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Industry Leaders Support Xplor at Print 17 Panel

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Lutz, FL — August 15, 2017: Xplor International today announced that Canon Solutions America, Compart North America, Pitney Bowes and Racami will be sponsoring the Xplor at Print 17 Breakfast Panel being held September 12, 2017 during Print 17 in Chicago.

The session titled, Exploring the Role of Print in Today’s Customer Journey will be moderated by Matt Swain of Keypoint Intelligence – InfoTrends  and will focus on the integral role that print plays as part of the customer journey.

Session description: The recent enterprise focus on improving customer experience is strongly tied to reviewing and improving the customer journey. Understanding—and mapping—a customer journey can be as much an art as it is a science. Since that journey now spans many media types, the role of print can get lost in the mix.  A timely communication by mail can secure a new customer, while a poorly-executed print campaign can also spell disaster.

Our moderator, along with our end-user panelists, will focus on the latest market trends, best practices, and the role of print in today’s customer journey.

The complimentary event is limited to the first 200 registrants. Registration includes admission to the panel session, a networking breakfast, and a Print 17 exhibit hall pass, all courtesy of the event sponsors. For more information, or to register for the event, visit the event page.

“As technology and human behavior evolve, print remains an integral component of the customer journey.” says Skip Henk, President and CEO of Xplor International. “The panel will focus on the role of print as part of the customer experience, as well as the methodology involved and how their companies use print as part of their strategy.”

Event Details:
Date: September 12, 2017
Time: 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM (Breakfast starts at 7:30 AM)
Location: McCormick Place, Chicago, IL – Room S105ABC
Cost: FREE (Registration required and limited to the first 200 registrants)

For information about Xplor at Print 17, please visit: http://bit.ly/2ftuv2C. You can also contact Xplor Headquarters at +1-813-949-6170.

About Xplor International
Xplor International is a not-for-profit association that provides thought leadership to the customer communications industry. As a community Xplor provides advocacy, education, training, mentoring and networking opportunities.

Our members are decision makers and recommenders who are involved in the conception, design, implementation production and delivery of multi-channel client, member and customer communications.

Xplor’s mission is to enhance organizational success and advance the careers of our members by providing research, publications, industry certification, professional development, web-based events, and conference programming. Xplor International has its worldwide headquarters in Lutz, Florida, with affiliated offices around the world. Further information is available at www.xplor.org.

Facebook: facebook.com/XplorInternational
Twitter: twitter.com/Xplor_Int or @Xplor_Int

Xplor International Media Contact:
Chad Henk
Director of Marketing
+1-813-949-6171
Chad@xplor.org

Much More Than a City in France

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An Interview with XLPrint USA CEO, Gerard Callaghan
By: Skip Henk, EDP – CEO of Xplor International

At our last conference I had the opportunity to meet and speak with Gerard Callaghan, CEO of XLPrint USA, about the various changes in our industry.

I must admit, I was not familiar with XLPrint but after speaking with Gerard and spending some time on their website  (http://www.xlprint.com/) it is apparent that their platform, Paris, is relevant, agile and totally focused on transaction documents.

I decided to circle back with Gerard and get him to share a few additional thoughts on XLPrint and his vision for our industry.

Skip: Gerard thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with the E-Document News audience.

Gerard: It is my pleasure Skip.

Skip: For our readers that are not familiar with XLPrint and its Paris product, give us your 15 second elevator pitch?

Gerard: XLPrint is a software company and Paris is our flagship product. Paris has been employed in over 55 countries, in almost every industry and in thousands of customers producing billions of printed and digital transaction documents a year. Paris is the culmination of more than 30 years of development and refinement of the tools required to efficiently design, compose and deliver transaction documents. Everyone knows that you need the right tool for a job and XLPrint remains focused exclusively on delivering exactly the right tool for transaction document workflow. We do not attempt to make tools for marketing automation or graphics arts, for example. We focus entirely on transaction document production and workflow. We believe that we continue to excel at this.

