Modern businesses communicate with customers through a range of channels; handling these individually can be costly and time-consuming. How digitization can help?
Many businesses build up communications channels over time – they may start with print, add email and then maybe add social media. This natural progression can result in separate processes being used for different communications channels (such as print and email) and different communications types (e.g. marketing; invoicing).
Through digitization, companies can centralize and automate aspects of their outgoing mail management, bringing together the preparation and distribution of communications into one place for consistent, convenient and efficient handling. It’s an approach that has a range of benefits – here are our top eight:
- Multi-channel communications – customers interact with companies through both digital and physical channels. Ideally, businesses are communicating consistently and seamlessly across those same channels. Computer-based mail management can help as it enables information to be collated from various sources within the business and each communication to be issued through the preferred channel. This is ideal for companies that recognize the benefits of a multi-channel communications strategy and want an effective way of implementing it
- Personalization – customers expect companies to know who they are and to engage them through personalized communications. This is easier to achieve when processes are automated. When messages are created manually, documents may have to be amended individually and reformatted for different channels which is very time consuming
- Satisfying customer preferences – with an efficient solution for multi-channel communications, companies can give customers choice over how they wish to be contacted and issue each communication through their preferred channel for improved customer satisfaction
- Reduced errors – when separate channel processes draw on information from sources across the business, errors can creep into communications. A single communications management tool gives more control over the process for accurate, consistent messages
- Transparency – with a centralized communications tool, all stakeholders have sight of the status of every customer communication
- Time savings – a centralized mail management solution can save your business lots of time when preparing and sending out communications
- Reduced costs – cost savings can come in a couple of ways: the appropriate use of email in place of posted mail can save on printing and postage costs and printed documents for the same customer can be more easily grouped to cut back on unnecessary postage
- Drive revenue growth – this is the result of all the benefits working together. Customers receiving quotes quicker and through the channel they prefer may generate more business – as may customers being more satisfied with communications. Even the speed at which invoices are issued can bring cash back into the business more quickly.