Email is an essential tool for communication and collaboration. As a result, email analytics are incredibly important for businesses of all sizes to measure the effectiveness of their email communication and optimize their email strategies. 

While Microsoft Outlook is a widely-used email platform, its native email analytics capabilities are limited. In this post, we'll explore how businesses can get the most out of their Outlook email analytics by identifying key metrics to track, choosing the right analytics, and setting targets.

How to get analytics in Outlook and Microsoft 365

First, you’ll need to pick a solution to analyze your inbox. There’s a number of things you should look for in your Outlook analytics, such as:

Response time tracking: An Outlook analytics tool should provide information on the average time it takes to respond to emails, as well as how quickly individual users respond to emails.

Email volume analysis: The tool should provide data on the number of emails sent and received by individual users or teams, as well as trends over time.

Email categorization: The tool should be able to categorize emails based on their content, so you can understand which types of emails are taking up the most time.

Customizable reporting: The tool should allow you to create custom reports to analyze the data that matters most to your team or organization.

Integration with your BI stack: An Outlook analytics tool should be able to export data for you to analyze in other tools, such as BI tools or spreadsheets.

‍Data security: The tool should have strong security measures in place to protect your sensitive email data.

User-friendly interface: The tool should have a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for team members to access and understand the data.

We’ve written a full guide to the best Outlook and Microsoft 365 analytics solutions here. Once you’ve picked your favorite solution for analytics, it’s important to identify what’s most important for your team to track.

Choose which metrics your team needs

Deciding which email metrics to track is crucial for getting the most out of your email analytics tool. Different teams will have different priorities, and it's essential to identify which metrics are most important for your team's success.

• For Sales teams, quick response times are crucial to avoid missing out on leads. Metrics such as response time and email volume can help them understand how well they are performing in this area. They can also track responsiveness to certain labels, allowing them to categorize how well your efforts are working with different segments.‍
• Customer service teams, on the other hand, may be more concerned with tracking email volumes to know when they are overburdened and need to scale up their team's resources. They may also track metrics such as first response time and resolution time to ensure they are providing timely and effective support to their customers.

Ultimately, the most important metrics to track will depend on the specific goals and priorities of your team. By identifying these priorities and selecting the most relevant metrics to track, you can leverage your email analytics tool to gain valuable insights and make data-driven decisions to improve your team's performance

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Set yourself targets based on your current situation

Once you have identified the key email metrics that are most important for your team to track, it's time to set up your analytics platform. With your chosen email analytics tool, you can easily collect and analyze data on a regular basis to measure performance and identify areas for improvement.

Take a look at your team's current performance for each of the metrics you have selected. This will give you a baseline for comparison as you work to improve in each area. Identify any patterns or trends that you see in the data and use that information to set specific goals and targets for improvement.

It's important to set targets that are both achievable and challenging. This will help your team to stay motivated and focused on improving their performance. Be sure to communicate your goals clearly with your team and make sure everyone is aligned on the metrics that you are tracking.

Regularly review your team's performance against the targets you have set. This will help you to identify areas where you are making progress and where you may need to adjust your strategies or tactics. By tracking your progress over time, you can continue to refine your approach and make steady progress towards your goals.

Remember that email analytics is an ongoing process, and there is always room for improvement. By setting clear targets and regularly reviewing your team's performance, you can make data-driven decisions that drive positive change and help your team to work more efficiently and effectively.

Why should I track email analytics?

Email analytics can give you invaluable insights to optimize your team’s email use and improve how your business functions. With email analytics, you can:

Identify Inefficiencies: Email analytics can help you identify areas where your team may be underperforming. By tracking metrics such as email volumes, response rates, and response times, you can gain a deeper understanding of both your team and your customers. These behaviors and experiences can then help you identify areas for improvement.

Improve Response Times: If response times are lacking to customer inquiries and support requests, analytics can help you improve. By tracking response times and identifying bottlenecks, you can take steps to optimize workflows and ensure that customers receive prompt, high-quality replies.

Identify Opportunities for Growth: Finally, email analytics can help you identify opportunities for growth and expansion. By analyzing customer engagement metrics, you can identify segments of your customer base that are particularly engaged or receptive, and adapt targeting based on this.

I want email analytics for my Outlook inbox

We’ve got you covered! Any email analytics problem can be easily solved with a smart, custom-made solution. Just book a demo with us here and we’ll take care of everything.