Injecting Full Color into Statements and Invoices
By Kelli Jones
Marketing Manager, USA
Objectif Lune
At first glance, it may seem crazy to think about printing your Statements or Invoices in full color; but, upon further review you may see things in a different light. Some of the most compelling reasons may not be the most obvious.I’m sure you’ve heard the cost per page for color print has been steadily decreasing, while the quality and speed has been increasing. Case in point, the new high performance, versatile, multi-functional devices: the Aficio MP C6000; the Aficio MP C7500; and the Ricoh C900.
Studies have repeatedly shown that people are more apt to read communications that are printed in color. However, if the communication is a statement or invoice, then the document will most likely be read anyway. Yet color on mission-critical documents will enhance the reader’s experience. Color, when appropriately used, increases the understandability of the document. What do I mean by this? Which one of these is easier to figure out?
Comprehension is a benefit for many reasons. You are getting the intended message across to the customer, but a clearly communicated statement or invoice will also limit the number of calls coming into the call center or customer service department.
You know a lot of information about your customers based upon their buying history. What if you included a special offer or even just information about a related product or service printed right on the statement or invoice? This new trend is called TransPromo; adding a promotional message to a transactional document.
This concept can dramatically reduce, or even eliminate in some cases, the number of customer facing documents such as brochures, inserts, coupons, that you normally send out to have printed on offset press. Plus, you are putting the information in the hands of a captive audience - a current customer. Marketing departments often struggle with buying lists and how to get the company message to the right people… this is an answer. It doesn’t have to be limited to just promotional though… what if you sell plant seeds and you print the proper growing instructions. Tie into that the fact that Postal rates are skyrocketing, and the argument becomes even stronger. Turn your statements and invoices into advertising vehicles.
One way you can make this happen is by printing your invoices and statements using PlanetPress Suite on Ricoh’s color devices. PlanetPress Suite is the enabler to add the targeted marketing messages or important related product information. PlanetPress also can automatically route the accounting copy to print on the accounting department’s printer, route the data to the warehouse and print the pick tickets and shipping labels, and send an email to the customer that the order is being processed. It can also simultaneously generate an electronic copy to be handed off to the document management system.
As you can see, there are many benefits to moving to print your invoices and statements in color. It’s not just the fact that the price per page has dramatically dropped, but many other reasons that you may not even thought of. For more information, please contact your local Ricoh’s Production Printing Business Group print production specialist about PlanetPress Suite.
Kelli Jones
Marketing Manager, USA
Objectif Lune
300 Broadacres Drive, 4th Floor
Bloomfield, NJ 07003
(973) 780-0100 ext. 250
jonesk@objectiflune.com
Kelli has worked in the digital products industry for over 11 years. She has been the Marketing Manager with Objectif Lune for six years. Prior to that she was a Research Analyst in the Knowledge Management center at IKON Office Solutions. |
