DOCUMENT Fall 2023 by MadMen3

SPECIAL FEATURE

AI’S IMPACT ON CCM/CXM: 4 COMPANIES SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS PAGE 28

CAN RPA FIX THE WEAKEST SECURITY LINK: HUMANS?

LEVERAGING CLOUD CCM TO ITS FULLEST What’s New with the Aspire Leaderboard in 2023?

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TABLE OF CONTENTS volume 30 issue 3 | Fall.23 | DOCUMENTmedia.com

FEATURES 10

Can RPA Fix the Weakest Security Link: Humans?

Bots are here to stay and will help eliminate risks or errors caused by human workers By Bill Galusha

Future-Proofing Communications Navigating the digital frontier involves a maze of digital interactions By Eric Riz

A Quantum Leap

The evolution of the automated document factory to an AI-focused communication management factory By Ernie Crawford

Planning for Digital Transformation

To meet the ever-evolving standard for customer experience, it’s important to accelerate your efforts wherever your company is in the journey

By Richard Huff

Leveraging Cloud CCM to Its Fullest

Create a communication ecosystem that responds with agility to a changing customer communication landscape

By Gautam Jit Kanwar

The Impact of AI-powered Content Management

Recent advancements make it possible to accelerate the optimization of communications By Patrick Kehoe

Intelligent Document Processing

Revolutionizing data extraction and workflow automation By Shalini Nagar

What the Analysts Say

What’s New with the Aspire Leaderboard in 2023? By George Parapadakis with Kaspar Roos

DEPARTMENTS 08

What’s New

Think About It

SPONSORED CONTENT 29

AI’S IMPACT ON CCM/CXM: 4 Companies Share Their Thoughts

LETTER FROM THE ADVISORY BOARD

How cloud CCM can help happier employees improve customer experience Cultural and economic turbulence defined the first years of this decade. Depending on who you ask, in 2023, this disruption is either slowly receding or only temporarily waning, but either way, its impact has significantly accelerated the communications market’s evolution toward ongoing personalized interactions while simultaneously elevating the importance of a positive communications experience. It has also shone a light on the antiquated systems and processes frustrating employees and sabotaging their ability to provide customers the relevant, personalized, omnichannel experience they demand. Our research has revealed that businesses are motivated to enable employees to create and manage communications while working remotely. This is in keeping with continuing efforts to empower business users with limited technical expertise to manage communications on their own with minimal IT involvement. Unfortunately, the tools they’re given are often not up to the task. Over one-quarter of respondents with CCM responsibility said they were likely to leave their jobs or were already looking for a new one. While some were frustrated with income reduction or a lack of flexibility, respondents overwhelmingly selected outdated software tools as their top source of job frustration. As customer communications have grown more important to a business’ reputation and success, a growing number of stakeholders have emerged to have their say. Over time, outdated systems and ineffective processes pile up, making it exceedingly difficult for organizations to incorporate this input and speak to the customer in one voice. Businesses with this kind of disjointed approach will frustrate employees and send irrelevant and often conflicting messages to customers, neg6

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atively impacting both employee and customer experience, damaging their reputations all around. Fortunately, Aspire’s research shows that over 80% of businesses across the globe are migrating or plan to migrate their communications away from legacy applications. More than 70% of them will seek help from a vendor or service provider when modernizing their customer communications. Those that adopt an all-in-one cloud CCM platform (that ideally integrates with legacy solutions) will take a significant step toward solving the most fundamental obstacles to their transformation. Cloud CCM can also open up a faster path to innovation. Businesses can secure advanced capabilities (like personalized video, interactive forms, chatbots and functionality for intelligent voice assistants) much more rapidly than they could purchase and integrate individual point solutions on their own and even test drive new capabilities before purchasing enterprise-wide solutions. Furthermore, a centralized cloud platform is not only an ideal way for business users to manage customer communications while working remotely, these solutions can also be instantly updated through the cloud, helping organizations ensure their capabilities remain on the cutting edge. In short, by investing in easy-to-use, well-integrated, browser-based cloud CCM solutions, businesses can improve employee experience by giving them the control they need to build powerful connections with customers and positively influence the perception of their brand.

Will Morgan is an experienced industry analyst with expertise in the Customer Communications Services market. As Aspire’s Senior Research Analyst, he works alongside the wider team to provide advice, insight and vital intelligence to the company’s expanding customer base on both sides of the Atlantic. Before joining Aspire, Will worked with Keypoint Intelligence-InfoTrends’ Customer Communications and Business Development Advisory Services.

president Chad Griepentrog publisher Ken Waddell managing editor Erin Eagan [ erin@rbpub.com ] contributing editor Amanda Armendariz contributors Ernie Crawford, Richard Huff, Bill Galusha, Gautam Jit Kanwar, Patrick Kehoe, Shalini Nagar, George Parapadakis, Kaspar Roos, Eric Riz advertising Ken Waddell [ ken.w@rbpub.com ] 608.235.2212 audience development manager Rachel Chapman [ rachel@rbpub.com ] creative director Kelli Cooke

PO BOX 259098 Madison WI 53725-9098 p: 608-241-8777 f: 608-241-8666 email: customerservice@rbpub.com

DOCUMENT Strategy Media (ISSN 1081-4078) is published on a daily basis via its online portal and produces special print editions by Madmen3, PO BOX 259098, Madison, WI 53725-9098. All material in this magazine is copyrighted ©2023 by Madmen3 All rights reserved. Nothing may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. Any correspondence sent to DOCUMENT Strategy Media, Madmen3, or its staff becomes the property of Madmen3. The articles in this magazine represent the views of the authors and not those of Madmen3 or DOCUMENT Strategy Media. Madmen3 and/or DOCUMENT Strategy Media expressly disclaim any liability for the products or services sold or otherwise endorsed by advertisers or authors included in this magazine. SUBSCRIPTIONS: DOCUMENT Strategy Media is the essential publication for executives, directors, and managers involved in the core areas of Communications, Enterprise Content Management, and Information Management strategies. Free to qualified recipients; subscribe at documentmedia.com/subscribe. REPRINTS: For high-quality reprints, please contact our exclusive reprint provider, ReprintPros, 949-702-5390, www.ReprintPros.com.

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FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS Bill Galusha Bill Galusha is the B2B Technology Marketing Consultant of WCG Marketing, LLC and an AI document process industry veteran. He has held senior product marketing roles at ABBY, EMC, and others, and been instrumental in launching and communicating products in the space of RPA, IDP, AI and more. Bill is a consultant currently working with Reveille Software.

