Articles related to Customer Communication Management

10 ideas to consider when designing invoices

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Billing is a key stage in the customer journey, but it is typically associated with a moment of pain. This is because it is not usually at this point that the consumer takes advantage of the service, but it is when its cost becomes apparent. For this reason, communication at this stage plays a fundamental role. You need clarity, transparency and positive energy to make this moment more peaceful, and with more weight on the value of the service than on its cost. It is, for example, the time to relive the films you have watched (taking the example of a streaming platform) in order to recognize value in the payment you are being asked to make.

Based on this principle, and taking into account the thousands of invoices we produce for our clients every day, we've put together 10 ideas that we think are interesting for improving your invoices. Please note that these ideas have nothing to do with the mandatory elements to be included on your invoice. If you're designing your invoice for the first time, don't forget to check them out.

1. Use color and images

The use of colors and images can make your invoices lighter and easier to read, highlighting the most relevant information. Amount payable, payment period and available payment methods are the most important fields that you should make sure get priority viewing. The use of images and infographics can also help to explain an unusual situation or share, for example, consumer behavior in relation to the average.

2. Align your invoice with your brand

It is very important that your invoices are a reflection and continuity of your brand identity. Using the same typography, colors and styles as the rest of the company's communication materials reinforces the brand image and conveys professionalism. The very spirit and energy of the brand should be reflected in the invoice, through the tone and expressions used.

3. Ensure accessibility for the blind

Including accessibility options is a good social integration practice that is becoming a legal obligation. Alternatives such as Braille text on printed invoices or digital versions compatible with assistive technology, namely screen readers, ensure that visually impaired people receive the information on their invoice without any limitations.

4. Explain the first invoice

For new customers, who are receiving a bill for their service for the first time, some concepts may be more difficult to understand. By analyzing the calls made to the support team, it will be possible to understand the most frequent doubts and try to clarify them in advance. To this end, a video or explanatory leaflet can be produced to help clarify the details of the document and provide guidance on the next steps.

5. Use Links or QR Codes for more details

Giving too much information can be harmful. In the midst of too much content, what is really important can become more hidden. Therefore, the option of inserting links or QR codes in your invoices, referring for example to terms and conditions or details about products and services, can help reduce the information to the essentials and not overload the main document.  

6. Include graphs of consumption trends

Recurring service companies can include graphs in their invoices that show the evolution of consumption over time, providing customers with a clear view of their consumption patterns. This can help the customer analyze deviations or seasonal behavior.

7. Personalize and make relevant commercial suggestions

The invoice is always a personalized document, taking into account what the customer has bought. However, the rest of the content is often relatively standard, although possibly segmented. Nowadays, technology allows a level of personalization that is not yet exploited by most entities. According to an analysis of the customer's profile, it is possible, for example, to include tips or suggestions for saving money (in the case of energy or water companies) or to reward the customer for a number of years or a certain amount of accumulated billing. Another example would be a streaming company, which could suggest content based on the customer's viewing history. The time the customer spends on their bill is a unique opportunity to send them relevant commercial messages. The limit is imagination!

8. Offer convenient payment options

Offering direct payment options from the invoice, such as links to online payments or QR codes that direct to payment platforms, can make the process easier for customers. This option is not only convenient for your customer, but has the potential to speed up payments and facilitate cash management by being integrated with your applications.

9. Use clear and accessible language

Those who work in a specific sector, especially if they have been doing so for some time, end up adopting a language of their own. This group of people end up integrating such specific expressions into their daily lives that sometimes this so-called "jargon" slips into the world of the customer. Not only should you avoid these types of expressions, but you should also use simple Portuguese, with short, direct and clear sentences. The more room for doubt you leave, the more calls you'll have to make to support and the longer it will take to receive the amount of the invoice you've issued.