Skip: Looking ahead 2-4 years, what will our industry look like?

Gerard: I can’t think of a more exciting time to be in our industry. The rate of change and evolution in the customer communication management (CCM) and customer experience (CX) industry is astounding. Having been in this industry for over 30 years I can’t think of any other period of such great innovation and value creation. However, as exciting as these new opportunities are, companies are still very focused at fulfilling the most basic obligation of delivering transaction documents. This is usually done from business systems that have been in place for a decade or more and will remain in place for another decade or more. Many companies need a solution like Paris to handle these requirements, yet be confident they are investing in solutions that support future requirements. ‘Transaction Document Production‘ may not sound as glamorous as ‘Marketing Automation‘ or ‘Customer Experience’, but it is a vital component of any business and its workflow.

Skip: What effect will emerging technologies have on our customers and our industry?

Gerard: We are working on some very exciting ideas for transaction document content and delivery which will appeal to some of our more forward-thinking customers, but the truth is that the majority of our customers expect only incremental change in this area. Our customers still expect to be delivering significant volumes of printed and PDF/Email transaction documents in 2 to 4 years. As we saw with email delivery, there was no overnight change. Print and mail is still the main medium for transaction documents and it has been, and continues to be, a very gradual change to digital delivery. We believe that businesses will continue to look for specialized, robust, future-proof tools for transaction document production and we believe that XLPrint is one of the most focused and reliable providers out there.

Skip: What does the longer view look like? What will transaction document production look like in 15 years?

Gerard: So, even in 10 years’ time, transaction documents will still be printed and mailed and Paris will be there for them however we believe that by then we will be reaching (or have reached) a tipping point and that the majority of transaction documents will be electronically delivered. At this point, there will be an incredible opportunity to deliver spectacular functionality. We believe there will be an explosion in functionality and capabilities. We are already envisioning and working on these ideas and plan to be there for our customers as they evolve into this very bright future. XLPrint has both feet firmly planted on the ground focusing on what customers need “today” but we are very excited about what lays ahead in the longer term.

Skip: Gerard, thank you for your time. If someone would like to get in contact with you and learn more about XLPrint what is the best way to do that?

Gerard: There is obviously our web site at xlprint.com however you can also contact me directly at gcallaghan@usa.xlprint.com

About XLPrint
2017 sees XLPrint celebrate its 31st year in the business of document production and workflow solutions. We have witnessed, and been a party to, incredible changes in the way that documents are produced, distributed and managed and continue to be at the leading edge of that evolution. With thousands of installations spanning more than 55 countries, producing billions of physical and electronic pages each year, our global industry and market experience is unparalleled.

We pride ourselves on thinking beyond today, and strive to revolutionize how your business will manage tomorrow’s document production opportunities. We base our success on leading-edge technology, reliable and knowledgeable support and solid partner relationships

skip_Henk_Photo_2011

 

Skip Henk, EDP
President/CEO
Xplor International

Xplor International Announces Industry Analyst Workshop

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The Half-Day Workshop is Held in Conjunction with Xploration 17

Lutz, FL — January 23, 2017: Xplor International today announced the Industry Analyst Workshop as a part of the full-conference curriculum at Xploration 17 which takes place March 28-30, 2017. The half day event will close the event on Thursday, March 30th and is sponsored by GMC Software.

Tweet this: Industry Analysts Workshop to be a part of the #Xplor17 conference program; FREE to full-conference attendees! http://bit.ly/2jKgprS

The Industry Analyst Workshop will be a three-part adventure. The first part is moderated by Keypoint Intelligence/InfoTrends and will begin with the newest trends and data from their research, including the newest software investment surveys.

Following the trends will be two workshops designed to be interactive and educational, so audience participation and questions are highly encouraged! The first Genius Panel covers guidance on Customer Experience best practices. A few panel questions will start the conversation but the attendees will be driving the session with questions, experiences, and best practices.

The second workshop introduces a new group of Geniuses. With this group, the attendees are engaged on the document journey, talking about how customer communication is created and delivered in print and online. The discussion will be on the best practices in maintaining both legacy and new environments, print and online.

“We are very excited to offer this as a part of our 2017 program and I’d like to thank GMC Software for sponsoring the workshop.” says Skip Henk, EDP, President/CEO of Xplor International. “This workshop will be a great wrap up for Xploration 17 with attendees heading home with some new ideas that they can take back to their companies.”

About Xplor International
Xplor International is a not-for-profit association that provides thought leadership to the customer communications industry. As a community Xplor provides advocacy, education, training, mentoring and networking opportunities.

Our members are decision makers and recommenders who are involved in the conception, design, implementation production and delivery of multi-channel client, member and customer communications.

Xplor’s mission is to enhance organizational success and advance the careers of our members by providing research, publications, industry certification, professional development, web-based events, and conference programming. Xplor International has its worldwide headquarters in Lutz, Florida, with affiliated offices around the world. Further information is available at www.xplor.org.

Facebook: facebook.com/XplorInternational
Twitter: twitter.com/Xplor_Int or @Xplor_Int

Xplor International Media Contact:
Chad Henk
Marketing Manager
+1-813-949-6171
Chad@xplor.org

Xploration Tour to hit Atlanta on February 9th

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Latest Trends and Best Practices in Customer Communication Management

Lutz, FL – January 18, 2017 – Xplor International, today announced the Xploration Tour will begin the 2017 year in Atlanta, Georgia on February 9, 2017.

The Xploration Tour is a joint-venture with Xplor USA that is designed to provide educational programming, information, and networking opportunities to members as well as industry professionals across North America.

The Atlanta Xploration Tour speakers will delve into the latest trends and best practices in Customer Communications, sharing trends in the industry as well as what they have learned dealing with their own CCM strategy.

This one-day event will each feature an industry analyst overview by Matt Swain of Keypoint Intelligence/InfoTrends, five educational sessions, and a speaker panel discussion. Registration includes a continental breakfast, all seven sessions, lunch, and facility tour of the city host, DATAMATX.

“CCM is no longer an option. Companies that are not looking at it are behind curve.” says Skip Henk, President/CEO of Xplor International. “Whether a company already has or is looking to implement and/or enhance their CCM strategy, these one-day sessions will provide insight and direction.”

The Atlanta Xploration Tour is co-sponsored by GMC Software and Racami. Additional cities and events will be announced when confirmed.

For more information about the Xploration Tour, visit www.xplor.org.

For information on becoming an Xploration Tour sponsor please contact Deborah Green, Director of Sales, at +1-770-444-3845 or email deborahgreen@xplor.org

*Final city selection may vary.

About Xplor International
Xplor International is a not-for-profit association that provides thought leadership to the customer communications industry. As a community Xplor provides advocacy, education, training, mentoring and networking opportunities.

Our members are decision makers and recommenders who are involved in the conception, design, implementation production and delivery of multi-channel client, member and customer communications.

Xplor’s mission is to enhance organizational success and advance the careers of our members by providing research, publications, industry certification, professional development, web-based events, and conference programming. Xplor International has its worldwide headquarters in Lutz, Florida, with affiliated offices around the world. Further information is available at www.xplor.org.

Facebook: facebook.com/XplorInternational
Twitter: twitter.com/Xplor_Int or @Xplor_Int

Xplor International Media Contact:
Chad Henk
Marketing Manager
+1-813-949-6171
Chad@xplor.org

OpenText Exstream, Digital Transformation and Customer Communications Management

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An Interview with OpenText Exstream, Senior Manager of Product Strategy
By: Skip Henk, EDP – CEO of Xplor International

Last year Open Text Corp. acquired certain customer-communications management assets from HP Inc., an acquisition that certainly expanded and complemented the OpenText portfolio of software offerings.

Now that the dust has settled a bit, I wanted to catch up with Avi Greenfield, EDP – Senior Manager of Product Strategy, to discuss his views about digital transformation and Customer Communications from an OpenText Exstream point of view.