Shalini Nagar Eric Riz An established leader focused on corporate efficiency, strategy and change, Eric Riz founded data analytics firm VERIFIED and Microsoft consulting firm eMark Consulting Ltd. Over a 20-year career in the Microsoft space, Eric has worked extensively in the areas of document and records management, web content management, portals, digital business and process analysis, analytics, metadata, and data management. His outlook on Blockchain, WEB3, governance, and change management is welcomed internationally as a keynote speaker and author, offering thought leadership on data strategies and solutions, and shifting corporate focus to the organization’s specific needs.

Shalini Nagar, a content associate, brings a wealth of writing experience to the table through her work. She has gained proficiency in areas such as crafting website content, writing press releases and articles, creating engaging blog posts, editing work conducting research, and designing infographics. These diverse skills have made her a rounded writer and a valuable member of the team, at Research Nester Pvt. Ltd.

MEET THE DOCUMENT STRATEGY ADVISORY BOARD Paul Abdool is the Global Director of Partnerships at dotCMS, a web content management system platform. He uses his 20+ years of partnership development and communications industry experience, to help partners develop and optimize digital experiences for their customers.

Inducted into the AIIM Company of Fellows in 2019, Bob Larrivee is a recognized expert in the application of advanced technologies and process improvement to solve business problems and enhance business operations. In his career, Bob has led many projects and authored hundreds of eBooks, industry reports, blogs, articles, and infographics.

Pat McGrew helps companies perform better in the print hardware, software and printing services industries. Her experience spans all customer communication channelsand segments including transaction print, data-driven and static marketing, packaging and label print, textiles, and production commercial print using offset, inkjet, and toner. She is certified as a Master Electronic Document Professional by Xplor International, with lifetime status, and as a Color Management Professional by IDEAlliance.

DOCUMENTmedia.com fall.2023

What’s New Catch up on all the news, opinions, and current events happening around the industry.

Docufree Acquires TrustFlow Digital Solutions Global AI in Fintech Will Surge

FOR

With its ability to enhance customer experiences and improve decision-making, AI has become a game-changer for fintech. StockApps.com reports that the Global AI in Fintech Market will reach $39 billion, a 350% increase expected between 2023 and 2032. One area where AI is making a significant impact in fintech is customer service. AI-powered chatbots have revolutionized the way financial institutions interact with their clients. These intelligent virtual assistants can handle a wide range of customer queries. Besides, they provide real-time support and even perform basic transactions. With AI, clients enjoy a seamless user experience. www.documentmedia.com

TIO

2023-24 O

EXP

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C E(

Just Announced! The 2023-24 Hot CX Solution Companies

Get to know the businesses, executives, stories, and solution details that will help with creating, improving, and managing your content, communications, engagement, and enterprise-wide customer experience strategies. www.documentmedia.com 8

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Docufree, a provider of enterprise information management (EIM) and digital business process services, has acquired TrustFlow Digital Solutions, an organization that helps companies incorporate digitization to accelerate business processes, reduce risk and securely automate their communication workflows. “Together, we will harness the power of our scalable cloud platform and business process automation services to transform how organizations capture, manage, store, and share large volumes of disparate physical and electronic information, enabling them to thrive and adapt faster in a new digital world of work,” said Brad Jenkins, CEO of Docufree. www.documentmedia.com

Study Exposes Wide Discrepancies Between Customer and Business Perceptions in CX

A global survey conducted by Smart Communications uncovers the impact of personalized, clear customer communications and a streamlined forms experience on customer experience, loyalty and trust with a company. The study examined consumer and business leader opinions about the current state of conversations between customers and financial services, insurance and healthcare companies. The study also revealed the increasing importance of delivering personalized, omnichannel conversations to build trust and brand loyalty with customers. www.documentmedia.com

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CAN RPA FIX THE WEAKEST SECURITY LINK: HUMANS? BY BILL GALUSHA

fall.2023 DOCUMENTmedia.com

Bots are here to stay and will help eliminate risks or errors caused by human workers

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This includes risks such as incorrect access permission granted, exposed data transfer locations or employees using non-corporate email addresses for business. However, with the increasing complexity of digital systems and automated processes that rely on thousands of bots designed in RPA tools from UiPath, Blue Prism, Automation Anywhere, Microsoft, Hyland and Kofax, the constant challenge still is how best to monitor, observe and act that protects the systems, processes and data that both digital workers (bots) and humans are deeply connected with.

n today’s hyper-competitive business world where enterprises are always looking for an edge, AI-powered intelligent automation has rapidly evolved in recent years, starting with robotic process automation (RPA), to now encompassing process mining, intelligent document processing (IDP) and AI-powered services. Keeping this intelligent automation platform and the connected systems secure and reliable is not just a goal, but a business imperative. RPA has proven that bots can automate common repetitive tasks such as adding or removing employee access or extracting and transferring data between different systems. At the same time, RPA delivers tighter process controls by removing human interaction.

RPA drives greater operational efficiency and tighter process controls RPA is a key technology pillar to every intelligent automation strategy given its low-code design to automating manual repetitive tasks. It provides the ability to close the gap in automation where traditional business process automation tools fall short and modern/legacy systems or outside process influences cause humans to perform manual work. By replacing human manual tasks with automated bots, companies are not only able to improve operational efficiency and reduce costs but also put tighter controls around the processing of sensitive data. The benefits of bots include fewer mistakes, and they generally do exactly what you want them to do with minimal intervention. On the other hand, humans can and will make mistakes eventually and in worst case scenario complete work that could put your company and data at risk.

“Security operations is tasked with maximizing organizational resilience against business risks, threats and exposure, and enabling prevention, detection and response.”

Are your bots secure? There are several challenges enterprises have faced — Gartner: Critical Capabilities for with deploying RPA which Application Performance Monitoring prevent companies from and Observability, July 2023 scaling their RPA usage and achieving greater benefits. These include having proper Historically, security and IT opera- performance oversight of complex bot tions teams have worked largely within processes that often work tandem with their own domain, with their own sep- other automation tools, ensuring bots arate dedicated tools and processes. stay in compliance with regulatory But today, with an ever-increasing rules, and securing the usage of bots use of RPA bots within every large when it comes to accessing systems enterprise, driven by the demand that and sensitive data. Security around the use of RPA continintelligent automation teams face from pressing business needs, monitoring ues to be one of the biggest challenges, and observing the use of RPA and the and when left unchecked, this facet can users involved is often done through cause harm to your business. The secua patchwork of tools creating risks rity challenges arise with new integration and potential bad outcomes for the opportunities resulting in more exposure, unauthorized changes to bot processes, organization.

