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The transformative power of preferential communication
Our airwaves are saturated with advertisements, our e-mail in-boxes are overflowing with promotional offers and our mailboxes are clogged with catalogues and junk mail.
In a world where the average person is bombarded with an array of messages through an ever-expanding range of media, making authentic contact with consumers is becoming an increasingly difficult proposition. There have never been more ways for us to communicate with one another, and, as a result, it has never been more difficult to penetrate the haze of white noise in today's communications atmosphere.
Our instinctive reaction is to turn away from the clutter, whether it appears in our mailbox, voicemail box or e-mail in-box, and complacent companies that fail to recognize this trend are in danger of getting squeezed out of the picture. For credit and collections professionals who rely heavily on clear and consistent communication with consumers, these issues are particularly poignant and the communications challenge is especially acute.
There is a growing realization that effectively and consistently delivering a message to a target audience requires simplicity, directness, clarity and flexibility, and there is a growing appreciation for innovative new ways in which companies can talk to-and hear from-their customers. As the importance of connecting with customers becomes increasingly evident, visionary companies are pushing the envelope by going beyond the traditional-and even the modern-to explore powerful new tools for communicating with their target audiences.
Customers Have Preferences
Many companies consider the most important-and the most lucrative-form of communication with customers to be receivables. We all want to get paid in a timely manner to keep the cash flowing in concert with the products and services we provide. However, companies that approach customer communications strictly as an account receivables mechanism risk alienating customers and leaving money on the table.
Ultimately, this...