# A CCM platform is crucial to your customer communication plans: here’s why Author: Pal Sinha, Barnali Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali Published: 2021-06-23 Category: TECHNOLOGY Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/technology Meta Title: How CCM Platforms Benefit Organisations in Improving Meta Description: Learn how CCM platforms can increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve customer engagement for organisations in delivering quality customer communication. URL: https://financedigest.com/a-ccm-platform-is-crucial-to-your-customer-communication-plans-heres-whyhtml ![undefined](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cm5qst7v3003gwirgwqtxn8i8/images/img8264-1428-1-1736838265116-compressed.jpg) _By **James Hall,** Commercial Director, Doxim_ Most organisations operating today understand the importance of customer experience. They also know how much of that experience is built up through the relationships they foster with customers and how important customer communication is to establishing and maintaining those relationships. At the same time, however, the conditions of the last year or so mean that the departments in charge of that [communication are under pressure to maintain those relationships at lower costs](https://www.financedigest.com/home-start-lincolnshire-implements-flexible-unified-communications-service-to-reduce-costs.html "HOME-START LINCOLNSHIRE IMPLEMENTS FLEXIBLE UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE TO REDUCE COSTS") than ever before. Perhaps more importantly, they’re being asked to do so without compromising on the quality of communication being sent out. While this can be a difficult ask, it’s far from impossible, especially with the help of a [customer communication](https://www.financedigest.com/communicating-with-the-customer-is-the-future-of-mobile-banking.html "Communicating with the customer is the future of mobile banking") management (CCM) platform. **Understanding CCM platforms** In order to understand how CCM [platforms can benefit](https://www.financedigest.com/unlocking-the-code-how-to-benefit-from-low-code-platforms.html "Unlocking the code – How to benefit from low code platforms") organisations, it’s important to remember what they allow organisations to do. Using a CCM platform, organisations can send messages to [customers that are no longer generic but tailored according to customers’ needs](https://www.financedigest.com/why-empathy-needs-to-sit-at-the-heart-of-bbls-and-cbils-customer-service.html "Why empathy needs to sit at the heart of BBLS and CBILS customer service") and specific platforms (web, email, SMS, print) and devices (mobile, laptop, tablet, PC). They also mean that messages received by a customer cover not only the needed information but the entire context of the [interaction](https://www.financedigest.com/ai-will-power-95-of-customer-interactions-by-2025.html "AI will power 95% of customer interactions by 2025") which includes customer profile (e.g. lifestyle and life-stage needs), history of online activity, and personal preferences. As a global player in the CCM space, we’ve found that when it comes to allowing organisations to deliver their [customer communications](https://www.financedigest.com/talk-to-me-the-changing-face-of-customer-communications.html "TALK TO ME :THE CHANGING FACE OF CUSTOMER COMMUNICATIONS") effectively and at a lower cost, there are several important roles CCM platforms can play. **Increased efficiencies, [reduced costs](https://www.financedigest.com/durham-county-council-reduces-data-log-analysis-costs-by-50-with-real-time-analysis-and-security-tool.html "Durham County Council reduces data log analysis costs by 50% with real-time analysis and security tool")** First, a [CCM platform can help decrease the time spent on customer](https://www.financedigest.com/5-ways-a-ccm-platform-can-help-improve-customer-engagement-in-insurance.html "5 Ways a CCM platform can help improve customer engagement in insurance") queries, by giving customer service representatives immediate access to customer documents to resolve customer queries quickly and efficiently. Secondly, it can reduce the cost of sending, storing, and [managing customer](https://www.financedigest.com/allianz-benelux-taps-into-modern-data-management-to-combat-fraud-and-foster-a-positive-customer-experience.html "Allianz Benelux Taps into Modern Data Management to Combat Fraud and Foster a Positive Customer Experience") documents. The costs of printing and mailing physical documents to customers are significant, and regulated industries have additional costs, such as storing hard copy documents, as required by retention regulations. In the UK, this is governed by regulations such as GDPR alongside the Data Protection [Act of 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications](https://www.financedigest.com/dodge-a-bullet-with-the-insurance-act-2015-act-now-to-implement-two-way-communication.html "Dodge a bullet with the Insurance Act 2015: Act now to implement two-way communication") Regulations (PECR). As such, any CCM solution should help organisations stay compliant with these regulations in whatever geographies they operate in. There is also the potential for fines or penalties if documents are not completed correctly, not properly date stamped, or not delivered within the mandated period. Added to this are the costs of inserting personalised messages which, when it comes to physical documents, can include paper, printing, folding, insertion, and increased postage. A CCM [platform provides for the digital](https://www.financedigest.com/seenthis-launches-creative-platform-to-boost-performance-and-reduce-co2-emissions-in-digital-advertising.html "SeenThis launches Creative Platform to boost performance and reduce CO2 emissions in digital advertising") storage of customer documents. This reduces the likelihood of customers misplacing the original document and vastly improves the ability of [customer service](https://www.financedigest.com/video-collaboration-is-pushing-the-boundaries-of-the-customer-experience-in-financial-services.html "Video Collaboration is pushing the boundaries of the customer experience in Financial Services") agents to locate documents (stored digitally, rather than in hard copy). It also facilitates the placement of [targeted offers without increasing costs](https://www.financedigest.com/dutch-telecom-kpn-locks-in-2023-targets-helped-by-cost-controls.html "Dutch telecom KPN locks in 2023 targets helped