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violating compliance rules and the mishandling of sensitive data. Security weak link: is it humans, bots or both? If RPA bots can perform virtually any repetitive human task like moving data in and out of systems, or manipulating data in an excel spreadsheet, could bots replace all human activity? The reality is humans and bots often work together, where humans handle exceptions as part of human-in-theloop activities or perform tasks that are less predictable and require humans to apply cognitive decision making. There is a balance today between what automated bots can do and where humans must step in. Robotic process automation is designed to perform with and without interaction from human workers; it’s important to implement proper monitoring, logging and observability controls to ensure bots and the humans interacting with the bots are performing work in a secure environment. Security questions that you need to know Robotic process automation security is a topic of increasing importance for organizations looking to implement RPA on a wide scale. With governance and oversight of an RPA system, there are several key questions security operations are going to want to know. As a self-assessment, IT operations who provide oversight of the RPA program should be able to answer questions like these: 1 Has a bot been compromised and now showing an attempt to access new application targets? 2. Can we do a full audit trail of what these bots have done? 3. Are bots properly using credentials and access rights? 4. What permissions levels do these bots have, and have any bots had their permissions elevated?

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5. What user activity has occurred with the creation of or update of bots? 6. Can I audit human activity alongside the bot? Unfortunately, observing and monitoring RPA bots and the processes can often be a patchwork of reports, incomplete audit trails and non-specific tools that do not give security operations a level of detail required. You may have governance rules in place, but do you have the oversight to enforce? Let’s face it, security operation teams are often overloaded and need an automated approach to monitoring that builds confidence amongst the operations and business teams. Monitor your bots and the employees interacting with them RPA alone cannot eliminate the human security weakness in enterprises, but RPA with the right monitoring and observability tool in place can help reduce risks around bot automation, and at the same time monitor employees involved in the implementation and use of bots. Securing operations requires a centralized approach to monitoring and reporting on robot and human activity. Both humans and bots must be held accountable for their work since both the human and digital worker may require access to sensitive business data.  Automatically capture and report on all audit events where bots are accessing numerous systems and performing critical tasks.  Monitor user activity across the RPA platform to maintain compliance, enforce platform governance, build transparency and empower DevOps and security teams with the iwnsight needed to maintain a secure environment.  Monitor bot configuration changes like new access granted to systems,

eliminating the blind spots in access control.  Monitor user activity of humans on the RPA application platform to better understand the activities humans are performing. This creates an audit trail and reporting that can be looked back at in the event of suspicious activity. By capturing and reporting on all bot and human activity within RPA processes, businesses can grow their use of RPA without sacrificing security. RPA is here to stay and will help eliminate risks or errors caused by human workers. However, every enterprise organization must be implementing outside monitoring and observability tools that connect directly into the RPA platform which will help identify issues before impact, notify personnel when problems arise and provide remediation based on security rules. It is an exciting time for automation in businesses, and RPA has proven to deliver significant benefits. The next wave of automation around advanced use of artificial intelligence (AI) is already here, which is opening a new frontier to automation while raising security concerns and risk. What will you do to monitor and observe the use of these new AI business services? Get prepared now.

BILL GALUSHA is the B2B Technology Marketing Consultant of WCG Marketing, LLC and an AI document process industry veteran. He has held senior product marketing roles at ABBY, EMC, and others, and been instrumental in launching and communicating products in the space of RPA, IDP, AI and more. Bill is a consultant currently working with Reveille Software, the preferred solution for managing and monitoring business-critical Enterprise Content Management (ECM) and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) systems.

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FUTURE-PROOFING

COMMUNICATIONS NAVIGATING THE DIGITAL FRONTIER INVOLVES A MAZE OF DIGITAL INTERACTIONS

BY ERIC RIZ

n an era defined by rapid technological evolution, the landscape of communication is undergoing a transformation of unprecedented proportions. Our world is more interconnected than ever before, with communication technologies serving as the conduits through which information, ideas and innovation flow. Yet, as our reliance on these technologies deepens, so does the need to ensure their resilience, adaptability and ethical soundness. The communication journey of today involves a maze of digital interactions and actors, leaving users to navigate against the unpredictable forces of tomorrow. Here, we will embark on an exploration of five of the key concepts, strategies and innovations that are

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reshaping how we communicate and connect in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. From harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to creating sustainable communication infrastructures, there are a myriad ways in which forward-thinking individuals and organizations can prepare our digital conversations regardless of an uncertain future. Technologies and best practices today must be molded in response to the communicative challenges we face, actively shaping the conversations, connections and communities of tomorrow. To frame this discussion, begin by recognizing that future-proofing communications isn’t just a necessity; it’s an exciting frontier of innovation, ethics and human-centric

design that promises to redefine the way we engage with the world and with each other. With AI and interconnectedness advancements at the forefront of most communication conversations, understanding the way that AI-driven chatbots, voice assistants and predictive algorithms interact and affect our daily interactions is critical. As AI becomes more intuitive, personalized and context-aware, the speed and efficiency of information exchange increases, playing a pivotal role in breaking down language barriers with real-time translation and facilitating dynamic content generation. Interconnectedness — 2 Dynamic The future of communication

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE! communication tools will be pivotal. These AI systems will not only facilitate real-time language translation but also recognize context, predict responses, and generate content that aligns with individual communication styles. Whether assisting in drafting emails, providing on-the-fly language translation during video calls, or suggesting relevant information in a conversation, AI will enhance communication by making it more efficient and natural. Data Security — In an 2 Holistic era of growing cyber threats, future-proofing communications demands a holistic approach to data security. Encryption alone won’t suffice; instead, communication systems need to integrate decentralized authentication mechanisms, AI-driven threat detection and predictive security measures. By creating comprehensive security frameworks, communication channels can be safeguarded against emerging cyber threats and privacy breaches, ensuring user confidence in the integrity of their interactions. Communication — 2 Cognitive The future holds the promise

lies in the seamless interconnection of devices, platforms and technologies. To future-proof communications, we must create systems that adapt effortlessly as user preferences and technology evolve. Whether it’s transitioning from a smartphone to a smartwatch or moving from a video call to an augmented reality environment, the ability to continue conversations seamlessly across various mediums will be essential. This interconnectedness will allow communication experiences to transcend individual devices and offer a consistent and unified user experience regardless of the technology being used.

