Colleyville, TX - The gap between customer communications management (CCM) software technology capabilities and utilization by enterprises is changing the paradigm in CCM, says a report from Madison Advisors, an independent analyst firm that provides strategic consulting and market research to clients in the enterprise CCM, electronic delivery and print industries. Madison Advisors’ latest report, “CCM Hosted Managed Services: Changing the Paradigm in Customer Communications Management,” identifies the emergence of Hosted Managed Services (HMS) as the ideal solution for many organizations looking to lighten the load on IT resources and focus initiatives on an overall customer engagement strategy, rather than the day-to-day logistics of creating and distributing communications.

“While conducting this research, we found that organizations continue to be challenged by the requirement for communications to be compliant as well as personalized and relevant, while striving to support complex products with clarity and appropriate calls to action,” said Stephanie Pieruccini, VP of research and enterprise & technology consulting services at Madison Advisors. “Combined with growing delivery expectations in the digital world, these requirements have caused many companies to fall behind in the attempt to achieve critical strategic communication goals.”

Rapid changes in customer communication requirements have driven solutions providers to build additional capabilities into their software, often creating a technology proficiency gap that leaves enterprises struggling to generate a return from their investment. As communication infrastructures continue to grow instead of evolve, overly complex environments of unsupported solutions, homegrown systems and software that is far behind the current version are the result.

These challenges led to a number of key findings within the study: 

1. Technology delivery and support models offered by CCM solutions providers are an issue. Installation combined with professional services is not enough to guarantee customers’ desired outcomes.
2. The result of this lack of software utilization widens the gap between capabilities of the software and the resulting ROI realized by the purchaser.
3. A new service delivery model is needed that can guarantee results and lead to ROI and overall value organizations desire.
4. A small group of solutions providers (named in the report) demonstrate a clear understanding of the gap between software capabilities and utilization by enterprises, creating a new category of technology delivery services called CCM Hosted Managed Services.
5. CCM HMS is not the same as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).
6. The market opportunity for CCM HMS is significant, forecasted to exceed $3 billion in the U.S. alone.

Madison Advisors contends that rapid advances in communication technology and related customer expectations have accelerated the pace of change beyond the reach of most, if not all, companies.  A CCM HMS approach makes deployment, integration and support of all related technology and services the responsibility of the software provider. It also makes the provider accountable for the results of using its technology.

The report anticipates continued growth for this delivery model in the coming years as new providers are poised to enter the market.

To purchase the full report “Hosted Managed Services: Changing the Paradigm in Customer Communications Management,” click here. This trend and others will be discussed at Madison Advisors’ 2016 CCM Executive Roundtable, March 7-9, 2016 in St. Petersburg, FL.