Business Info - issue 136

businessinfomag.uk magazine 12 BUSINESS BRIEFING The recent Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal raised a number of interesting questions about the amount of personal information companies hold on individuals, how they get hold of it, who else has access to it and how consumers can reassert their right to privacy. All questions the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is designed to address. The new data protection regulations affect many different areas of business activity, including customer communications and marketing. Neopost has produced a guide to the topic ( The Neopost Guide to Managing GDPR ), which looks at the subject in more detail. While many businesses are still unsure about the practical implications of the new rules, what is beyond doubt is that compliance will be considerably easier for organisations that have the appropriate processes and technology in place – not just the content management systems needed to manage data assets, but solutions for managing and automating postal communications The case for mail in a GDPR world as well. These might include: n Addressing software to ensure that records are accurate, up-to-date and easy to modify in case a change is demanded; n Data consolidation software to help identify the personal data that is held on individuals; n Output management software that can be used to create and apply standard designs for documents, including the privacy statements and opt-in boxes that businesses will need to apply to documents; n Folder-inserters and automated mail insertion software that can maintain data security and privacy by ensuring the right documents are inserted and sent in the right envelope; and n Multi-channel communications solutions that give visibility and control over customer communications, including the ability to send material via a customer’s preferred communication channel, whether that be email or postal communications or a demand that they receive no communications at all. A better footing The last point is an important one because GDPR is often presented in adversarial terms – these are the individual’s rights and this is the threat they pose to your business. In fact, by forcing businesses to look at how they collect, store and use customer data and by engaging with customers as part of the process, GDPR presents an opportunity to build trust and develop stronger relationships with clients and associates, whilst also improving process efficiency. Establishing how people like to be contacted and implementing a solution that automates when and through what channels you communicate with them is an important part of this process. A collaborative approach is certainly more conducive to good customer relationships than charging customers for the privilege of receiving a paper bill or statement as so many banks and utilities now do. Especially as the end result – a reduction in print and postal costs – is often the same. Certainly, the experience of Neopost customers like Ranson UK shows that when given the choice many customers will elect to receive invoices and statements digitally. In a recent survey of more than 1,000 UK consumers commissioned by print and paper advocacy organisation Two Sides UK, a computer (desktop or laptop) was found to be the preferred method of reading transactional documents. That said, many consumers still value the familiarity and authority of a posted letter. Almost one third (29%) of respondents to the Two Sides survey said they preferred to receive printed statements, and more than half (56%) said they liked to receive a combination of printed and online transactional mail. If businesses are to foster closer relationships with customers, they must respect those preferences. Mailing automation Multi-channel output management software is obviously integral to such an approach. But it is equally important to look at the processes involved in the production and despatch of As people look more closely at the use of data by US tech giants, new data privacy regulations that came into effect on May 25th have interesting implications for the use of postal communications, including transactional and marketing mail