In the age of digital-first omnichannel communications, do companies still need a correspondence management system? Yep, they sure do. Despite much chatter to the contrary, the death of print is not yet upon us – at least not in the realm of customer communications management. In fact, our clients, many of whom operate in heavily regulated industries such as health care, financial services, and utilities, tell us that somewhere around 70 percent of their customer-facing communications are still printed and mailed as opposed to being delivered digitally.
Mailboxes photo copyright James Lee
Required correspondence such as annual privacy policy notifications or financial disclosures must be printed and mailed in high-volume batches all the time. For large organizations, these mailings can number in the tens of millions per month and require speedy, accurate personalization and automation as well as the ability to quickly generate an accurate report of every piece of correspondence generated and sent. Since failure to prove compliance can result in steep fines and penalties, businesses still need a top-notch correspondence management solution.
What Correspondence Management Means in the Digital Age
As we shift to a digital-first design and delivery model, we need to keep this print-and-mail reality in mind. Yes, we should design communications for delivery via responsive digital channels, but we also need to ensure that they will always look good in print as well. Whether the customer saves a document to a hard drive, prints it from a web portal for her records, or receives it in the mail, each piece of correspondence needs to look good both on the screen and on the page while presenting a consistent brand experience.
It’s worth noting that many regulatory bodies, such as FINRA, are allowing electronic delivery of required documents as long as the documents are made available in an approved electronic format that can be printed, tracked or audited at any time. That’s why we’ve been offering extremely robust record-keeping and audit trail capabilities with CLIENT LETTER® for many years – because we know it’s a critically important feature for our customers.
Summary: How a Correspondence Management System Gives You Control
Here’s how a great correspondence management system can help you save time and stay compliant:
- Break communications into discrete parts so they’re easier to update
- Lock font, size and other formatting, or restrict editing altogether
- Require some or all communications to go through quality assurance
- Link documents, attachments and enclosures so they always go out together
- Automatically send time-sensitive regulatory notices based on geography or other criteria
- Maintain a complete audit trail and archive of every communication sent
If you'd like to explore how a correspondence management system could increase your productivity and operational efficiency (read: save you time and money) and increase your customer satisfaction, just click the link below.
