… Even If You’re Already Getting Correspondence and Documents out the Door
A question many leaders are asking their organizations today is: “Why should we even be thinking about investing in a new customer communications solution if we are already getting correspondence and documents out the door?”
The answer is, it really depends on what role the customer experience has in the overall business strategy and how much you believe documents and correspondence influence those experiences. In the past, it was a more straightforward evaluation.
Most organizations considered the creation and delivery of documents and correspondence simply a “cost of doing business.” With this mindset, the focus was on efficient operations and cost reductions, and the answers were “cut and dry”: If a customer communications solution could help to reduce overall costs, it would make sense to invest. If using a combination of core administration systems and word-processing programs (e.g., Microsoft Word) kept costs low, there was little reason to invest in a new solution for document creation and delivery.
But in today’s digital world, customers have increasing expectations for organizations to communicate using methods and concepts that are more prevalent. Gone are the days of generic, static form letters being replaced with dynamic, visually appealing, easier-to-read letters, statements and policies.
Another aspect of changing expectations is the ability to electronically deliver (e.g., email, SMS/text and portals) correspondence and documents instead of just printing and mailing them. While neither of these are new requirements, nor technologically challenging with modern customer communications solutions, what has changed is that improving the customer experience is becoming a central pillar in the business strategy, with senior-executive focus and funding driving new initiatives.
As these strategies unfold, many organizations are striving toward a more holistic view of the customer touchpoints throughout the lifecycle of the relationship. These efforts quickly point to the value of documents and correspondence that drive the majority of interactions between the organization and the customer.
As a result, many forward-thinking organizations conclude that their existing core systems were not designed for a world of digital delivery and an environment where documents and correspondence are dynamic and personalized. And, as the complexity and number of interactions increase—more marketing promotions, notifications, proactive communications for cross-selling, etc.—legacy communications systems struggle to deliver the consistency and flexibility that is needed across the entire business, not to mention a common brand perception for the customer, which a modern customer communications solution can provide.
While the desire to improve the customer experience is not the only reason to consider modernizing your customer communications solution, in many cases, this is the up-and-coming business driver that is elevating documents and correspondence to a more strategic level.
So instead of asking, “Should we even be thinking about investing in a new customer communications solution?” you should be asking, “Can we really afford not to?”