= Operating and releasing mail at reduced production levels 
= No current production
18 Jul The Value of White Space Management
Several years ago, “transpromo” emerged as a popular term in the customer communications management industry. Many articles were published (including a few from our founder Chairman Emeritus, Harry Stephens) about the benefits of marrying your transactional and promotional communications, because doing so provided the opportunity to put marketing/promotional messages into statements, bills, and other monthly business documents. Typically, recipients of mail that contained information they have requested or that is personally relevant, would very likely open and review the contents rather than simply tossing it out unread (which is often the case with advertising mail and inserts). The concept created a perfect opportunity to capture an attentive audience with announcements such as new or expanded services and other types of educational/promotional information on the monthly invoice.
Over time, as more software and hardware solutions became available that made it accessible and affordable to utilize the white space on a document, the term “white space management” replaced “transpromo,” and many companies moved from inserting only education or promotional information to delivering an even higher level of personalized service. Due to deeper access to organizations’ databases, it became possible to develop highly personalized messages based on an individual’s previous actions and interests, age, or geographical location.
Insurance companies began using this technique to present and explain complicated benefits and claims procedures to their policyholders. Financial institutions and other government-regulated industries use it to include required compliance information quickly and accurately in a personalized way, even if recipients have different types of accounts or live in different states with different regulations. Product invoices have also been designed strategically to offer related or complementary products or services. For example, if a customer purchases a printer, a manufacturer or dealer might suggest ink cartridges or a maintenance service offering. All these communication opportunities can enhance customer satisfaction by offering solutions that meet their needs.
Overall, adding these types of messages on regularly sent customer communications transforms routine documents into powerful tools for customer engagement, brand reinforcement, and sales growth. In addition, it is a cost-effective way to leverage existing customer relationships and drive additional revenue opportunities.
Effectively using the white space on your regular customer communications can reduce the expense involved in producing separate correspondence pieces, reduce call center traffic, and dramatically reduce postage costs. While all major mailers, along with the USPS, continue to work to keep rates low despite needed rate increases, now may be the right time to revisit using the white space on each of your documents to the best advantage.
At Datamatx, we believe that every document you produce should engage your audience, create new revenue opportunities, and lower your costs. We invite you to contact us today to discover how we can help you turn your customer communications into an opportunity to build more profitable relationships with ways to effectively use that valuable white space on your bills and statements.