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Over the last few years, it’s become
increasingly important for businesses
to understand the impact their
communications can have on their
growth prospects.
Communication tools essentially
act as the eyes and ears of a business,
helping them gain and share intelligence
with existing and potential customers;
something that is even more important
for companies hoping to increase
their share of the market. However, a
common problem is that as businesses
grow and their customer base expands,
communications increase in volume and
often become much more complex. This is
particularly true when managing multiple
documents across different channels.
From physical post and fax, to
email and social media, how customers
and business partners want to be
communicated with has steadily
evolved over the last few decades.
Furthermore, it’s likely that in 2016 the
omni-channel – in which customers
enjoy a single, unified experience across
all channels – will also gain further
momentum. It’s increasingly important
that businesses have tools and processes
in place that manage all of their
documents seamlessly, regardless of how
they are stored or delivered.
On an average day, a consumer
will receive a number of different
communications in a wide variety of
formats. It could be a bank statement in
the morning post, an email promoting
a retailer’s sale, or a tweet announcing
a new product range. If these channels
aren’t managed efficiently and all
documents kept in sync, businesses can
end up wasting time, confusing their
customers and missing opportunities.
Aside from customer demand, digital
communications offer companies very
real business-growing benefits; it’s
incredibly cost effective, can reach a
huge audience at the click of a button
and can be designed to make them truly
interactive. Indeed, one of the biggest is
that it can provide a much more direct
route to the intended recipient. The
speed with which customer queries are
resolved or invoices and contracts are
Effective communications
in today’s multi-channel world
sent can be the difference in securing
repeat business and prompt payment, or
losing out to a competitor.
There’s no doubt that digital
communication has become a key
channel for organisations over the last
decade, however this should not be
implemented at the expense of direct
mail. Indeed, a physical letter or brochure
still has the power to evoke an emotional
response when used in the right situation
or time, something digital channels
can sometimes struggle to achieve.
By sending a tangible, personalised
communication, consumers gain a
sense of ownership and are more likely
to share with others. A good example
comes from the online accommodation
rental platform, Airbnb, which, last year,
launched a quarterly paper magazine
called ‘Pineapple’. Despite the company’s
purely digital existence being a main
driver of its rapid growth, the decision
was taken to produce a physical
magazine that would match the journey
of the average Airbnb user.
Managing these different channels,
and ensuring communications are
received and delivered seamlessly, while
also tracked and archived in the most
efficient fashion, is a big challenge.
The most effective way of overcoming
this is to implement best-practice
communications and document
management solutions that help grow
the bottom line. By utilising tools that
not only help design and personalise
documents, but help with the scheduling
and distribution across mail, email,
SMS and the web, so that the right
message is sent to the right person in
the right format, businesses can ensure
they have the efficient communication
strategy in place. Ultimately, business
growth today depends on engaging
with customers on their terms. Effective
document management ensures that this
happens, while cost, space and waste is
cut, response times are improved and
processes are actioned faster.
Phil Hutchison, operational marketing
director, Neopost
It’s increasingly
important that
businesses
have tools
and processes
in place that
manage all of
their documents
seamlessly