Adaptive AI Integration — As AI capabilities continue to advance, integrating adaptive AI into

of direct communication between the human brain and digital devices. Future-proofing communication involves developing interfaces that bridge this gap, allowing individuals with limited physical abilities to interact more effectively with technology. Whether it’s enabling someone to compose messages through neural signals or control smart home devices with their thoughts, cognitive communication has the potential to reshape how we interact with the digital world. With many of these technologies in advanced stages of development, the opportunity to integrate and collaborate with these products will be beneficial to those who obtain first-mover advantage. AI Communication — 2 Ethical As AI-driven communication becomes more prevalent, ethical considerations become paramount. Future-proofing communication involves implementing AI systems that adhere

to ethical guidelines, ensuring transparency in decision-making, fairness in interactions, and accountability for the outcomes of automated communication. By fostering ethical AI communication, we can build trust in technology and mitigate potential risks associated with AI-powered interactions. Without question, transformative technology is reshaping the way we connect and collaborate, promising a future where communication is not constrained by language, device, or geography, but flows effortlessly across the digital landscape. From artificial intelligence and blockchain to biotechnology and quantum computing, the future of collaboration will center around technologies which go beyond incremental improvements, fundamentally altering how we work, and interact with the world. As these advancements deploy globally, communication will continue to be relied on to solve complex challenges, enhance efficiency, and unlock new frontiers of human capability. However, they also raise profound questions about ethics, privacy, and societal impact. As transformative technology continues to advance, it invites us to navigate a path of both incredible promise and thoughtful consideration, where the future is limited only by the boundaries of our imagination and our capacity for responsible stewardship.

An established leader focused on corporate efficiency, strategy and change, Eric founded data analytics firm VERIFIED and Microsoft consulting firm eMark Consulting Ltd. Over a 20-year career in the Microsoft space, Eric has worked extensively in the areas of document and records management, web content management, portals, digital business and process analysis, analytics, metadata, and data management. His outlook on Blockchain, WEB3, governance, and change management is welcomed internationally as a keynote speaker and author, offering thought leadership on data strategies and solutions, and shifting corporate focus to the organization’s specific needs. DOCUMENTmedia.com fall.2023

A QUANTUM LEAP The evolution of the automated document factory to an AI-focused communication management factory | By Ernie Crawford

n an era driven by digital transformation, the management of print communications may appear to be a fading necessity. However, for many businesses, the need for efficient, accurate and cost-effective print communications remains paramount. This is where the evolution from automated document factory (ADF) to the AI-focused communication management factory (CMF) plays a pivotal role. A CMF is a system that automates the creation, delivery and tracking of communications (not just transactional or print documents). It can be used to create a variety of documents, including invoices, statements, marketing materials and employee communications. Modern CMFs are software solutions driven by APIs with back ends that use artificial intelligence (AI) to improve

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routing and delivery of highly customized communications. A CMF fits within an enterprise communications processing (ECP) system to handle the delivery of communications through advanced technology, streamlining print communications and the capacity to integrate better preference management, marketing communications and digital and mobile channels.

powerhouses, optimizing a range of tasks, from document composition to printing, sorting and mailing. Much of the success of ADFs was through the middleware post-composition tools that have now grown into fully featured ECP solutions. The impact of ADFs was profound, resulting in increased efficiency, cost reductions and enhanced accuracy for many organizations.

A QUICK HISTORY OF ADF

THE NEED FOR EVOLUTION

The journey from ADF to CMF begins with an understanding of the role ADF played in revolutionizing document production and management. In the past, the creation and dissemination of printed materials, including invoices, statements, marketing collateral and transactional documents, were labor-intensive endeavors fraught with errors. ADFs stepped in as automation

Despite their undeniable advantages, ADFs had limitations. They primarily focused on automating routine tasks and lacked the capacity to adapt to shifting customer preferences and market dynamics. As businesses recognized the growing significance of data-driven decision making, they demanded systems that could harness AI and machine learning (ML) to deliver insights,

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE! personalization and cost-efficiency. With postage costs increasing faster than ever before, and the current struggle with staffing challenges, many organizations are looking to technology in order to further automate manual tasks and reduce the cost of print and mail through preference management, print deflection and mobile delivery solutions.

ENTER THE AI-FOCUSED CMF CMFs boast 7 key components that build on those of its ADF predecessor: 1. Enterprise communications processing (ECP) — CMFs leverage ECP as the core technology. This integrated approach revolutionizes communications management by uniting the power of AI with a comprehensive understanding of the communications lifecycle. It enables businesses to seamlessly manage, orchestrate and optimize communications across multiple channels, including print. Many organizations lack the ability to share preferences across departments. An example is where email billing is sent via print because they are unaware that a customer has chosen digital communication as a preference when signing up. This creates huge waste and poor experience for the recipient. FICO’s research reveals that 43% of millennials feel their banks miss their preferred communication channels, emphasizing the need for integrated solutions. 2. Print suppression and print deflection — CMFs excel in providing advanced print suppression tactics. Through AI-driven analysis of customer interactions (opens, replies, read rates), businesses can discern chances to cut print volume or shift to economical digital channels like email or web portals. This leads to significant cost savings in print operations while elevating customer contentment. It’s important to dispel the misconception prevalent in various industries that a PDF statement, bill or letter in an application or mobile browser suffices for customers in 2023. 3. AI-based rapid onboarding of files, jobs and applications — CMFs employ

advanced technology to streamline onboarding, automating the indexing of print files and identifying crucial elements like address blocks and barcodes. This expedites file, job and application setup. Unlike the template-based approach of traditional ADF, CMFs offer diverse data formats, enhancing speed-to-value and enabling organizations to stay agile and responsive to market shifts.

communications adhere to legal and regulatory standards. Additionally, these technologies enhance document security, protecting sensitive information from breaches. 7. Error reduction — AI-powered systems can significantly reduce errors in printed documents by cross-referencing data and identifying discrepancies. This not only saves time and resources, but also enhances the overall quality of printed communications.

