Over the past several years, my journey through the intricate world of Customer Communications Management (CCM) has offered me invaluable insights. Particularly illuminating has been the evolution and interplay between CCM and mainstream direct mail. As we stand at the crossroads of technological advancement and customer preference, print’s paramount role in the customer acquisition journey becomes impossible to ignore. 

I remember the conversations I had at Xploration18, which left an indelible mark on my perspective. It was clear even then that the lines between production print and customer communications were becoming increasingly blurred. Members of Xplor are experts at designing, producing, implementing, delivering and managing high-volume, highly regulated and highly personalized communications across all channels and in all formats. They help produce tens of thousands of unique bills and statements on a monthly basis and are, in essence, variable data mavericks. 

But the customer communication nuances run even deeper—and beyond the creation of monthly bills or annual statements. Today, it’s about crafting a holistic customer journey experience—one that speaks to individual preferences and manages to resonate with a broad spectrum of consumers. Not only does this require businesses to be able to manage and share content efficiently and effectively, they also need to be able to communicate with their customers in a personalized and timely way.