How to navigate omni-channel nirvana
CRITICAL TRENDS IN CUSTOMER COMMUNICATIONS AND STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS ARTICLE
Consumers’ communication preferences continue to evolve with emerging digital channels. Getting the attention of today’s customers or prospects requires an understanding of the types of messages they respond to and which channels to communicate through. In the Canon Solutions America-sponsored webinar entitled “Trends in Customer Communications and Strategies for Success,” presented by Printing Impressions and In-Plant Graphic magazines, Keypoint Intelligence—InfoTrends’ Group Director Matt Swain explores these trends and what they mean to your organization. Accompanying Swain in this session are panelists Christian Kropac (president of PCI Group) and Adam LeFebvre (president of Specialty Print Communications). Kropac and LeFebvre share how they are adjusting their business strategies to help enterprises take a holistic approach to reaching their customers today.
“Think about how you interact with companies today,” Swain challenges. “You expect the firms that you work with to be considerably more tech-savvy than they were just a few years ago.” For example, voice assistant technologies such as Alexa can help you pay your bills, search promotions, or maybe even order a new catalog. The evolution of customer communications has shifted from a single-channel strategy through siloed multichannel operations and cross-channel communications to where we are today—a fully integrated omni-channel world. This omni-channel nirvana that we have entered is changing how consumers are interacting with businesses.
“Offering good document design, whether for direct mail or transactional communications, makes it easier for your customers to understand what you’re trying to communicate.”
—Matt Swain
How do these expectations and market disruptions affect enterprises and communication providers today? Sharing data from Keypoint Intelligence—InfoTrends’ research, Swain highlights top trends such as business priorities for enterprises, consumers’ preferences in terms of their engagement with print, and how providers are reacting. “Offering good document design, whether for direct mail or transactional communications, makes it easier for your customers to understand what you’re trying to communicate,” he elaborates. “At the same time, you can also give customers exactly what they want—increased relevance and more personalized content!”
Later in the webinar, Swain provides an in-depth critique of tracking an AT&T customer journey. Following the example, he recaps some recommendations for success:
The webinar doesn’t end there, though—panelists Kropac and LeFebvre discuss how they are leveraging inkjet printing to stay relevant and differentiate their businesses to drive innovation in the customer communications landscape. “We’ve got to stay ahead of market trends, help our customers understand what’s fresh and relevant, and deliver the information that our customers need so they can succeed,” LeFebvre notes.
“We’ve got to stay ahead of market trends, help our customers understand what’s fresh and relevant, and deliver the information that our customers need so they can succeed.”
—Adam LeFebvre
Although the two panelists offer different print services, Kropac echoes LeFebvre’s sentiments about the importance of understanding trends and leveraging technology when it comes to helping clients do business better. Sometimes that might mean using digital and skipping another printed document, but it’s really about partnering with clients. “However our customers want to send something out, we’ll send it out just that way,” Kropac says. “Regardless of the channel, we’re a service bureau at heart and we’re here to help our clients deliver their communications in the best way possible.” He then launches into a discussion about how print service providers can keep print top of mind for clients.
View the webinar “Critical Trends in Customer Communications and Strategies for Success” to learn more about how these companies are keeping print relevant for customers and evolving their operations to stay ahead of clients’ needs.