These advanced systems provide the intelligence and cost-saving potential required to thrive in a dynamic marketplace. 4. The role of eDelivery — In the digital era, eDelivery is increasingly vital. A strong ECP solution supporting the CMF framework is essential. Incorporating AI-driven personalization and predictive analytics ensures digital communications match print in efficiency, engagement and cost-effectiveness. The landscape now extends beyond print to various channels like SMS, MMS, video and personalized video billing. Modern consumers prefer multiple delivery options. 5. Personalization and predictive analytics — An AI-driven CMF offers vital advantages for enterprises. It accurately predicts future print volumes, reducing waste and enhancing inventory management. AI also enables personalized customer communications, tailoring content to preferences. For instance, in healthcare provider selection, modern software uses personal data to offer customized options, akin to Netflix’s content recommendations. This streamlined approach improves user experience and benefits businesses and customers alike. 6. Compliance and security — In industries with strict compliance requirements, AI and ML can play a crucial role in ensuring that all printed

THE FUTURE OF COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT

The evolution from the automated document factory to the AI-focused communication management factory powered by enterprise communications processing represents a quantum leap in the domain of communications management. As businesses strive to balance the demands of physical and digital communication channels, these advanced systems provide the intelligence and cost-saving potential required to thrive in a dynamic marketplace. The capacity to offer better print suppression and greater mobile options, coupled with rapid onboarding, signifies that CMFs are not just adapting to change, but are actually shaping the future of communication management. The convergence of AI, ML and ECP within the CMF framework represents a fundamental shift in how businesses deliver and manage print communication. As technology continues to advance, the CMF ecosystem will evolve further, ensuring that organizations can meet the ever-changing needs of customers and the market while achieving optimal efficiency and cost-effectiveness in their communication strategies.

A digital document industry pioneer, ERNIE CRAWFORD is President/CEO and founder of Crawford Technologies. One of only a small number of people worldwide with M-EDP (Master Electronic Document Professional) designation, Ernie has more than 30 years of senior marketing and management experience in the high-volume digital printing market. DOCUMENTmedia.com fall.2023

PLANNING FOR DIGITAL

TRANSFORMATION To meet the ever-evolving standard for customer experience, it’s important to accelerate your efforts wherever your company is in the journey | By Richard Huff

he term digital transformation is becoming something of a buzzword, but for many organizations this process is already well underway. The push to integrate digital technologies with business process has intensified in recent years due to a few driving factors — most notably, the COVID-19 pandemic and the rapid adoption of technologies to enable remote work, digitalization of services and virtual customer relationships. Supply chain issues have also spurred this 18

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transition, with constraints that include an industry driver shortage, higher shipping costs, and delays through major US ports. Combined with inflation and labor shortages in the wake of the Great Resignation, each of these factors has emphasized the need for organizations to leverage digital technologies as a means of streamlining, automating and reducing the costs of their processes. While the specific outcomes of digital transformation vary across organizations and industries, the Best Practices Assessments (BPAs) conducted at

Madison Advisors have identified a few key steps at the core of most successful transitions. The first of these steps is an assessment of organizational support when it comes to digital initiatives, particularly the level of buy-in and leadership that can be counted upon from the C-suite. Infrastructure is also a crucial consideration at this stage, as a successful digital transformation requires a consolidated line of business (LOB) budget under centralized IT. Once necessary structural changes are in place, it’s time to set measurable,

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strategic goals for the transformation with a particular focus on objectives with aggressive, short-term payback. At this stage, it’s important to prioritize goals that reduce technical debt within LOBs, as well as investments in new technologies offering a quick and demonstrable ROI. For goals around enhancing customer experience, one strategy is to start by mapping the typical customer journey in its entirety before zeroing in on improvements that can be made at each stage. Another critical area for goal setting is implementing digital skillset development for your organization; beyond simply integrating digital tools, you’ll need to ensure your employees have sufficient training to use them to their full potential. Arguably, the most crucial step in the digital transformation journey is improving data quality and infrastructure. It is a known fact that data silos disrupt customer interactions and lead to confusion, detracting from customer experience overall. To drive client engagement, organizations must take time during this stage to eliminate (or at the very least, decrease) silos through the process of centralizing and normalizing customer data. With centralized customer and account data offering information that is linked across all LOBs, enterprises can offer a more streamlined customer experience while also realizing cost savings.

IMPLEMENTING A DIGITAL WORKFLOW In the earliest days of the pandemic, the sharp increase in remote work exposed various weaknesses of paperbased workflows, as well as the ability of digitalization to remedy these issues. However, a common pitfall of planning a digital transformation is the belief that simply digitizing existing processes will be enough to improve efficiency and customer experience. However, to achieve true interoperability, it’s crucial for businesses to take a close look at their existing processes and then streamline, update or eliminate where appropriate. After completing this process improvement stage, it’s possible to implement

an effective digital workflow for both inbound and outbound communications. When in tandem with process improvement, an effective digital workflow can result in various gains for the enterprise, including greater transparency and the ability to establish and measure key performance indicators (KPIs). In addition to basic production metrics, digital and automated workflows establish metrics for customer satisfaction, allowing for continued improvements to customer experience. Automated systems can also swiftly identify bottlenecks and suggest adjustments that will improve or eliminate them. These efficiencies are shown to reduce project timelines dramatically, often enabling the fulfillment of multi-year commitments in a matter of months.

Arguably, the most crucial step in the digital transformation journey is improving data quality and infrastructure. MEETING CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS With these digitized internal processes in place, the organization can focus on building customer engagement through multichannel communications. While print can and should remain part of an enterprise’s communications strategy, digitization enables a wider range of options for customers, making it possible to tailor their experiences to their individual needs and preferences. In a true omnichannel delivery system, customers will have the option to receive and view their communications via any combination of channels, including

print, email with full bounce handling, personalized SMS messages, social media, mobile apps or web archive. The final step in digital transformation is to measure performance. Automated systems typically include dashboards with multiple options for assessing the effectiveness of internal activities. Among the metrics available through a system’s dashboard are Net Promoter Scores (NPS), customer retention and renewal rates, acquisition costs per customer and customer satisfaction rates — all of which can help you gain insight into the success of your digital transformation. At a time when enterprises must offset rising costs while also meeting the ever-evolving standard for customer experience, it’s especially important to accelerate your digital transformation efforts wherever your company is in the journey. To assist with digital transformation initiatives, Madison Advisors has developed an assessment tool that evaluates the enterprise’s overall implementation across four key elements: strategy, structure, processes, and systems. The resulting confidential report provides enterprises with our assessment, a maturity level for comparison with other organizations and a SWOT analysis to help the enterprise identify areas for improvement in their CCM/ CXM initiatives. A holistic, multi-phase approach based on quality data is a sure foundation for the success of any digital transformation. With the implementation of robust processes and continuous performance monitoring, enterprises can address the dynamic requirements of the post-pandemic business environment — all while providing the high standard of personalization and service that customers increasingly expect.

