As communications go digital, what happens to print?
The way organizations communicate with customers is changing, with digital channels playing a greater role even in complex, highly regulated industries like financial services and healthcare. Artificial intelligence (AI) is adding another dimension to that shift.
Bryan Baker, Director, Business Solutions, Conduent, sees the industry moving decisively toward digital communications over the next three to five years. But he also anticipates a reckoning: Some critical documents still need to reach people in print, requiring organizations to manage communication preferences with far greater precision.
The shift toward more flexible, multichannel communications is also changing how organizations think about AI.
Conduent already uses intelligent capabilities in insertion and processing, Baker said. Efforts are underway to determine how AI can be used to support future operations and enable composition templates to adapt efficiently to both print and digital output.
The opportunities surrounding AI also raise an important question: How should it be regulated?
One way to think about AI is whether it should be governed more like electricity or a household appliance. Electricity is foundational infrastructure that requires rigorous safeguards because society depends on it. Appliances are optional tools, with responsibility largely falling on manufacturers and users when something goes wrong. As AI becomes embedded in critical business processes, the debate is increasingly shifting toward the former.
The future of opt-in
Organizations will need to rethink existing consent and delivery preferences as regulations evolve and digital adoption increases.
Today, customers generally opt in to receive communications digitally, with those preferences often managed at the individual customer level and applied broadly across their account and associated documents.
That model becomes more complex as digital-first communications expand, because some documents will still be the kind people “just need in their hands,” Baker said.
Organizations will need more granular ways to manage preferences, including exceptions for essential, high-risk or regulated communications that still require print delivery.
Baker pointed to financial firms, where the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed major updates that would allow a digital-first approach. The healthcare industry also is quickly moving in that direction.
Healthcare prior authorization letters illustrate the challenge. “That’s where we're going to have to be thinking smart about how we apply the technology to change how opt-in happens,” Baker said. “We have to be able to service our clients differently.”
Making print more efficient
Rising postage costs are also accelerating the move to digital. But for communications that still need to be mailed, there are opportunities to manage costs more efficiently.
“Our clients are trying to move as much as they can to digital because two-thirds of the cost of the actual package to go out in the mail is the postage,” Baker said.
For communications that still need to be mailed via the United States Postal Service (USPS), presorting can help optimize postal rates. Conduent also helps clients identify USPS discounts and promotions for which they may be eligible.
Efficiency extends beyond postage. Designing templates and managing frequently changing content more efficiently can also reduce cycle times and the effort required to make ongoing changes.
The future may be increasingly digital, but print will continue to have a role. The challenge for organizations will be managing both channels efficiently while ensuring critical communications reach people in the way that best meets their needs.
Contact Conduent to learn how we can meet your multichannel communications needs today and in the future.