Avi, a 20 year industry veteran, is focused on technology solutions that build business value, focusing on customer communications and content management strategy. As I mentioned he is a Senior Manager of Product Strategy for OpenText Exstream, responsible for understanding the needs of customers for managing business-critical communications in complex and demanding environments, and driving the direction of the Exstream portfolio to meet those needs.

Avi received his Electronic Document Professional (EDP) certification in 2012.

Skip: Avi, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts today.

Avi: You are welcome; we appreciate Xplor allowing us the opportunity.

Skip: For our readers who are not familiar with OpenText Exstream, can you give us your 15 second   elevator pitch?

Avi: OpenText Exstream offers the fastest, most reliable communications production engine to enable

digital transformation for companies. Exstream helps companies in a range of industries and sizes optimize customer engagement through the design and delivery of personalized, consistent, compliant, anytime, anywhere communications for better customer experiences across all channels. The latest version includes capabilities that enable users to create responsive, mobile-ready content; generate robust, interactive charts; perform controlled in-context editing; and better handle PDFs.

Skip: There is a lot in the media now about “digital transformation” and “digital business/digital economy” – what does that mean to OpenText and why is it important? 

Avi:  With 50% of the workforce expected to be made up of those who were “born digital” by 2020, digital communications are becoming more and more important and many companies are looking to move to a digital business model. A recent Gartner report states that 89% of companies will compete on customer experience and 90% of CEOs place CX as one of their top three priorities, so companies will need to be able to provide exceptional customer experiences across multiple channels to stay competitive in the future.

The Millennial generation is now larger than the Baby Boomers and they have more than one trillion dollars in purchasing power. Companies need to adapt their customer communications to appeal to this highly digital and technologically advanced group. Digital transformation of your business will be critical and is much more than being able to send email or PDFs because these consumers want much more engaging experiences and access to their brands 24/7. They have the highest adoption and usage of mobile devices of any generation, and they navigate seamlessly between devices and channels, which means they expect relevant and consistent content, experiences and branding across all channels.

Skip: What is the impact of digital transformation on CCM?

Avi:  We see it driving a lot of demand for modern CCM capabilities. Digital transformation means rethinking business processes to meet consumer demand for frictionless multichannel interactions. This frequently means updating or replacing core systems of record and systems and engagement like CRM, billing, customer care, and claims for example. Most organizations already have multiple systems that are used to produce and deliver traditional and digital communications. So when they update those core systems, it’s a great time to consider whether their current CCM tools and processes are able to serve all of their enterprise needs for engaging customers in a way puts them at the center and gives them the freedom to engage using the channels and devices of their choice. We see this leading to increased investment in enterprise-grade CCM tools and also increased focus and organizational resources dedicated to producing and delivering timely, relevant, compliant communications.

Skip: Given these changes, and a shift to digital documents and communications, what steps can people take right now to take advantage of this?

Avi: In the digital age, it is critical for your company to move from traditional paper-based documents to engaging conversations across all channels. By delivering communications in the channels preferred by your customers and designing with digital in mind, you can turn your communications into a differentiator.

Your communications should use clear and concise language and be compliant, accurate, and controlled. All this requires synchronizing the right data with CCM software and the business processes that intersect with customer touchpoints.

Communications—whether traditional or digital—are the primary customer touchpoint for most organizations. The quality, timeliness, and accuracy of those communications have a huge impact on the consumer’s perception of your company. And the quality of a customer’s experience is the single greatest predictor of whether they will return and promote your company or defect to a competitor and malign it.

The design of any communication is important and can either drive desired behaviors, additional revenue or loyalty if done well. If not, it can undermine customer experience and create expensive call center inquiries. As far as best practices, five key things to consider when designing any communication are:

  1. Design for understanding – What do you want recipients to understand?
  2. Design to drive action – What do you want recipients to do or not do?
  3. Design for digital first, but don’t neglect traditional channels – Do recipients have a seamless cross-channel experience?
  4. Design to align business user profile with the business process – How do you involve business users? Do they own content and messages? Can they help personalize communications for the front office?
  5. Design customer-centric communications from the outside-in – What do you do to modernize your processes and systems of interaction to deliver on consumer expectations for seamless cross-channel interactions?