10. Make the benefit clearly visible

We've left this topic until last so you don't forget. Sometimes there is so much information on the bill that the benefit can be hidden. Highlight the liters of water your customer has consumed in a more illustrative way, number of bathtubs is an example, show how many minutes of conversation there were in the period or how many hours with a lamp on corresponds to the consumption. In the case of insurance, for example, you often don't feel the benefit until something bad happens. Why not use the moment of the bill to mirror what you are protecting? Materialize the benefit so that the focus of the bill is the value and not the cost.

We know that not all of these ideas apply to every type of customer and product. It is essential to analyze the challenge in question in detail so that innovation in invoice communication brings value to both the customer and the company.

How insurers can take advantage of the Unicks platform

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In a world that is constantly evolving technologically, insurance companies, like other industries, are looking for ways to improve their efficiency and their customers' experience. The Unicks platform has emerged as a complete solution, offering a range of services that can transform the way insurance companies communicate, from underwriting to communication and payment management.

Subscription to new services

Unicks enables the configuration of templates for the production of highly personalized documents in real time and the generation of signature requests that set up digital contracts. For insurers, this means simplifying and speeding up the underwriting process and reducing bureaucratic obstacles. By eliminating the need for paper documents, companies can offer their customers a faster and more convenient experience, conveying the best image at the outset and contributing to customer loyalty.

Contact Certification

Maintaining an up-to-date database is essential for an effective insurance operation that meets the style and preferences of each consumer. Unicks makes it easy to collect customers' e-mail contacts and cell phone numbers, helping to keep information up to date. Certification with OTP (One-Time Password) codes provides an additional layer of security, ensuring that only authorized users change or verify contacts.

Building and sending invoices

Flexibility is key when it comes to communicating with customers. With Unicks, insurers can configure their invoice templates and update them whenever necessary, introducing personalized commercial messages for example. They can then be sent either by email, traditional mail or by making them available in the customer area, allowing customers to choose the channel that suits them best. This personalized approach contributes to a more positive experience, demonstrating that the insurer values the individual preferences of its customers.

Payment

To make life easier for end consumers, and for insurers too, Unicks offers theLink to Pay payment option, with a direct link (or QR Code) from the invoice to a payment interface. In addition, you can set up payment reminders by email or SMS to reduce delays and speed up payments. This not only benefits insurers financially, but also strengthens transparency and trust with their customers.

Deactivation Notifications

Unicks makes it efficient to send important notifications, such as deactivation notices and other mandatory communications. Sending by e-mail, with the same validity as registered post, ensures that customers receive crucial information in a timely and secure manner. Not only does this form of communication comply with legal requirements, it also provides effective and traceable communication.

In short, the partnership between insurers and Unicks offers a modern and effective approach to the sector's operations. By adopting these services, insurers can improve the customer experience, optimize internal processes and remain at the forefront of technological trends, consolidating their position as leaders in a constantly changing market.

Find out more about these solutions at Unicks.com

Unicks at ENEG 2023: Solutions for your customers' life cycle

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Unicks stands out as a flexible platform that adapts to the specific communication needs of each company and facilitates the management of the customer lifecycle.

Although the focus is on developing tailor-made solutions for each client, we have identified common patterns between companies in the same sector. In the case of water supply companies, for example, it's clear how Unicks can help in the various stages of the life cycle:

  1. Contracting Services:Options for digitally signing documents, simplifying the process of contracting services.
  2. Contact certification:Validation flows for mobile numbers and emails to ensure that contact databases are always up to date.
  3. Reading collection:An intuitive interface, accessible by voice or text, to facilitate the collection of reading data.
  4. Sending Invoices:Ability to create invoices using flexible templates and deliver them via the customer's preferred channel (letter, email or customer area).
  5. Billing:Integration of a link or QR Code to enable payment of the invoice with a single click.
  6. Outage Notices:Sending legally valid emails or registered letters to communicate outage notices and other critical information.

We will be at ENEG in Gondomar from November 27 to 29, where we will be happy to demonstrate how Unicks solutions can be useful for your business. If you do attend, be sure to visit us at our stand.

Make sure you have the proof you need

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On September 19, we will be holding a webinar, with the participation of Antas da Cunha ECIJA & Associados, on the subject of registered emails. 