by cost controls"). Thirdly, a  CCM can improve [customer engagement](https://www.financedigest.com/chatbots-the-secret-weapon-to-customer-engagement.html "Chatbots: The secret weapon to customer engagement?") and retention. Customer expectations have changed and so, it is no longer good enough to only focus on delivering documents and messages in a prompt and consistent way, despite this being the foundation of a good CX. In today’s data-driven world, [customers expect more personalisation](https://www.financedigest.com/psd2-and-personalising-customer-experience.html "PSD2 and Personalising Customer Experience"), a greater breadth of services, and offers that are relevant to their needs. In the absence of these critical aspects of CX, [customers are more likely to look elsewhere for the same service](https://www.financedigest.com/customer-engagement-trends-that-will-rule-banking-and-financial-services-in-2021.html "Customer Engagement Trends that Will Rule Banking and Financial Services in 2021"). A CCM solution can help organisations achieve this by creating, sending, and storing customised messages and [providing consistency across all the channels that customers](https://www.financedigest.com/banks-can-provide-a-protective-shield-to-defend-customers-from-cyber-attack.html "Banks can provide a protective shield to defend customers from cyber attack") interact through. In addition, it enables the organisation to leverage the [data on hand to generate highly personalised offers that are relevant to each customer’s](https://www.financedigest.com/manchester-arts-centre-the-lowry-selects-logpoints-siem-technology-to-safeguard-customer-data.html "Manchester arts centre The Lowry selects LogPoint’s SIEM technology to safeguard customer data") needs and lifecycle stage. **The importance of accessibility** Finally, it’s important to note that a good CCM platform will allow your organisation’s [communications to be accessible](https://www.financedigest.com/51-of-brits-support-teresa-may-and-would-grant-access-to-their-personal-communication-and-internet-browsing-history-as-part-of-the-snoopers-charter.html "51%* of Brits support Teresa May and would grant access to their personal communication and internet browsing history as part of the Snooper’s Charter ") to people with disabilities. [Ensuring that communications](https://www.financedigest.com/strategic-budgeting-ensures-success-of-community-support-programs.html "Strategic Budgeting Ensures Success of Community Support Programs") are accessible to people with disabilities is not only a moral imperative, it is also a legal requirement in an increasingly large number of jurisdictions.  Transactional [communications and documents](https://www.financedigest.com/document-redesign-clarifying-communications-for-cx-excellence.html "Document redesign: clarifying communications for CX excellence"), such as financial statements, bills, tax documents and others, need to be produced on time and at scale for thousands of recipients, and present one of the key challenges when it comes to accessible communications. To ensure such communications are compliant, organizations need a technology partner capable of providing a variety of compliant formats, reliably and in a cost-effective way. Ideally, a CCM’s accessibility solution should include the following capabilities and benefits: - Digital document accessibility: accessible PDF and HTML documents - Accessible physical formats: large print and Braille - Accessible end consumer online portals - Complete solution from template development to accessible statement composition, production, and delivery via digital channels and mail - Creation of [accessible documents at scale based on compliant and tested templates meeting](https://www.financedigest.com/meet-chris-shalchi-the-man-democratizing-access-to-e-commerce-expertise.html "Meet Chris Shalchi, The Man Democratizing Access To E-Commerce Expertise") WCAG 2.0 AA standards **Meeting customer expectations** Contemporary organisations are striving to create a better customer experience, and with evolving customer [expectations and changing channel](https://www.financedigest.com/british-pm-sunak-expected-to-shelve-plans-to-privatise-channel-4-ft.html "British PM Sunak expected to shelve plans to privatise Channel 4 -FT") preferences, laying a solid foundation that can also be flexible and agile in our evolving world is becoming a challenge. However, it is [critical for organisations wanting to achieve a true omnichannel customer experience today and in the future](https://www.financedigest.com/smarter-safer-stronger-cybersecurity-is-now-critical-to-digital-future.html "Smarter, safer, stronger cybersecurity is now critical to digital future"). A comprehensive customer communications management (CCM) [platform is the foundation organisations need to deliver a great customer experience](https://www.financedigest.com/customer-experience-platforms-market-to-reach-us-18972-7-mn.html "Customer Experience Platforms Market to reach ~US$ 18,972.7 Mn"). **_About Author:_** _James Hall is [Commercial Director](https://www.financedigest.com/tailify-bolsters-leadership-team-with-addition-of-julia-burton-brown-as-commercial-director.html "Tailify bolsters leadership team with addition of Julia Burton Brown as Commercial Director") at Striata, a Doxim company._ _James focuses on the UK region and is responsible for the generation of business, primarily in [financial services](https://www.financedigest.com/wrapping-financial-services-in-a-security-blanket.html "Wrapping Financial Services in a Security Blanket"). James has more than 10 years [experience in a wide range of technology](https://www.financedigest.com/how-is-modern-technology-shaping-our-in-store-experience.html "How Is Modern Technology Shaping Our In Store Experience?") based roles. His expertise extends across the fields of product management, project management, [account management](https://www.financedigest.com/exact-launches-practice-management-solution-to-help-transform-accountants-into-trusted-business-advisors.html "Exact launches Practice Management solution to help transform accountants into trusted business advisors") and sales._ _James has an MSc in [climate change](https://www.financedigest.com/scientists-in-germany-turn-up-heat-on-seagrass-in-climate-change-fight.html "Scientists in Germany turn up heat on seagrass in climate change fight") management and a BSc in Ecology and Geography._ --- This blog is powered by Superblog. Visit https://superblog.ai to know more. ---