Royal Mail Tries To Stick its Finger in the E-Bills Dike

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://epostalnews.com/2010/09/20/royal ... ills-dike/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ritain’s Royal Mail is trying to hold back the threatening e-bill/e-banking wave from turning into a tsunami and drowning it.

Paper statements are as important as UK-based call centers and local bank branches to customers, according to a Royal Mail study that contends that removing key transactional communications can damage relationships and erode customer loyalty.

The research it commissioned has four in 10 people surveyed agreeing that paper statements are as important to them as UK call centers and 73% would feel inconvenienced and annoyed if they were taken away.

The findings say that choice in communications is extremely important to customers, even those who prefer online communications, and a company that makes the wrong choice could lose customers.

The data found that 65% of customers who prefer paper bills and statements would consider defecting to a competitor or leave straight away if a company removed that choice. And even 29% of customers who prefer to get information electronically would move or consider moving if the option to get paper statements was taken away from them.

The research suggests that halting paper statements could see the most affluent customers move since people who get paper statements evidently have on average £1,000 more in their savings accounts than digital-only customers.

A clear preference for a combination of mail and digital transactional communications has been indicated in the findings, with 69% using mail and paper together as the ideal way to manage their accounts.

Overall, three-quarters of customers still choose to get paper bills and statements to manage their accounts.

The research is said to highlight the importance of paper statements to company communications. Not only do 81% of customers say they are more likely to read their statements if they receive online and paper copies, 70% say they are more likely to notice advertising on their paper statements.

Antony Miller, head of media development at Royal Mail, said, “Our research clearly shows that most people like to have the choice of receiving confidential statements through a combination of both mail and e-mail channels.

“Companies that do not give their customers a choice about how they receive statements really run the risk of losing them to competitors that do. We want to remind companies of the value of transactional mail and its impact on brand loyalty, customer retention and overall business success.”

Transactional communications include bank and credit card statements, bills, invoices and insurance documents. Over half of these documents are sent by the financial sector with the remainder coming from the utilities, home shopping and retail sectors.

The study includes a survey by Brahm, GFK FRS and Quadrangle of approximately 500 consumers.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

and are challenged to take this thread seriously

[DGP1]

and are challenged to take this thread seriously

what moi????

[axeman]

Why did they have to bring 'dikes' into it have they done anything to upset them ???

[smokerjim]

Thanks to DRAW guidelines, we can't say "dike" ....we can't even say "lesbian", it's "women in comfortable shoes".

[DGP1]

oh FFS will people stop using this thread....................I don't want another trip to the naughty room

[Stormproof]

and are challenged to take this thread seriously

As soon as I saw the thread title I thought of those 2