As we have already mentioned on several occasions, this is yet another digitalization lever that we believe will truly transform many business processes currently based on registered mail.

In this webinar, Antas da Cunha ECIJA experts will clarify the validity and acceptance of this means of delivery as proof.

We remind you that with registered emails:

1. has proof of the content sent 

The certificate associated with each shipment has legal validity and includes the content, the date and time of shipment, the sender and recipient and the status (traceability).

2. Full traceability of the process

In the certificate it is possible to check whether the email has been sent, delivered and read if the delivery server transmits this information with a date and time association for each of these moments.

3. Delivery is immediate

The speed of email compared to a letter, with no need for physical production, signature collection or postal delivery, allows you to meet tight deadlines and speed up critical processes.

4. Lower unit shipping costs

Although this type of communication requires certifications and specific shipping processes, the savings on materials, postage and resources needed to streamline the process are clear.

5. Digital archive always accessible

No need for files, space or confusing searches, the registered email is always protected in a secure archive and is easily searchable and accessible. 

If you have any doubts about the legal validity or practical applicability of this solution, sign up now!

Also be sure to share this opportunity with the lawyers you work with, so that everyone is absolutely clear about the scenarios in which they can use this communication process.

Find out more about the webinar here!

Whitepaper: Secure digital transactions via registered e-mails

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We know that there is sometimes reluctance to accept email as evidence in a judicial context.

In fact, the use of a standard email raises many doubts and may not be admitted as valid evidence. But that's not the case with registered emails! There is evidence, valid in a judicial context, that gives you security and peace of mind.

And what about the compliance or legal support department?

We feel that there is a lot of desire to streamline some processes, with savings in terms of time, resources and costs. However, it is sometimes difficult to address the issue with these departments, which tend to be more conservative when it comes to adopting digital communications.

In order to provide you with legally validated arguments, we invite you to download the whitepaper produced by Antas da Cunha ECIJA & Associados on this type of service.

This way, if you work in the legal profession, or whenever you are confronted by someone in that area, the probative validity of the emails recorded will be easier to understand or pass on.

If you prefer, don't hesitate to contact us and we can present the whitepaper to you in person and show you how the service works.  

Link to pay: Pay invoices with a single click

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With the current pace of innovation, both technological and procedural, the number of payment methods available is increasing.

Seeking greater convenience for the end user or greater savings for the invoicing entity, the payment methods available for online purchases are usually more extensive and convenient than those most often presented on an invoice, whether on paper or in a digital document.

How do you pay a bill these days?

In the majority of cases, the entities offer payment options for the invoice:

  • face-to-face payment at their own stores or those of agents (such as Payshop) for segments that are more averse to electronic payments;
  • the payment reference, with the presentation of static data, which has to be manually copied to an automatic teller machine or to netbanking applications (highly inconvenient in terms of use)
  • promotion of direct debit options, which are not always well received by users because they feel they are giving the billing entity "carte blanche" to charge whatever it wants (although we know it is possible to set limits and cancel authorizations before they are even applied)

Why don't I have the same options as when paying for my purchases online?

Convenient options such as paying with Paypal or using a credit card are not usually available for paying invoices because they require a connection between the physical and digital worlds that did not yet exist.

Just one click, really?

You can now access a secure interface to pay your invoice quickly and easily.

If the invoice is printed on paper, it is possible to print a personalized QR Code containing the invoice details. By scanning this QR Code with a simple reader on your cell phone, you will access an interface where you will find, in a very convenient way, all the payment options that the invoice issuer chooses to make available to you. Without the need for any manual typing, they can choose the payment method they want and proceed as if they were making an online purchase:

If the invoice is sent by email or made available in a customer area, a link can be placed so that, with a simple click, the experience is forwarded to the same interface, i.e:

What is Link to pay?

Link to pay is an aggregator of payment methods, which integrates the different options available in a simple and convenient interface, accessible from a link.

Whenever the issuer sees fit to remove or add payment methods, or the provider it has associated with each one, it can do so without this having an impact on its customer's payment journey.