Skip: Those are five great points. Do you believe the investment in CCM worth it?

Avi: Not only is it worth it, but it is essential to positive business outcomes. Providing a better customer experience is shown to increase loyalty and lifetime customer value and can be a key source of competitive differentiation. Delivering interactions that are clear, timely, and easy to understand leads to higher customer satisfaction.

So there are many pressures and expectations on customer communications. Companies must respond quickly to changing markets and circumstances, while providing consistent, high-quality communications in the recipient’s language and preferred delivery channel.

There is also a critical need to maintain compliance and control over communications for legal and regulatory reasons. At the same time, business users are demanding more control over the content and faster time to market. And of course operational requirements demand timely, optimized output at the lowest possible cost. So having an enterprise CCM platform with the right organizational commitment and resources dedicated to it is essential to increasing profitability, improving customer experience, and mitigating risk.

Skip: Avi, I once again thank you for taking the time to speak with me today and sharing your insights. Anyone who would like more information can contact OpenText here.

About OpenText Exstream
Exstream is a multichannel customer communication management (CCM) solution that is proven to improve the customer experience and make customer interactions more profitable. It allows business users to create the communications for connected customer journeys using the delivery formats and channels customers prefer – including email, web and mobile.

This software solution powers the transformation of all of your data—whatever file sources, formats, and systems you use—into relevant and insightful customer communications. With on-premise and cloud deployment options, Exstream is scalable to fit the needs of any department or complex enterprise environment. Design and deliver consistent, personalized, compliant, anytime, anywhere communications with Exstream.

skip_Henk_Photo_2011

 

Skip Henk, EDP
President/CEO
Xplor International

Xplor International Issues 2017 Conference Call for Presentations

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Three-Day Event to Host Over 60 Educational Sessions, Vendor Forum, and Networking Events

Lutz, FL – September 29, 2016 – Xplor International, the worldwide electronic document systems association,  has issued a “call for presentations” for their annual event, Xploration® 17, taking place March 28-30, 2017 at the Caribe Royale Orlando in Orlando, Florida. The event will feature five distinct tracks which include over 60 educational sessions, 40 solution snapshot sessions, five panel sessions, a keynote, and an Industry Analysts Workshop, all in addition to the vendor forum and daily networking events.

Tweet this: @Xplor_Int has opened up the call for presentations! Share your knowledge in Orlando on various topics! http://bit.ly/2cYVNrw #Xplor17

Xplor has opened up the call for presentations with the ability to submit as either a Session Presenter or a Panelist. However, Xplor is doing things a bit different this year. Session Presenters will have the option of a 25-minute Lightning Learning or a 50-minute Deep Dive timeslot.

“Delivering educational content from those that live, work and breathe customer communications helps make our conference successful”, says Roger Chamberlain, 2017 Conference Chair.  “For the last few years, the number of submissions has surpassed available opportunities to present, so we encourage you to submit early.  Sharing your knowledge and experiences is paramount to ensuring our attendees have the best opportunity to learn!”

To view a full list of conference topics or to submit, please visit the Call for Presentations website. Please feel free to sign up as both a panelist and a session presenter. Due to past demand, we can only accept one entry per person for session presenters, so choose your best one! Those selected will be notified of the status of their submission in November.

If selected as a session presenter or a panelist, business end users will enjoy the conference with a complimentary Platinum Passport.  Industry partners/vendors will save over 50% with a discounted rate of $499 for the Platinum Passport.

Not quite sure you want to present? Get some advice from Xplor’s President/CEO here.

