The primary job of transactional documents like bills and statements is to communicate details about each customer's accounts or recent transactions. They can also serve as powerful tools that affect the customer experience. After initial onboarding and welcome messages for new customers, the monthly statement is often the only regularly scheduled contact a company has with a customer. Whether delivered on paper or electronically, these documents are major touchpoints that can affect a customer's loyalty and satisfaction with the organization. The statement issuer can use this monthly appointment to enhance customer relations.

Transactional documents are already highly personalized. The information they contain applies to a single customer. That is one reason customers pay attention to them. Unfortunately, many such documents treat customers more like a number than a person or a patron. The pages display transactions, balances, and payment history. Companies dedicate little document real estate to enriching the customer relationship. They convey informational and promotional messages only via pre-printed inserts or generic statement messages.

Transforming the average bill or statement into a customer experience tool requires added personalization and perhaps access to information sources separate from the billing application.

How to Personalize Transactional Content

Data analytics sounds complicated, but really, it's just a way to use information like historical transaction data or outside sources to identify patterns or trends. Document designers can use this data to compose personal messages, offers, or insights according to each customer's situation. Reinforce relationships by showing that the brand understands and anticipates their customers' needs.

For a personalized approach, a phone company might add a message to the phone bill to say "Save money on calls to by switching to !" The value of the variables would depend on the call details for each customer. Only customers who made international calls would receive the message.

Companies can also use individual customer data to communicate information such as loyalty programs or promote offers like income-appropriate investment opportunities. Milestone messages recognizing birthdays or customer anniversary dates are another way to make personal connections with customers.

Companies can use data about past customer behavior to predict future actions. Customers that consistently pay late, for instance, may see offers about flexible payment options or links to set up automatic payment reminders. In another example, a cellular company could urge customers who regularly exceed data limits on their cell phones to upgrade to an unlimited data plan. The message might be, "Our unlimited data plans could have saved you $xx.xx over the last 3 months. Contact us for money-saving options."

Sometimes, data analysis is used to categorize customers into segments. This tactic allows for adding relevant messaging to the transactional documents without the complexity of individualized content. For instance, electric utility bills might include invitations to a company-sponsored energy conservation event, but only for those customers whose homes were near the event venue. It wouldn't make sense to send that promotion to the entire customer base.

Another common segmentation tactic for transactional documents is language. If the company has collected language preference information, then render the bills and statements in the customer's language of choice. I worked with a utility company in Texas that did this effectively to service a large Spanish-speaking customer segment.

Personalization takes work. Traditionally, clients send service providers only the data that appears on the transactional documents. This limitation makes it difficult to add all the personalization required to transform bills and statements into customer relationship tools. Service providers may need to work with their clients to gain access to data that allows them to augment the generic documents.

Building Brand Loyalty

Transactional documents can reinforce brand values and enhance the customer experience. As regular and expected customer touchpoints, these documents are perfect opportunities to represent the brand-at practically no extra cost. These consistent, timely interactions help maintain a presence in the customer's mind, reinforcing the brand's reliability and dependability.

Bills and statements should feature the brand's colors, fonts, and taglines. Include the same images and themes the company deploys in regular advertising that customers may encounter on TV, in print, or on the internet. Use the company's unique voice in the wording and presentation. Even though the document is all about business transactions, if the company image is folksy or whimsical, try to incorporate those themes into the format and layout. Don't overlook the chance to differentiate from the competition.

Use easily understood language to avoid customer confusion and reduce calls to customer service. Remove irrelevant content, such as passages that don't apply to a customer because of their location. This attention to detail reflects a brand's commitment to quality and customer care, which can strengthen loyalty.

Brand values or initiatives, such as environmental sustainability or community involvement, can appeal to customers who share those values. Many people, especially those in younger generational groups, make purchase and brand loyalty decisions based on company values. Whoever thought you could make an emotional connection with customers through a monthly bill?

Boring to Brilliant

Transactional mail transformation requires creative thinking and strategic approaches. Think beyond the typical and consider the documents as more than just a way to collect payments or meet regulatory obligations. Most companies still look at bill production purely as an expense. They continuously seek ways to trim the cost any way they can. To really revolutionize these mundane documents, one must look at them as tools to advance the company’s branding and customer experience objectives.

Updated bills and statements don't just share data-they use what companies know about their customers to enhance customer experience and promote long-term loyalty. Personalization shows customers the company cares about them as individuals, which encourages more purchases and raises customer satisfaction.

Mike Porter at Print/Mail Consultants creates content that helps attract and retain customers for companies in the document industry and assists companies as they integrate new technology. Learn more about his services at www.pmccontentservices.com. Follow @PMCmike on X, or send him a connection request on LinkedIn.