What is CCM Technology? Customer communications management (CCM) software streamlines the design, personalization, delivery, and tracking of customer communications like letters and statements that inform and engage customers across web, mobile, and print channels. CCM allows companies to present a cohesive, consistent image for communicating with customers. The primary function of CCM software is to enable companies to create, deliver, and manage highly personalized communications with customers at scale. CCM software tames people and processes to show the customer one, uniform brand. There is a reason the focus is on customers rather than on company or product or service. Imagine a sports team. Although the main goal is for the players to perform well during games, a lot of behind-the-scenes effort goes into keeping them part of the team. Player interactions with coaches, trainers, staff psychologists, HR, fans, and teammates all affect how a player feels about the team. Every touchpoint pushes the player closer to (loyalty) or further from (indifference) the team. Indifference is dangerous because, given the right opportunity, a player will switch teams. Teams spend quite a bit of money on valuable players ensuring their loyalty. Team owners know that the return on this investment (ROI) is worth it. The same holds true for CCM. Given the right CCM software, you can keep customers happy and engaged. Here’s a look at the five key pieces of CCM that help keep all of your customer communications in sync. Like cogs in a system, the various parts of good CCM software work together as one.

Earlier this year, Topdown engaged the independent service organization Frazier & Deeter LLC to conduct an AICPA System and Organization Controls for Service Organizations (SOC 2) Type 1 audit on our processes, procedures and products. On December 14, 2018, they issued a report of its findings. We are very excited to announce that the analysis—which thoroughly documents the controls Topdown uses to safeguard our customers' data—uncovered zero defects. We encourage our Topdown customers and prospects to review the outcomes of this study, available upon request.

For the past few years, we here at Topdown have been focusing on ways to improve your organization’s customer experience (CX). We’ve heard time and again from the analysts with whom we engage that most companies are struggling to create a viable CX strategy and need help choosing metrics to measure the business outcomes. To help you get started down this path, we created a special-edition eBook as a thought-starter to create strategies for identifying key business indicator (KPI) metrics that help you advise your organization of its progress, achievements, and impact.

We know that, for many industries, customer communications management (CCM) software is one way to deliver the customer experience (CX) that your patrons have come to expect. Most importantly, good CCM platforms can contribute positively to your bottom line by saving both time and money. But how do you know the right customer communications solution in which to invest? We take you through the top four problems with CCM software so you can decide which one provides the best possible return on your investment (ROI).

Customer experience (CX) is more than just icing on the cake—it is a complete recipe for business success. How customers perceive their interactions with a company translates into serious financial implications.

It’s amazing how fast a year can fly by, especially as we’ve all been tracking the changes in digital customer experience! As the kids go back to school, I thought I’d take a look at what we’ve seen and learned so far in 2018 and could spot emerging trends.