PRINT.IT
15
COVER STORY
preferences, will make a stronger
connection and develop closer, longer
lasting relationships with customers.
Major trends
So what are some of the key trends
in business communications that we
address through our products and
services portfolio?
Multi-channel.
Businesses
no longer rely on just one or two
methods of communication. Today,
all organisations use a mix of
channels to communicate with
customers, including the post, email,
web links and fixed and mobile
telephony. The transition to multi-
channel communications is being
driven by businesses – sometimes as
a cost-cutting measure, sometimes
to improve business agility – and
by their customers who like the
immediacy and convenience of
text messages and email. However,
there is still a place for mail,
especially for official or confidential
communications and in direct
marketing.
Rapid response.
Electronic
communications and digitisation
have transformed people’s
expectations. Whether in relation to
a query or the initiation of a business
process, such as an account opening
or loan approval, people want instant
results. No business can rely solely
on slow paper-based processes and
hope to remain competitive.
Personalisation.
Businesses
can no longer get away with
sending the same message to all
customers. In order to generate
deeper relationships with customers
and maximise response rates to
marketing campaigns, business
have to be more intelligent in their
customer interactions. Today,
communications is all about
personalisation. From salutations in
letters or greeting a caller by name
to personalised offers that take into
account a recipient’s buying history, it
is important to show customers that
they are valued. This is easier to do
with digital communications, but is
expected and achievable in print, too.
Customer choice/Flexibility.
Personalisation/customisation isn’t
a one-way process; today customers
have a say, too, particularly around
the type of material they wish to
receive and how they wish to receive
it. People’s preferences vary and it
is becoming increasingly important
to have the flexibility to enable
customers to choose how and when
you contact them. This means
being able to integrate different
communication channels to ensure
compliance and to avoid duplication
and loss of control.
Compliance.
Rising concern
over the security of personal data
and greater enforcement of data
protection laws make it vitally
important to handle personal
data securely or risk large fines.
Confidential data should be protected
throughout the whole document
process, from creation and processing
to distribution and storage.
Businesses should also ensure that
they respect the wishes of consumers
who have registered with the
Telephone Preference Service or Mail
Preference Service and only contact
them via permitted channels.
Key challenges
These trends raise some interesting
questions and challenges for
businesses of all sizes at every stage
of their digital transformation.
n
How do you maintain control
and consistency across multiple
channels?
n
How do you integrate electronic
and paper-based communications
to eliminate delays and
duplication?
n
How do you prevent bottlenecks
caused by two-paced paper and
digital processes?
n
How do you capture and maintain
accurate contact details (phone,
mobile phone, email, social media
and mailing) for existing customers
and prospects?
n
How do you retain visibility of
communications via multiple
channels?
n
How do you treat people as
individuals by sending them
information relevant to their needs
and interests?
n
How do you integrate paper and
digital workflows and business
processes?
n
How do you give employees a
unified view of all communications
so that they can resolve queries
quickly?
Business imperatives
At the same time as tackling these
questions, organisations of all sizes
are under pressure to save money,
improve productivity and demonstrate
communications effectiveness.
These imperatives can work
against each other. For example, to
save costs several large organisations
now charge customers for receiving
a paper bill. But what impact might
this have on customer satisfaction
and loyalty? Likewise, for cost
reasons there may be a temptation
to switch entirely to e-marketing. Yet,
research shows that digital marketing
campaigns are more effective if
backed up with direct mail.
With expertise in both paper-
based and digital communications
and a history of helping organisations
of all sizes save money and increase
productivity through greater use of
automated solutions, our consultants
are able to propose the optimum
solution for each organisation based
on their needs (and those of their
customers), now and in the future.
To find out more about how
Neopost can help you improve
your customer communications
and business processes, please
call us on 08000 855367 or
visit
where you can find information on
our products and download case
studies and whitepapers.
Neopost :Postal andCommunicationsStrategies
©2015Neopost
3
Introduction
©2014Neopost
in associationwith
April 2015
Postal andCommunicationsStrategies
within theNHS
Neopost :How to ImproveMailingProductivity
©2015Neopost
3
Introduction
©2014Neopost
in associationwith
January 2015
How to ImproveMailingProductivity
Neopost :How to cut the costof sending and receiving customer communications
©2015Neopost
3
Introduction
©2014Neopost
in associationwith
March 2015
How to cut the costof sending
and receiving customer communications
People’s
preferences
vary and it
is becoming
increasingly
important
to have the
flexibility
to enable
customers to
choose how
and when
you contact
them.
Neopost :Postal andCommunicationsStrategies
©2015Neopost
3
Introduction
©2014Neopost
in associationwith
April 2015
Postal and Communications Strategies
withinHigher Education
