As anyone who has researched Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solutions knows, this type of system can provide your organization with a whole host of benefits. These include increased business process automation, improved compliance and greater adherence to data retention rules to name just a few.
What is sometimes overlooked is the tremendous value that ECM solutions provide to your customers, constituents and other stakeholders. A well-architected enterprise resource planning system can help optimize customer interactions in a number of ways, including:
- Making a great first impression
Nothing makes a new client happier than not having to provide the same information multiple times on different forms. With optical character recognition (OCR) and smart process applications, data can be collected using an “omni-channel” approach and then duplicated as needed automatically. And once the onboarding process is complete, the ECM system can fire off a welcome email with helpful information such as next steps. Later, the system can even deliver specialized communications triggered by events that you define. - Enabling self-service capability
Allowing customers to handle as many tasks as possible without assistance from your staff makes them feel more in control and consequently happier, while freeing your team to address other issues. It can also allow them to personalize their experience with your organization. - Increasing efficiency and productivity, and decreasing delays
The ability of an ECM solution to automate complex processes dramatically decreases the time it takes to complete certain operations, impressing clients with how quickly your organization responds to their needs. At the same time, it reduces costs, making funds available for other client service initiatives if you choose to budget it that way, or increasing profitability. - Improving data accuracy and compliance, and preventing lost documents
Decreasing manual processing and paper handling invariably reduces errors, mitigates the risks attendant to them, and improves data quality. It also helps ensure compliance to everything from internal company guidelines to government regulations. Automation also allows for the capturing of more in-depth analytics around service quality that allow you to make changes as necessary. - Increasing customer retention
Not surprisingly, the end result of all the benefits listed above is a dramatic increase in customer satisfaction. And happy customers tend to become long-term customers.
Conclusion
So, as you ponder an ECM implementation, or an expansion of your existing system, and are weighing costs and benefits, be sure to include the very positive impact on client relations in your assessment. An investment in Enterprise Content Management technology can foster outstanding customer relationships and deliver huge payoffs for years to come.
About the Author
Charles Weidman is the President and CTO of Buddha Logic. Charlie has over two decades of experience in the design, development and implementation of enterprise content management, business process management and enterprise resource planning solutions. He founded Buddha Logic with the idea that well-architected digital document capture and management processes are both beautifully simple and powerfully logical. Find and connect with Charlie on LinkedIn.