Five Educational Tracks
In preparation for Xploration® 17, Xplor is seeking speakers from the business analyst and vendor communities on topics across five different tracks that encompass the entire document lifecycle and includes, but not limited to:

  • Business Management: Analytics, Business Intelligence, Business Justification, Dashboards, Data Security, Metrics, Production Control Management, Production Integrity, RFP, Workflow
  • All Things Data: Accessibility, Compliance, Composition, Data Management, Data Transformation, Design, Print Stream Engineering
  • Distribution: BYOD, Email, Mail, Mobile, Print, Social, SMS, Video, Web
  • The Customer Experience: CCM, Changing Workforce, Cross-Channel, e-Commerce, Listening/Response Management, Managing Multi-Channel, Marketing, Mergers/Acquisitions, Mobile Strategies, Multi-Channel ADF, Omni-Channel
  • Fundamentals: EDBOK Document Fundamentals taught by acadami

Five Panel Topics
Xploration® 17 will feature five panels throughout the event (that you can be involved in!) on the following topics:

  • Can Digital Transformation Revolutionize Your Business?
  • Collaboration: Expanding the Communication Ecosystem
  • Does Channel Preference Drive Results?
  • Is the Ideal Customer Experience a Moving Target?
  • What Role Does Mobile Technology Play in Delivering a Great Customer Experience?

Vendor Forum
The event will also feature a vendor forum that is designed to capitalize on the wealth of knowledge within the Xplor vendor community. These forums provide an opportunity for both attendees and vendors to share ideas and information on applications, industry trends and products.

Networking Events
Xplor’s Conference is known as the number one networking event in the industry. The 2017 event will once again continue that tradition as participants can attend educational sessions during the day while networking at lunches and evening events.

For more information or to apply as a speaker, please visit http://www.cvent.com/d/jfqb85. For more information about the conference, please visit www.xplor.org/xplor17. Any questions should be directed to Register@xplor.org, +1-813-949-6170, between the hours of 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (ET), Monday through Friday.

Vendors interested in exhibiting or being an event sponsor should contact Xplor’s Director of Sales, Deborah Green, at 770-444-3845 or via email at deborahgreen@xplor.org.

About Xplor International
Xplor International is a not-for-profit association that provides thought leadership to the customer communications industry. As a community Xplor provides advocacy, education, training, mentoring and networking opportunities.

Our members are decision makers and recommenders who are involved in the conception, design, implementation production and delivery of multi-channel client, member and customer communications.

Xplor’s mission is to enhance organizational success and advance the careers of our members by providing research, publications, industry certification, professional development, web-based events, and conference programming. Xplor International has its worldwide headquarters in Lutz, Florida, with affiliated offices around the world. Further information is available at www.xplor.org.

Facebook: facebook.com/XplorInternational
Twitter: twitter.com/Xplor_Int or @Xplor_Int

Xplor International Media Contact:
Chad Henk
Marketing Manager
+1-813-949-6171
Chad@xplor.org

Xplor International Announces 2017 Conference Event

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Xploration® 17 to be held March 28-30, 2017 in Orlando, Florida

Lutz, FL — September 28, 2016: Xplor International, the worldwide electronic document systems association, today announced the dates and location for their 2017 annual conference. The event will feature five distinct tracks which include over 60 educational sessions, 40 solution snapshot sessions, five panel sessions, a keynote, and an Industry Analysts Workshop, all in addition to the vendor forum and daily networking events.

Xploration® 17 will take place March 28-30, 2017 at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida.

Tweet this: @Xplor_Int announces March 28-30 at the Caribe Royale in Orlando for their Xploration 17 conference #Xplor17 http://bit.ly/2cVtpGI

Also known also as The Customer Communications Conference, the two-and-a-half day event will bring together end-users, analysts, consultants, industry experts, and vendors who will share the latest best practices and trends in the customer communications industry.

For anyone involved in the creation, design and/or delivery of customer communications, this is a great event to hear the latest industry trends, best practices and to find solutions.

