The Xplor View - October 2008 - (Page 20)

scope of the project, GE money has found that a TransPromo project in an IT department has a payback window of between six and 12 months. In many organisations, these projects drive revenue and can be leveraged across many different brands or products. Production After messages and targeting have been set, production is the next department that comes into play. According to Kelli, “We have found that one of the most critical roles for the production department is the up-front testing of image placement, image quality, and colour coverage. There must be a process where feedback can be provided and revisions can be made quickly so that the documents can be sent out in a timely manner.” The production department implements an image validation process, ensures consistent print quality, guarantees on-time delivery, manages production costs, and stays current with new technologies. TransPromo campaigns can mean new processes for some companies with even closer attention to print quality, and typically even more pages per statement. This translates into a lot more work for the production department. Nevertheless, embracing colour or spot colour can offset this extra work by reducing preprinted forms inventory management time. In addition to having fewer inventories to manage, the production department can benefit from the increased efficiency that can result from implementing pilot programs. Kelli notes, “Starting small can help everyone get on board with the new TransPromo processes.” Operations Operations/call centre personnel are often overlooked in the marketing campaign process, but their input is important too. Operations personnel collect customer feedback, develop an understanding of call volume drivers, and then suggest design enhancements. “We let our call centre department know about the campaigns that are going out before they hit the market so representatives are not surprised and can answer any questions appropriately,” Kelli reveals. GE Money also follows up on a regular basis with front-line reps and individual call centre reps. This process involves collecting feedback on the volume of calls that are coming in, as well as the types of calls that are coming in and how that mix is changing. The operations team can benefit from a welldesigned TransPromo document because it will ultimately reduce customer inquiries. When it is easy for customers to find what they need, they will not need to place as many calls to the call centre. Nevertheless, Kelli was quick to point out that it is important to take any measurements about call centre reductions about three to six months after implementing a new design. When customers are exposed to something different for the first time, call volumes may increase briefly simply because customers are seeing something that they are not used to. Analytics The next step in the process is the analytics department. No marketing campaign can be considered complete if you do not measure the results and determine if they were what you were hoping for. Analytics personnel generate accurate, timely, and reliable data about which customers responded to which offers. They also recommend new offers based on their findings and conduct test and learn scenarios. The role of the analytics department is particularly important in the relatively new channel of statement marketing. Kelli notes, “You must design your processes and campaign with the ‘end game’ in mind. What’s your definition of success? Ask yourself—what fields do you need to measure that success? What data do you need to determine which customers responded the best to which offers? What’s the next best thing to offer them?” The analytics department needs to be engaged upfront in the campaign so they can help with the champion/challenger testing. Analytics departments can enjoy making more profitable decisions as a result of better analysis. According to Kelli, analytics departments are usually quite willing to get involved in GE Money’s strategies. “This is pretty straightforward analysis for them,” she states. “They like being a part of a revenue-generating success story.” Finance Let’s suppose that marketing has selected the perfect message and sent it to exactly the right customers, IT and production have flawlessly executed it, operations indicates that customers love it, and analytics determines that the response rate is the highest yet. Even with all this, it is important not to leave out the finance team. Finance personnel measure effectiveness, perform cost/benefit analyses, and provide comparisons between one channel and another. Kelli advises, “Ask [your finance department] to measure your TransPromo campaign in terms of cost per response, ROI, or simply response rate. However you do it, it is important that the finance folks understand your success in this area.” The technology to execute TransPromo campaigns is not inexpensive, but once finance sees how strong the ROI for marketing campaigns that are executed through the statement channel can be, your next project will be that much easier. TransPromo communications represent a low cost with a high potential benefit in relation to other channels. Putting it all together How do you get all these functions moving in the same direction to get your campaigns out the door? It is important to involve everybody at the start of the process. While marketing needs to be the driver, the entire city needs to be engaged up-front—IT, analytics, production, operations, and finance. If everyone understands what you want to do from the beginning, the whole process runs much more smoothly. Presenters at the TransPromo Summit made one other key recommendation: Start small, measure results, and expand. GE Money started very small with one programme, one campaign at a time. Early successes are important to gain momentum as you move forward through a TransPromo campaign, and they help you establish a baseline for success. TransPromo delivers ROI, it delivers postal savings, the technology is becoming more affordable, and the process is environmentally friendly. It is time to get on with it! For more information on TransPromo and case studies from the TransPromo Summit, visit www.infotrends.com Barb Pellow Group Director InfoTrends, Inc. barb_pellow@infotrends.com “ one other key recommendation: Start small, measure results, and expand.” 20 The VIEW Journal Xplor European Edition Issue 6 October 2008 http://www.infotrends.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Xplor View - October 2008

The Xplor View -� October 2008 Contents TPE Master Class: Three Ways to Tame your Print-to-Mail Workflow Right Now Mission Impossible: Embracing Environmental Concerns TPE Master Class: Implementing a Lean Working Environment Improving Business Processes Yields Award-Winning Business Performance How Do� You Effectively Win New Business Writing a Marketing Plan to Win New Printing Clients How Buying Strategies Have Affected How the Industry Sells Let's Talk About Integrated Customer Communications Management:�Transpromo...It Takes a Village! Knowledge Management Part 3 XDU: Leading the Education Revolution Kodak plus Xplor equals XDU Around the World Xplor Europe News:�Short News Items for the Xplor UK�Programme and Europe News

The Xplor View - October 2008

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