4 steps to successfully upgrade your Customer Communication Management (CCM) platform
Upgrading your Customer Communications Management (CCM) system is crucial for boosting efficiency and customer satisfaction. However, successfully navigating this process requires careful planning and strategic execution.
In this final part of our series, we discuss four steps to ensure your CCM upgrade is a success.
1. Redefine success metrics
Customer communication success is often measured by the volume delivered, with a focus on reducing paper and increasing digital outputs. However, the true measure should be achieving intended outcomes, such as improved customer satisfaction and internal efficiencies like faster market response. This requires strategic collaboration between technology, business, and customer experience teams to deliver transformative change beyond just a new technical platform. Engaging experts early helps prevent delays.
2. Lay a solid technical foundation
Choosing the right technology platform is crucial. The wrong choice can doom a project from the start. Opt for a solution that integrates all digital and physical channels, supported by a robust track record as an industry leader and a future-proof roadmap that supports the investment you plan to make. Avoid cost-based compromises that require additional solutions for individual channels or don't enhance customer value. These might save money short-term but won't support speed-to-market or improve customer experience.
3. Streamline execution with agile planning
Avoid lengthy delays typical of comprehensive projects by implementing a high-level technology plan enabling quick wins and multiple smaller agile projects. Divide tasks between two groups – a core team of IT and CX professionals that will work on the transformation program throughout its lifecycle, and departmental groups that will need to handle specific tasks as the program upgrades their communication capabilities. This ensures flexibility to address urgent business needs, unexpected issues, or regulatory changes that may not have been planned into the original schedule.
4. Leverage expert guidance for seamless implementation
Limiting external costs by using internal resources for widespread change can seem cost-effective, but this approach often overlooks key factors. First, delays and quality issues can arise as internal teams require training and experience. Mistakes and rework can be expensive (or even worse, ignored due to a desire to keep the overall program on schedule). Second, utilizing internal resources can lead to missed opportunities as other strategic transformational projects are delayed.
Legacy communication technology consolidation can often stretch IT's capacity when the existing specialists must continue to make business-as-usual changes in addition to their new transformational responsibilities. Hiring third-party experts can provide skilled resources immediately, allowing internal teams to maintain their roles. This expertise often costs less than the expenses from delays and missed opportunities.
Driving success with your CCM upgrade strategy
Implementing these four steps not only enhances your CCM capabilities and reduces your costs but also positions your organization for sustained growth and competitive advantage. By redefining success metrics, laying a solid technological foundation, streamlining execution through agile planning, and leveraging expert guidance, you can effectively and rapidly transform your customer communications landscape. This proactive approach reduces risks, optimizes resources, and transforms the operating model, ultimately leading to improved customer experiences and business outcomes, and a strategic foundation that enables future change rather than restricting it.
Contact us to learn more about revolutionizing legacy customer communications.
If you missed parts one, two and three of this blog series, read them now:
