Start with a scenario
One repeat contact, three possible paths
Consider a customer following up about an unresolved complaint. Use the same example across the tools you are assessing, and ask the team to explain what they know, what remains uncertain and who is responsible for the next step.
Confirmed match
An authorized person checks the available context and decides whether to link the contact to the existing case. Ask what evidence supports that decision and how the next action is assigned.
Uncertain match
Keep the contact available for review rather than assuming a merge. Ask how uncertainty is made visible, who resolves it and how the customer is not left without an owner.
Separate issue
Create or follow a distinct case path when the customer has raised a different issue. Confirm how the two records remain understandable without losing relevant history or accountability.
A suggestion or resemblance is not proof of identity or issue. Treat linking and handling as decisions to evaluate with the people who will own them.
Buyer evaluation
Seven topics to check
Agree the evidence you need and ask to see each workflow in the scope being considered. Test representative complaints and edge cases with the people who will handle them.
Channels and interaction scope
Which channels and source systems are in scope for the evaluation? Which interaction details, attachments, timestamps and prior contacts should be available, and what is intentionally out of scope?
Use examples from the channels your team actually handles. Ask how a conversation enters the workflow, what context is carried across, and what happens when a source is unavailable or a message arrives through an unconnected route.
Actions and information available
What can a handler do from the inbox, such as inspect, correct or reject a match, link a contact, reply, assign, route or open a case? Which information can each action use, and what requires a separate system or approval?
Ask the team to demonstrate common actions on desktop and mobile. Confirm which integrations carry the information and actions between systems. Distinguish visible information from authoritative records, and check how proposed actions affect a customer or case.
Confirmed, uncertain and separate case paths
How does a handler distinguish a confirmed match from an uncertain match or a genuinely separate issue? What decision criteria and next steps apply to each path?
A similar name, channel or phrase is not proof that two contacts concern the same person or issue. For a confirmed match, an authorized person should assess whether to link the contact to the existing case. For an uncertain match, ask how it remains available for review without an assumed merge. For a separate issue, ask how a distinct case is opened and owned.
Permissions and decision rights
Which roles may view, reply, link, assign, route or change case details? How are sensitive information, restricted records and specialist decisions handled?
Map access to real responsibilities rather than job titles alone. Ask how permissions are reviewed when teams or duties change, and what evidence is available to understand who could take an action.
Ownership, handoffs and exceptions
Who owns the case and the next customer update? What context accompanies a handoff, and who takes responsibility when the normal route cannot proceed?
Walk through an incomplete record, an ambiguous match, a failed channel connection, a duplicate contact and a specialist escalation. Identify the person responsible at each point, the way an exception is surfaced, and how unresolved work returns to an owner.
Reporting and operational review
Which operational questions should reporting answer, and which source data and definitions are needed to answer them consistently?
Agree how the team will examine volume by channel, queue and case path, time to ownership, repeat contact, handoff outcomes and unresolved exceptions. Confirm whether measures are available, how they are defined and how teams will review limitations before using them to guide decisions.
Retention and change governance
How long are messages and related records retained, which policies apply to each source, and how are configuration or workflow changes reviewed?
Ask how retention, deletion, export and access requirements are handled across the systems in scope. For changes to routing, permissions, connected sources or case rules, establish who approves, tests, communicates and monitors the change, including how a rollback or correction would work.
Keep the evaluation grounded
Write down the channels, roles, actions and exception paths you tested. Separate observed behavior from requirements that still need confirmation. The inbox sits within a broader complaint and case workflow: context informs a human decision, while an accountable owner remains responsible for follow-up.