RICHARD HUFF is Senior Analyst at Madison Advisors, an independent analyst and market research firm that addresses the needs of the electronic and print customer communications management marketplace. Visit www. madison-advisors.com. DOCUMENTmedia.com fall.2023

By Gautam Jit Kanwar

LEVERAGING CLOUD CCM TO ITS FULLEST Create a communication ecosystem that responds with agility to a changing customer communication landscape

t their inception, customer communications management (CCM) systems were designed to support print and mail operations. At the same time, many enterprises didn’t have print operations in-house, so work that needed to be printed was outsourced to print service providers (PSPs). However, as the features of CCM platforms expanded, so did their capabilities, impacting businesses and their operations. Coupled with consumers’ increasing preference for digital interactions, enterprises and PSPs were challenged with the need to adjust their

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business models to deliver the experiences customers increasingly expected, while still ensuring business continuity. For some, the expedient solution to this was migrating part, if not all, of their business operations to the cloud. Doing so offered the ability to quickly access information on demand, scale as needed and ultimately be more efficient. It also provided the opportunity to reduce costs with the option to eliminate outdated legacy infrastructures, as well as physical hardware or software and ongoing maintenance. What seemed like a good business decision then for many reasons still is.

Customer communications thrive in the cloud In a transaction-based business, customers often only interact with an organization through monthly invoices, statements or other periodic documents, making it even more important to ensure that every communication sent to a customer is effective. There are a number of benefits to a cloud CCM strategy when it comes to producing customer communications that engage customers. First, a cloud solution makes it possible to interact with a business through a multitude of channels, such as email, SMS, chatbots or

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While cloud CCM is good for your business and your customers, there is another important group that benefits: your employees.

other apps, so customer preferences can readily be met. Additionally, the ability to integrate customer relationship management (CRM) tools that house real-time data supports the creation of personalized communications that include timely, relevant messaging and shows you are on top of customer interactions with your company. One of the biggest benefits, though, is that cloud CCM can help overcome the obstacles experienced in achieving a holistic view of your organization’s interactions with the customer across these different channels. Often, communications are created by various departments in an organization for several different purposes. Being able to achieve consistency across all channels of communication with a common voice and messages that look like they come from the same company makes for the seamless, integrated customer experience businesses are striving to achieve. Employees thrive as well While cloud CCM is good for your business and your customers, there is another important group that benefits: your employees. When companies were

suddenly required to have employees work from home due to the pandemic, it became painfully obvious that having agility and flexibility in your operations was paramount to ensure the availability of critical data needed to perform their jobs. As businesses adjusted, cloud-based platforms made working remotely possible, allowing employees to share files and establishing a secure environment for working on documents. Additionally, cloud CCM acts expertly as a line of business (LOB) resource. Today, many departments directly use cloud-based CCM systems to bring the customer closer to the employee. Having the ability to instantly access a centralized hub of customer history makes it possible for employees to have readily available the information required to communicate effectively. Understanding the customer’s journey within your company empowers an employee to have the freedom to think strategically, respond appropriately and foster a relationship of trust. A good example of this is when executing a marketing campaign. The campaign communication is sent, someone is interested in the offer and clicks on it. Now the information that a prospect is interested in does not go to IT. Instead, it goes directly to the marketing person who sent it, providing notification that the customer or the prospect is interested in an offer. The marketer is empowered to make the decision to take the next step, creating a connected experience across the board. This puts less pressure on the IT department and relieves LOB

employees of IT infrastructure hassles and makes them more productive. As many customer service employees continue to work remotely or in a hybrid-working situation, a cloud CCM solution also supports them in being more effective. When customers take the time to connect with your business, it is with the expectation they can get the information they are seeking at that moment. Cloud CCM solutions enable the collection of and interaction with content throughout a customer’s lifecycle, allowing customer service teams to retrieve what they need at the time they need it. Create a communication ecosystem As the myriad benefits of cloud technology — including scalability, security, hassle-free infrastructure and real-time customer experience — become more prominent, we can expect cloud-native platforms to continue to develop in an effort to harness your CCM platform’s full potential. With the right architecture in place, cloud CCM will continue to make it possible to create a communication ecosystem that responds with agility to a changing customer communication landscape, meeting the needs of all who work within it.

GAUTAM JIT KANWAR is President of BelWo, Inc., a global provider of managed services specializing in customer communications management (CCM) consulting and delivery solutions that help companies meet strategic CCM goals. DOCUMENTmedia.com fall.2023

By Patrick Kehoe

THE IMPACT OF AI-POWERED CONTENT MANAGEMENT Recent advancements make it possible to accelerate the optimization of communications 22

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n the current business landscape, those who create and manage customer communications are faced with a unique set of challenges. On top of delivering important information in a way that reflects your brand, you are also tasked with meeting the growing customer demand for highly personalized digital communications that connect with customers on an individual level. Also, complex information needs to be concise and written in plain language so that it is easily understood by the majority of your customers. These characteristics in communications can increase engagement, loyalty and the amount that customers spend. Simply put, improving the quality of your customer communications impacts business results and improves customer lifetime value. Balancing clarity and emotion can be tricky to achieve. For organizations looking to avoid leaving customers with a negative impression, it is natural to try to put a positive spin on certain communications such as a declination or default. Research shows that reading fear-provoking words, such as “no,” “illness” or “death” releases stress hormones that impair reasoning, significantly reduce reading comprehension and diminish trust in your organization overall. On the other hand, an overly upbeat sentiment may fail to reflect the true severity of a situation, leaving your customers feeling confused about the level of urgency and the response expected of them. Another factor with implications for customer engagement is reading comprehension, particularly with communications that involve complex topics, legalese or industry jargon. With approximately 54% of U.S. adults reading below a sixth-grade level, communications that aren’t written in plain, accessible language can present a barrier to customers when it comes to understanding the content of the

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message and the actions customers are expected to take in response. Overly complex language can also heighten the stress response they experience while receiving bad news, reducing their reading comprehension by much more than either of these factors alone. Most organizations have vast libraries of communications, but initiatives to update and reformulate these for continued use rarely get off the ground due to the time-consuming nature of the process. The idea of having to comb through hundreds to thousands of communications to optimize content can certainly be daunting, but there is help.

LET AI TAKE THE HEAVY LIFTING Recent advancements in generative AI make it possible to accelerate the optimization of communications. Using natural language processing (NLP), generative AI platforms are capable not only of identifying the emotional content and reading comprehension level of a particular text, but also of suggesting potential rewrites to increase customers’ level of understanding and engagement. Additionally, since these platforms are trained using large quantities of reference material, they can dramatically accelerate the process of analyzing content libraries and more accurately pinpoint aspects of a text that may pose a barrier to consumers. According to a recent eBook from analyst firm IDC, respondents representing companies of all sizes had positive reactions to generative AI use cases due to platforms’ ability to maintain or suggest language to address the level of complexity. Rather than being a replacement for humans, generative AI platforms reduce the amount of time spent generating, rewriting or tailoring communications, to provide a starting point that can be validated by a content curator. This allows authors of communications to devote more of their time to higher order concerns.

