we can rewire our software for improved privacy!

Who is the person you don’t email enough?

My teammates – with Zoho’s built-in chat app, Cliq, it’s often more convenient to chat rather than email.

The newsletters you look forward to the most: 

Zoho products! We have over 40 apps, and it’s interesting to learn from different teams how we can present a unified voice, and still have unique messaging.

An email you wish you’d never sent: 

A response to a survey that bombarded by inbox with no unsubscribe option. But thanks to Zoho Mail, I was able to divert future follow-ups to spam by tracing the sender email ID!

An email you’d be happy to get: 

“CRM solution for non-profits.”

Whenever a prospect fills out a webform, we receive an email with their name, number of users, location and requirements. Of all our customers, non-profits take the most effort to list their requirements, and it’s amazing to see how much priority is placed on efficiency and professionalism. 

To inbox zero or to not inbox zero?

Not an absolute zero, since I purposely mark some of my mails as unread which also works as a reminder to respond.

No. 1 reason why you unsubscribe: 

Irrelevant content with lots of hard selling. It shows that a brand is more focused on itself than its audience. 

The best way to grow your email list:

Incentivize communication with referrals and wallet points, keep messaging relevant without hard selling, and proper SEO.

One thing that should change about email:

When I receive “Hello #ERROR404” in a newsletter, it’s embarrassing. As much as brands should embrace personalization, automation requires proper testing before deployment. It’s always best to keep the “Hello” neutral when you work with a list of over 100 email addresses since people might misspell or not even submit their actual names in the form.

A brand email you always open:

MailChimp. They always surprise me with their newsletter templates, and I’ve often been inspired by them in customizing my own newsletters in Zoho Campaigns.

What do you most love about email? 

It’s ingrained in us to treat email as our primary messenger of important information. Unlike other channels that we allow to clutter up with noise, we prioritize a clean mailbox because we respect it and give it our focus unlike unopened chat messages.

Connect with Kassanndra on LinkedIn.

Have you tried SalesInbox by Zoho CRM?

Zoho has over 50 million users worldwide and has been working in the SaaS industry for 15+ years. They are the only vendor in this sector with an integrated suite of 40+ apps and 300+ third-party extensions. Zoho is famous for delivering cost-effective and efficient software solutions for businesses of all types and sizes.

Keeping track of prospects and their activities can be challenging for sales professionals. It’s tricky to choose between staying focused on your CRM or your inbox since you don’t want to miss out on crucial updates. SalesInbox by Zoho CRM combines both, and is exclusively designed to streamline and prioritize communication from revenue-generating leads.

Organize your email view into four primary buckets:

• Contacts & Leads
• Not in CRM
• Colleagues

Click on a response from a lead or contact, and it will open with contextual information like contact details, transactions history, calls, meetings, or notes next to the actual email.

Set up auto-responders, choose from an exhaustive list of email templates and track the open rate of emails to analyze activity, and make your follow-ups more effective.

Be efficient without burning yourself out with SalesInbox by Zoho CRM, the email client that cares for every sales rep!