“Xploration® 17 will be capitalizing on the well-received educational matrix we introduced at last year’s event.” says Skip Henk, President/CEO of Xplor International, “We have made some adjustments to the event based on attendee feedback. The event will once again feature great content and networking at a beautiful venue in March, which is a great time to be in Florida.”

The five educational tracks include: Business Management, All Things Data, Distribution, The Customer Experience, and a Fundamentals course taught by acadami. Within these topics, Xploration® 17 will also feature five panels throughout the event. They are:

  • Can Digital Transformation Revolutionize Your Business?
  • Collaboration: Expanding the Communication Ecosystem
  • Does Channel Preference Drive Results?
  • Is the Ideal Customer Experience a Moving Target?
  • What Role Does Mobile Technology Play in Delivering a Great Customer Experience?

Vendor Forum
The Vendor Forum will feature 38 leading industry vendors with an opportunity for attendees and vendors to share ideas and information on applications, industry trends and products. 

Networking Events
Xplor’s Conference is known as the number one networking event in the industry. The 2017 event will once again continue that tradition as participants can attend educational sessions during the day while networking at lunches and evening events.

Interested in speaking at Xploration® 17? Our Call for Presentations is currently open and if you are interested in speaking at the conference, you can apply here. You can also check the official 2017 Annual Conference page anytime for the most up-to-date information.

Questions should be directed to Xplor HQ via email at register@xplor.org or by phone at +1-813-949-6170, between the hours of 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (ET), Monday through Friday.

Vendors interested in being an event exhibitor or sponsor should contact Xplor’s Director of Sales, Deborah Green, at +1-770-444-3845 or via email at deborahgreen@xplor.org.

About Xplor International
Xplor International is a not-for-profit association that provides thought leadership to the customer communications industry. As a community Xplor provides advocacy, education, training, mentoring and networking opportunities.

Our members are decision makers and recommenders who are involved in the conception, design, implementation production and delivery of multi-channel client, member and customer communications.

Xplor’s mission is to enhance organizational success and advance the careers of our members by providing research, publications, industry certification, professional development, web-based events, and conference programming. Xplor International has its worldwide headquarters in Lutz, Florida, with affiliated offices around the world. Further information is available at www.xplor.org.

Facebook: facebook.com/XplorInternational
Twitter: twitter.com/Xplor_Int or @Xplor_Int

Xplor International Media Contact:
Chad Henk
Marketing Manager
+1-813-949-6171
Chad@xplor.org

How to Personalize Your Customer Communications

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Submitted by Alexandra Truchot, Content Creation Specialist for Objectif Lune.
June 13, 2016

Personalizing customer communications continues to be a hot issue and many organizations still have a hard time doing it well.

I regularly buy my beauty products at a fairly popular store. Every month for the past several years, this store has been sending out colourful cards with monthly or seasonal discounts to everyone on their mailing list. You need to present the card at the store to get your discounts and a gift. Eventually, I stopped reading the cards because they were always the same and seemed impersonal. Everyone across the country got the same card at the same time, and the discounts were rarely for products that interested me. I never felt that the cards had anything to do with me, other than the fact that I was a customer. And although I had made purchases on a number of occasions, I didn’t feel loyal to that store.

But a few weeks ago, I received a different kind of card. This time, it said that a product I had bought last year was on sale. And if I liked that product, they suggested I try a new related product.  It wasn’t a big deal, but I felt that they were addressing me, and that they had taken the time to suggest something personal that fitted my situation. They were not just sending some generic card meant for their entire customer base.

Since then, I’ve been receiving cards that are specific to my needs and I appreciate the gesture.
So yes, it’s important to personalize your customer communications, and by doing more than simply changing the name!

Here are a few things you can customize in your communications, whether they are promotional or transactional:

  • A different picture for each customer
  • Local contact information only
  • Personalized URL
  • Personalized ads

What’s the best part of all this? You can make the changes regardless of whether your mailings are sent electronically or by regular mail.  If you have a tool that helps you manage both types of communication, you can easily add the same personal touch to each.

Your customer will place greater trust in you and become loyal!