THE BENEFITS OF AN AI-POWERED CORE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM The level of efficiency enabled by generative AI is further increased when fully integrated with an organization’s customer communications management (CCM) platform. Without this integration, content authors must copy and paste the results of their prompts between multiple applications, an inefficient process that offers only a static representation of generative AI’s capabilities. In the

Rather than being a replacement for humans, generative AI platforms reduce the amount of time spent generating, rewriting or tailoring communications

world of CCM, picture users of legacy CCM solutions copying content from Word, to ChatGPT, back to Word and then having to upload that to a CCM solution. Additionally, this process of copying and pasting directly into a tool like ChatGPT or Bard can present significant risks in terms of data security by increasing the likelihood that confidential customer data — as well as the content of your communications themselves — will be input into

an AI model and internalized as part of its training. When the capabilities are baked into an organization’s CCM platform, greater security is in place to protect against the wrong content being loaded to the generative AI platform. In addition, look for solutions that have controls to ensure that your content isn’t being used to train the AI model and that the content isn’t being retained in the solution for long periods. It is also important for solutions to help you quickly identify opportunities or areas of concern by analyzing your entire content library and corpus of communications. This allows focus on the problem areas instead of just haphazardly reviewing all content. Generative AI offers numerous opportunities to streamline the production and editing of content, from eliminating time spent on formatting conventions to aligning the message with a situationally appropriate sentiment. This is particularly true when these powerful tools are integrated with solutions that manage content and communications — an increasingly common feature that draws upon organizational data and allows for stronger, more consistent messaging across all channels. By providing support for the readability and sentiment of your communications, generative AI makes it easier and faster for you to foster positive relationships with customers and maintain a consistent representation of your brand.

PATRICK KEHOE is Executive Vice President of Product Management for Messagepoint, Inc. an AI-powered customer communications management solution that automates and simplifies the process of migrating, optimizing, authoring and managing complex customer communications for non-technical (business) users. Patrick has more than 25 years of experience delivering business solutions for document processing, customer communications and content management.

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documents can encompass a range of file formats, such as images, PDFs, emails and handwritten forms that do not adhere to a predetermined data model or standardized layout. IDP goes beyond the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) by using sophisticated machine learning algorithms to understand the content and meaning of documents. It combines AI methods, like natural language processing, computer vision and pattern recognition to accurately capture, categorize and extract relevant information from documents.

BENEFITS OF INTELLIGENT DOCUMENT PROCESSING

INTELLIGENT DOCUMENT PROCESSING

Revolutionizing data extraction and workflow automation

By Shalini Nagar

n this era of rapid digitalization, companies deal with large volumes of data on a daily basis. Traditionally, managing documents has been time-consuming and prone to mistakes resulting in delays, expenses and decreased efficiency. Fortunately, the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) has brought about a solution called Intelligent Document Processing (IDP). IDP has transformed how organizations extract, understand and

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leverage information from documents. It simplifies workflows and empowers businesses to operate smarter and faster.

WHAT IS INTELLIGENT DOCUMENT PROCESSING? Intelligent Document Processing involves utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to automate the extraction and handling of information from unstructured documents. These unstructured

Intelligent Document Processing provides advantages that can enhance business operations and boost efficiency. By automating tasks like data entry, IDP minimizes the possibility of mistakes and allows employees to dedicate their efforts to more intricate responsibilities. This not only saves time but also enhances precision resulting in cost savings for the company in the long run. Furthermore, IDP offers data management and analysis capabilities in addition to its efficiency and accuracy. By extracting and examining data from sources, companies can acquire valuable insights into their operations.

WHAT IS CAUSING THE RAPID GROWTH OF IDP? According to a report published by Research Nester, there has been a significant increase in the growth of IDP. The report predicts that the global market size for document processing is expected to reach USD 122 Billion by the end of 2035 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 40.50% between 2023 and 2035. Additionally, in 2022 the market size for document processing was USD 2 Billion. IDP has become increasingly necessary due to factors highlighting the difficulties and possibilities that organizations encounter when dealing with the ever-growing amount of

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unstructured data. Notably regions like North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and others have witnessed a surge in the need for IDP solutions in various industries such as finance, healthcare, insurance, retail, manufacturing and more. Let’s take a look at the primary reasons driving the growing demand, for IDP:  Data Explosion: Nowadays with the advancements in technology businesses are dealing with quantities of data on a daily basis. Data experts witness an increase of around 65% in data volume every month within their organizations. This includes information from diverse sources like scanned documents, PDFs emails and images. The conventional manual methods, for data entry and processing are insufficient to manage this rapid growth of data.  Increased Productivity and Cost Savings: IDP streamlines tasks liberating employees from repetitive work. This boosts productivity and enables the workforce to dedicate their efforts to more strategic and value-driven endeavors. Additionally, by minimizing labor, organizations can achieve substantial cost savings.  Real-Time Data Access: IDP allows for the extraction and processing of data in time or near real time. This enables decision making and quicker response times for customers and partners, and improves overall operational efficiency.  Digital Transformation Initiatives: In today’s age, businesses are constantly evolving and looking for ways to streamline their operations. One key aspect of this is the adoption of technology-driven solutions to automate and enhance document processing and workflow management. This is where IDP comes in offering a fit for organizations seeking to optimize their processes through digital transformation initiatives.  Enhanced Customer Experience: Improved processing speeds and shorter turnaround times result in enhanced customer experiences.

Companies can promptly address customer inquiries, request approvals and ensure a smooth and seamless customer journey.

USE CASES OF INTELLIGENT DOCUMENT PROCESSING Invoice Processing: IDP systems can efficiently extract information from invoices, including invoice numbers, dates, line items and total amounts. This helps to streamline the accounts process.

IDP has become increasingly necessary due to factors highlighting the difficulties and possibilities that organizations encounter when dealing with the ever-growing amount of unstructured data. Contract Management: IDP can be helpful in extracting clauses, obligations and deadlines from contracts, making contract review and management easier. Insurance Claims Processing: IDP has the ability to speed up the insurance claims processing by extracting information from both claim forms and supporting documents. Loan Application Processing: Automating the extraction and validation of data from loan application forms through IDP can significantly enhance the efficiency of the loan approval process.

