Posts

Xplor International Announces 2017 Conference Event

/in , /by

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

/in , /by

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

/in , /by

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.

AlexandraTruchot Thumbnail

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!

/in , /by

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!

Madison Advisors Returns to Xplor Conference to Share CCM Insights

/in , , /by

Half-Day Pre-Conference Event Helps Kick Off Xploration® 15

Lutz, FL —February 24, 2015—Xplor International, the worldwide electronic document systems association, today announced that the Madison Advisor’s Pre-Conference Intensive will once again be part of Xplor’s Annual Conference, Xploration® 15, April 14-16, at the Wyndham Orlando Resort International Drive in Orlando, Florida. The pre-conference program will take place April 13, 2015, from 1:00 to 5:00 PM.

Tweet this: @Madison_Advisor Pre-Conference Intensive again returns to Xploration® 15 in Orlando, Florida #Xplor15

Madison Advisors provides thought leadership, strategic consulting, and market research to clients in the customer communications management (CCM), electronic delivery, and print industries. Their industry-neutral expertise enables end-user organizations, service providers, and vendors to achieve their strategic objectives around transactional customer communications and publishing services.

This year’s pre-conference program will feature three sessions that include:
• Archives: Not Just for Documents Anymore
• Measuring What Matters: Dashboards and KPIs
• Minding Your Print & Queues: Job Scheduling, Tracking & Optimization

Pricing
Attendance to the Madison Advisors pre-conference program is not included with the conference’s Platinum Passport. However, attendees can purchase this pre-conference program during the registration process for Xploration® 15. For Xplor Members, the cost is $200 USD and non-members, $225 USD.

About Xploration® 15
Xploration® 15 is being held at the Wyndham Orlando Resort International Drive from April 14-16, 2015. Pre-Conference Programs will take place on April 13, 2015.

For questions about Xploration® 15, please contact Xplor Headquarters at +1-813-949-6710 or by email at register@xplor.org.

Registration to the three-day event includes access to all of Xploration® 15’s 60+ educational sessions, panels, keynotes, general sessions, evening networking events, networking lunches and a breakfast on Thursday.

A limited number of exhibit spaces are still available. Vendors interested in becoming an exhibitor or event sponsor should contact Xplor’s Director of Sales, Deborah Green, at +1-770-444-3845 or via email at deborahgreen1@earthlink.net.

About Xplor International
Xplor International is a worldwide, not-for-profit professional association that consists of thousands of users and suppliers of the products and services that create, modify, and deliver customized information using a wide variety of document technologies. The association provides educational products and programs for its members and the industry at large through conferences, meetings and annual events. 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: @Xplor_Int

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

About Madison Advisors


Madison Advisors, an advisory firm, exists to advance the print and electronic communications objectives of Fortune 1000 companies. The company’s analysts provide advisory services for a range of content delivery strategies, particularly those addressing enterprise output technologies and customer communications. Through short-term, high-impact engagements (measurable in days or weeks, not months), Madison Advisors offers expertise and advisory services that directly help clients achieve hard and specific return on investment (ROI) related to their enterprise output goals and objectives. The company’s analyst team has an extensive background in the enterprise output industry, enabling Madison Advisors to offer its clients unique, objective perspectives and unparalleled guidance for their print and electronic communications initiatives. For more information about Madison Advisors, visit the company’s web site at www.madison-advisors.com or call (817) 684-7545.