Advantages for billers:

  • Because it's easy and convenient, it promotes faster payments.
  • It promotes the digitization of the payment process, which makes the process less costly and makes it more accessible to collection information in real time.
  • Simplified cash management as you always have information on the status of these payments and can easily make returns.
  • Connection to any payment gateway, the process is agnostic to acquiring conditions that can be changed at any time without impact.
  • Effortless integration with your current systems, there are APIs for everything.
  • Solution applicable to one-off or recurring payments.

Advantages for those who pay:

  • Makes it possible to offer a wider range of payment options
  • Makes the process more convenient without having to enter payment references manually
  • Makes the process more secure, with no room for error in manual input
  • No effort required

What are the next steps to make your bill easier to pay?

With the integration of this option into the document production service that we currently use with our Unicks platform, adoption is simple and fast, as are payments.

Learn more about Link to Pay

Webinar: Registered Emails - The alternative to traditional registered mail

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On January 17th, we will be holding a webinar, promoted by CCIP and with the participation of CustomerComms, on the subject of registered emails.  

This solution is yet another digitalization lever and we believe it will be truly transformative for many business processes currently supported by registered mail. 

Here are the main reasons for opting to send registered e-mails: 

1. has proof of the content sent  

The certificate associated with each shipment has legal validity and includes the content, the date and time of shipment, the sender and recipient and the status (traceability). 

2. Full traceability of the process 

In the certificate it is possible to check whether the email has been sent, delivered and read if the delivery server transmits this information with a date and time association for each of these moments. 

3. Delivery is immediate 

The speed of email compared to a letter, with no need for physical production, signature collection or postal delivery, allows you to meet tight deadlines and speed up critical processes. 

4. Lower unit shipping costs 

The savings on materials, postage and resources needed to streamline the process are clear. 

5. Digital archive always accessible 

No need for files, space or confusing searches, the registered email is always protected in a secure archive and is easily searchable and accessible.  

Join us for this webinar, register here

 

5 reasons to stop sending registered mail

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Change is always something that makes us uncomfortable. However, when we talk about digitalization, change typically takes us to more efficient and successful environments.

Let's focus on "message delivery" processes. There are many scenarios in which the message is so important that it requires greater control over delivery. It was for this reason that, in the days when paper was the protagonist, registered mail appeared.

Could it be that this need for greater delivery control is slowing down the digitization of some processes? Actually, it shouldn't. Quite the opposite. There are already tools that allow us to send registered e-mails with the same legal value as simple registered mail and with several advantages that make it even more efficient and much safer than the traditional alternative.

Let's take a look at the 5 reasons why you should choose to send registered emails:

1. has proof of the content sent

Unlike registered mail, in the digital version you get proof of the content actually sent. Each time you send a registered email, you will receive a .pdf report associated with it, digitally signed by a trusted service provider. In this document you can check the status and extract the content of the email you sent.

2. Full traceability of the process

Whereas with registered mail you only know when the communication has been delivered, with email you can follow up completely. In a consultation portal, you can check whether the registered email has been sent, whether it has been delivered and, if the recipient's email server allows it, you can check that the email has been opened.

Soon, it will also be possible to make the delivery of the message dependent on the authentication of the recipient. This feature will make it possible to legally match registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt with delivery restricted to the recipient. With this document you will have absolutely irrefutable proof of receipt of your communications.

3. Delivery is immediate

As with any other email, the message is delivered immediately which, compared to registered mail, which takes several days to arrive, brings significant advantages. In many cases, we'll be speeding up the process by two weeks, which is a huge increase in efficiency with potentially critical effects in terms of revenue if we think about billing situations, notification of changes in conditions, etc.

4. Lower costs

A registered mail process involves paper, printing, enveloping and registered mail. Plain registered mail costs €2.35 (may be more depending on weight), non plain registered mail costs €2.75 and the following additional costs may be added to this:

  • Acknowledgment of receipt: €1.30 (€0.99 for quantity)
  • Self-delivery: €1.15

(The prices referred to were those available on 9/11/2022 on the CTT website: https://www.ctt.pt/empresas/encomendas-e-correio/enviar/correio/enviar-para-portugal/correio-registado)

Although registered email involves very specific certification and archiving requirements, its cost will be more attractive than the paper process.

