What strategies can be employed to handle high volumes of customer inquiries efficiently?

You need human beings who are well trained to really excel in this area.  

To handle high volumes of customer inquiries effectively, blending smart automation with a caring, well-trained team is key. Here’s a balanced approach that keeps efficiency high while ensuring every customer feels valued:

Automate the Simple Stuff: Use chatbots and AI-powered assistants to take on quick, common questions. This frees up your human agents for more complex needs, without making customers wait.

Offer Self-Service Options: A good self-service portal with FAQs, video tutorials, and troubleshooting guides lets customers solve simple issues on their own terms. 

As a consultant I would always analyze the type of customer inquiries and the processes behind the Workflows to automate as much customer inquiries as possible. The ones, which can not be automated (easily) should be prioritized based on defined aspects (customer type, order value etc.).