Patient Record Management: In the healthcare field, IDP technology is utilized to retrieve important data from medical records enabling medical professionals to swiftly access patient information with ease.

CHALLENGES OF INTELLIGENT DOCUMENT PROCESSING One of the obstacles in implementing IDP is the need to prioritize data security. Given that information is involved, it becomes imperative to establish robust security measures to prevent any unauthorized access or breaches. This task can be particularly demanding when engaging with third-party vendors or relying on cloud-based solutions. Nonetheless, by incorporating encryption access controls and conducting routine security audits, organizations can effectively mitigate the risks associated with data loss or theft. Integrating IDP into existing workflows and systems also poses its set of challenges. It often demands modifications to processes and infrastructure which can be both expensive and time-consuming. However, with careful planning and prioritization of integration efforts, organizations can achieve a transition while capitalizing on the advantages offered by this technology. Intelligent Document Processing is a solution that organizations can utilize to improve the accuracy of data extraction, streamline workflows and boost productivity. As technology continues to advance, businesses that adopt IDP will undoubtedly gain an advantage making it an indispensable tool in modern digital landscape.

SHALINI NAGAR, a content associate, brings a wealth of writing experience to the table through her work. She has gained proficiency in areas such as crafting website content, writing press releases and articles, creating engaging blog posts, editing work conducting research and designing infographics. These diverse skills have made her a rounded writer and a valuable member of the team at Research Nester Pvt. Ltd. DOCUMENTmedia.com fall.2023

WHAT’S NEW WITH THE ASPIRE LEADERBOARD IN 2023?

By George Parapadakis with Kaspar Roos

he Aspire Leaderboard is a one-of-a-kind tool designed to help stakeholders in every part of the customer communications ecosystem evaluate and compare Customer Communications Management (CCM) and Customer Experience Management (CXM) offerings. It enables corporate buyers to find the technology vendor or service provider best equipped to help them realize their unique strategic customer communications goals. At the same time, service providers leverage it to scope out potential partners, tech vendors rely on it as a barometer of the market’s trajectory, and M&A professionals use it to plan out their next acquisitions. We even sometimes hear from new employees that they use our Leaderboard Profiles to better understand their employers’ offering in the space! 26

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Over the last year, Aspire has overhauled the Leaderboard to better reflect the rapidly changing nature of the customer communications market. As the evolution from CCM to CXM continues to gather steam, numerous acquisitions, consolidations, changes in strategy and new product introductions — especially those involving the use of generative artificial intelligence — have altered the provider landscape. Believing accurate analysis requires a more agile approach, we’ve shifted away from releasing a single market overview annually and have adopted a continuous update model that allows us to provide a growing number of visitors with the latest, up-to-date information on this ever-changing industry. As a result, the Aspire Leaderboard continues to be the definitive tool for vendor and service provider selection in the CCM-CXM industry.

Throughout the year, we’ve introduced new players to the Leaderboard, particularly in the Implementation Services segment. We’ve also further embraced the continuous update model by enabling vendors and providers to schedule briefings whenever they have significant updates to share, giving us the information we need to maintain meaningful dialogue while closely following every key product and services development. To celebrate and recognize individual vendor and provider achievements, we’ve introduced badges that reflect their positioning in our various grids. You will see these badges displayed on their websites, communications and email signatures, signifying our analyst team’s evaluation and the participant’s place as a member of the Aspire community.

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As always, we continue to explore new trends in the Customer Experience space, and to that end, Aspire is introducing a new market segment we call, Interaction eXperience Management, or IXM, for short. IXM represents the naturally evolved state of the long-established area of Forms Management updated to encompass new developments in digital data collection and forms automation. Similar to how CCM has evolved into CXM, the forms automation space is shifting to multi-channel customer engagement, alternative interaction channels, real-time customer data gathering and inbound processing, as well as non-text-based interaction platforms like personalized video, augmented reality, graphical product configuration, and interactive voice assistants. In future blogs and analysis pieces, Aspire will continue to develop this new market category and identify its key players while also exploring its co-existence with and inter-dependency on traditional CCM elements so we can fully understand how these two concepts complement one another to create a unified and coherent Customer Experience Management. Finally, we of course cannot ignore the monumental implications recent advances in artificial intelligence and

machine learning hold for the CX market. A growing list of vendors and providers are adopting AI capabilities into their offerings to inform various aspects of both customer and employee journeys. For instance, companies like Messagepoint have invested in content intelligence for many years and were quick to implement OpenAI/ChatGPT integration into their products so they could assist in rewriting content where their systems flagged issues. Smart Communications and other vendors have implemented AI capabilities that can grasp the complexities of grammar and readability. OpenText recently launched Aviator, an AI-agnostic integration framework providing content intelligence capabilities based on various AI engines. At its Spring 2023 Summit, Adobe showcased an AI engine creating and altering images through text prompts and then drafting an email to accompany them. Furthermore, several vendors have privately briefed us on their development of AI coded CCM templates. Integrators like Tata Consultancy Services and service providers like O’Neil Digital Solutions have demonstrated similar technologies as well in their roadmap. We expect communications creation and approval to be a major area of AI

investment as businesses work to secure the ability to automatically improve messages and interactions or find the best approver for a given use case. Companies like Isis Papyrus have been promoting this kind of functionality for quite a while, but generative AI has the potential to apply even deeper cognitive understanding. Of course, CCM typically sits at the end of a business process, so AI will also have tremendous benefits there (through fraud detection, for example), but typically these applications fall outside of CCM’s scope. This year, we’ve focused a significant segment of our primary research in all areas of AI, collecting industry data that measure both its adoption and its effect to businesses. Aspire is surveying hundreds of businesses across the globe to get their perspectives on this new technology. Insights from the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific will help us to deliver fact-based recommendations that will help subscribers decide where to invest, what to develop, how to overcome barriers, and what messaging to use. Since this technology is developing at such a rapid pace, we continue to complement our quantitative research with a set of qualitative interviews to provide even better context and gain additional insights from experts on, for example, generative AI’s impact on the ever-evolving regulatory landscape. If you’re a supplier in the customer engagement, customer communications, journey management, or customer experience management space, we invite you to join us on this exciting journey exploring the possibilities and impact of both IXM and generative AI in customer communications. As we unlock new avenues for growth, innovation, and enhanced customer experiences in the digital era, we can work collaboratively to stay ahead of the curve and pave the way for a prosperous future by embracing the power of new technological developments.

If you are interested in gaining access to our research data and analysis, please register your interest by visiting this www. aspireleaderboard.com DOCUMENTmedia.com fall.2023