AlexandraTruchot ThumbnailAlexandra Truchot – Content creation specialist with Objectif Lune. Writer and compulsive reader. Eager for unknown destinations and exciting encounters. Anything is possible, you just have to believe it. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Objectif Lune has 20 years of experience developing Customer Communications Management solutions. Our solutions bridge the gap between systems and automate more personalized, relevant, multichannel customer communications. Learn more at:www.objectiflune.com.

4 Ways to Improve Your Customer Communications

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Submitted by Alexandra Truchot, Content Creation Specialist for Objectif Lune.
April 25, 2016

You’re probably bombarded with articles showing the need to improve your customer communications.

Now that you’re well aware of the impact the customer experience can have on your business, how exactly do you go about it? What are the main things to keep in mind and to implement?

Multichannel, rather than digital, communications
We repeatedly stress the importance of moving into the digital age. But consumer expectations are more complex than simply wanting to communicate with you by email because they are all different in terms of their speed in adapting to the digital world: traditional channels only, a little bit of digital or digital in every aspect of their lives.

All of these consumers co-exist, and it’s not as easy as it used to be to separate them simply based on age. Seniors are now as digital savvy as young people, who are still gravitating between traditional and digital. You have to be able to reach all of them. If not, a competitor will beat you to it.

Mobility and consistency
Not only are consumers connected 24/7, but they travel around a lot. And they want access to the same quality of information, no matter where they’re located.

Most companies have already started to offer their content through mobile and email, but it’s not easy to read, extends beyond the device’s screen and doesn’t offer the same features. Simply put, because companies are still not managing to change content based on the strengths of each platform, they settle for using the same elements, regardless of where the content is posted. But customers have less and less patience with sites and email unsuited to mobile. They want a total, consistent experience.

Being responsive and fast
Mobility leads to a real-time need. Customers are now used to getting news at any time, and as soon as it happens. They expect things to work the same way in their business relationships. They want information to be available 24/7 and on demand.

More than anything else, consumers assess your response time. Organizations that can respond in real time are now getting ahead of the curve.

Your customers want their next invoice to reflect the latest call they had with you, even if it was only a couple of days ago. If they request a change in their account or billing, you can no longer afford to wait several weeks before accounting for it in the communications sent over any of the channels.

Loyalty: an ongoing pursuit
Loyalty means little anymore. Just because customers buy your products, it doesn’t mean they’ll stick with you forever. Nowadays, they need to be wooed on a continual basis because they’re always assessing you. The digital age has made it possible for them to move around: in just a few clicks, they can find out what your competitors are doing. They can make quick online comparisons.

If the competitor seems to be offering a more personalized customer experience, chances are your customers will go to that competitor, even if your products are top of the line.

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Alexandra Truchot – Content creation specialist with Objectif Lune. Writer and compulsive reader. Eager for unknown destinations and exciting encounters. Anything is possible, you just have to believe it. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Objectif Lune has 20 years of experience developing Customer Communications Management solutions. Our solutions bridge the gap between systems and automate more personalized, relevant, multichannel customer communications. Learn more at: www.objectiflune.com.

 

HP Exstream Takes Customer Communication Management to 11!

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Guest post by Deborah Corn

I can’t resist a Spinal Tap reference, and in this case it’s easy to work in. I was hanging out in the HP High Speed Inkjet area at DscoopX last week and Heather Oliver from HP Exstream was just a few feet away manning their demo station. I was able to catch her in a brief moment between customer and attendee visits, and she was kind enough to talk to me about HP Exstream and the upcoming Xploration 15 Conference. I had no idea this software did all that it does – like spell check MEDICAL and LEGAL terms, and now with the launch of Empower customer communications can be managed online, and by a group of people!!! So actually, maybe this product goes to 12!

Check out the Xploration 15 Pre-Conference Workshop I am presenting with Trish Witkowski from Fold factory and Joanne Gore from Avanti on April 13th: Rescue Your Printshop’s ROI… Online Strategies For Offline Success

See you in Orlando!