Viewpoint
The first thing I do when I get to work is log on to my computer, open my email and then–delete, delete, delete.
Does that sound familiar? People are bombarded by email–more than 120 emails a day, according to some estimates. Most are clutter that we remove without even opening.
Breaking through that clutter to engage prospects and customers is a real challenge. I am a huge proponent of digital transformation, but I also see an ongoing need and opportunity for connecting to customers with print communications.
Customers want what they want
Paper remains an important way to meet rising customer expectations even in this age of mobile everything.
Based on the millions of paper and digital customer communications that we produce every year, I can confidently say I’m a pretty typical consumer. I receive a mix of paper and electronic bills and other customer communications. I pay most of my bills online from my bank and sometimes directly at the billers’ sites. I use P2P payment apps like Venmo and still write checks, too.
While you certainly should encourage digital adoption, customers are in the driver’s seat when it comes to how they want to get bills, payment confirmations, and other communications. From mobile phone and credit card companies to doctors, lenders and vacation resorts, if you don’t give them what they want, they are likely to find another provider who will.
Optimizing paper bills and direct mail
Given that a good number of people want paper communications and payments, companies can take advantage of these preferences to maximize the impact. A well designed billing statement should include extra space to present data-driven, personalized content, special advisements and marketing offers. This is important because bills have a higher open rate than any other type of communication.
And you should be looking at direct mail, if you aren’t already. Did you know Americans aged 18 to 34 received just 10 pieces of mail a week in 2017? That’s down from 17 pieces in 2001, according to the USPS’ 2018 report Millennials and the Mail.
So, there’s a lot more room to stand out in the mailbox than the inbox. The USPS report found more than half of Millennials, GenXers and Boomers visited a store within the past month based on information received in the mail.
Customer communications management (CCM) technology like Expresso and advances in high-speed and color printing have transformed the efficiency and capabilities of paper communications, giving you many more cost-effective options for reaching prospects and engaging customers. You can read more about these exciting developments in our Industry Insights article and Product Feature on production capabilities.
Are you making the most of paper communications? Nordis offers the best of both worlds—CCM software integrated into print/mail services and omnichannel digital channels. Please let me know if we can help you do even more.