5. Information always accessible

Since the communication, as well as the associated certificate of submission, is securely archived digitally, you can access it quickly and easily whenever you need it. Whether it's to clarify a question, confirm compliance with reporting requirements or for any other reason, the report and the evidence are always at hand.

Does your company still have processes supported by registered mail? Do you have doubts about the security of your files that you have already digitized?

Contact us and together we'll find the most agile, profitable and secure way to digitize your processes.

Talk to us

4 reasons to think about Multichannel Production & Distribution

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Since 2014, Contisystems has been managing customer communications for various entities, mostly banks. And if it all started with printing, the truth is that, over time, the scenario has changed.

The so-called Printing & Finishing, which includes printing, enveloping and forwarding for dispatch, was the basis of this customer communication management activity. However, it quickly evolved into much more than Printing & Finishing. With document production (from data files and templates), sending by email, digital archiving and API connection, among others, the offer has expanded and made our Customer Communication Management solution more complete.

If 2020 was the year to give this offer a name and arrange it differently, with the appearance of Unicks, the name Printing & Finishing was resistant and remained, even though we knew that the solution behind it went far beyond the name. Now, at a time when digital activity is outstripping print activity, it seemed like the right time to adjust this nomenclature.

As you can see on our website, the solution is now called Multichannel Production & Distribution, a name that is much more faithful to the activity currently carried out in this area and which covers all of Printing & Finishing and much more. We invite everyone to think beyond P&F and migrate to an R&DM perspective.

Here's a short list of 4 reasons to think about R&DM and not just P&F:

  • The complementarity of channels brings much greater richness and efficiency to communication.
  • The direct articulation between channels allows for simple changes in preferences, promoting greater agility in the migration to digital.
  • The centralization of all channels in a single partner reduces the risk of exposure of personal data.
  • The digital file can be made available from a support or self-care app.

Contact us, let's exchange ideas on this topic!

Talk to us

To maintain long-distance relationships you need up-to-date contacts!

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In a world where we call our family and friends more than we visit them, what can companies expect from face-to-face relationships with their customers?

Do I visit my family and friends or my bank?

Technology has brought effective alternatives to face-to-face communications for many situations, but it still can't replace a hug. We believe that customers would rather spend their time visiting and hugging their family and friends than visiting a store, a bank branch, a broker's office or any other space owned by their "supplier". It is therefore important for companies to be prepared for efficient remote communication with their customers, who will prioritize everything that brings them the most emotional value when they physically travel.

Yes, I would welcome a request for feedback via whatsapp!

Although remote contact channels are already very varied, the cell phone (with all the communication formats linked to it) and email are still the most common and accessible for most customers. But how quickly are cell phone numbers and email addresses changing? Are companies keeping up with the dynamism of their customers?

A change of job, address, marital status or simply state of mind can be a reason to "reset" many things, including your email address and cell phone number. 

And if it's already a challenge to collect this customer data initially, it will be even more of a challenge to keep it up to date, wouldn't you agree?

Contact sanitization, really?

Among the many routines that must be maintained in customer relations, remember to sanitize contacts. Establishing a circular checking routine, using some contacts to confirm or update others, is essential for maintaining a healthy relationship. In an example where the cell phone you have on record doesn't respond to a confirmation request, you could use email to get the new contact.

Today there are many techniques and tools that allow you to create high-value content in truly distinctive formats. What good is all this investment and effort if the contact is not up to date and the content doesn't reach its destination?

Simple and quick or not so simple?

Establishing these circular checking routines takes time and dedication, but you don't have to do it alone. With the help of Unicks, for example, you can get full support in building contact certification schemes that you can run regularly and ensure that the relationship with your customers is not disrupted.

Get to work!

Learn more about Unicks Contact Certification