It is the perennial question I’m asked.
Caroline, we want to give up paper what can we do?
We use shed loads of paper and we want to go paperless?
Where do we start?
In my last two posts I discussed how to work multi channel marketing into your content delivery to develop customer engagement and help customers along the buying journey.
I’ve placed greater emphasis on multi-channel services and marketing in my earlier posts because it has to be part of an organisation’s strategy to deliver targeted buying messages to its audience or deliver transactional information in the way of a payslip, bill or statement.
How does a multi channel service work ?
Ask yourself what do you prefer paper or digital?
What are your motives for wanting to go paperless?
Is paper needed?
There are those who want to promote the continued existence of paper, whilst others spit in the face of it claiming that digital is the only way, digital or no way.
Each have their merits in the hierarchy but ask yourself this, why not use both? News just in, you can.
Multi channel utopia. Multi channel engagement with customers and employees.
In my last two posts – multi channel marketing for success and how it fits into our digital world paper forms a strategic part of multi channel engagement with the customer.
The internet has changed the way we access and view information from payslips, invoices, statements and marketing content.
We rely on the internet to access information, to seek and retrieve, we shop for our favourite brands, we listen to music and watch films.
Consumers are putting businesses under pressure to provide multi channel services for the distribution of documents in both paper and digital versions.
Consumers are dictating where and when they want to view content, on and off line. Digital media usage will be dictated largely by the consumer’s behaviour.
The growth in the use of mobile internet and social media represents a great opportunity for information to be highly relevant and specific to the reader.
At the same time paper continues to be used in businesses everyday.
Paper documentation gives the added reassurance that the document is real and authentic, it can also be used as a physical reference rather than its electronic counterpart.
Should we give up paper distribution?
Answer: No!
You can use both and that way you are not alienating customers that want paper and at the same time embracing those customers that wish to be totally digital.
There is room for both versions to co-exist.
Instead of online documents why not supply both a printed version and a digital one?
You are giving the customer the option to choose which solution they prefer by giving them a multi channel engagement option.
Allowing your customer to make their own choice means they retain control ensuring that all your customers are left feeling valued and important.
This is known as offering a multi channel service.
The option to distribute both paper and digital content which includes marketing messages, payslips, invoices, and statements to the end user.
Whether you are delivering payslips to your employees, bills to your customers or content marketing to your prospects the ability to provide this information using a multi channel service is key to making sure the ‘customer’ experience is meaningful and relevant.
Companies that don’t provide multi channel services are disengaging their customers and employees.
We live in a multi-media world and it is a short sighted strategy whereby a company delivers information on a single platform.
Consumers are digesting information from several media channels simultaneously including paper and print.
Making information available in digital, mobile and paper format will be challenging for organisations.
In a multi-device world, the main objective is to engage with the customer.
An organisation that is responsive to customers needs and gives access to a variety of channels can differentiate itself and set itself apart from its competitors.
