WHITE PAPER

Get the right message tothe right person at theright time, using the rightcommunication method

Contents
Executive summary3

The right people, the right time, the right channel

4

The right message, the right response mechanism

4

Low cost, high returns

5Core components of an omni-channel messaging platform

6

OpenText Notifications

7

Notifications features

8

Notifications benefits

8

About OpenText

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Omni-channel messaging solutions provide multiple methods of communicationfrom an integrated ‘single source’ messaging solution, allowing users to communicate
with customers, partners and stakeholders in the way they prefer. By integrating
notifications into business processes, users can target messages based on businessrules, such as key events or customer behaviors. This white paper discusses
the benefits of an omni-channel messaging platform with notifications to build
customer loyalty, increase customer satisfaction and maximize profitability.

Executive summary
Omni-channel messaging has become a powerful tool for almost all public andprivate sector organizations, delivering important information to cost-effectively
communicate with stakeholders, enhancing their experience and increasing loyalty.
Many organizations have selected communication solutions on a per-channel
basis, which leads to managing separate vendors for common communication
methods, such as SMS, email, voice and fax messages. This has created afragmented messaging ecosystem that is often isolated from other vital businesssystems. Managing multiple vendors and messaging platforms is cumbersome,creating costly delays that affect a customer’s experience and a company’sbottom line. It is difficult to coordinate messages and easy to become ineffective
by communicating with customers using channels that are unlikely to elicit aresponse. Each messaging method can become an isolated information siloand, without any integration into other business systems, impede achieving thefull benefits of a single, unified communications infrastructure. As the volume ofcommunications grows across channels, so does the clutter, making the messaging
environment increasingly difficult to manage.
Instead, omni-channel messaging solutions provide multiple methods ofcommunication from an integrated ‘single source’ messaging solution, allowing
users to communicate with customers, partners and stakeholders in the ways inwhich they prefer to consume and respond. Omni-channel messaging solutions
share the characteristics of the most effective technologies—the kind that become
ubiquitous almost without anyone noticing. These are easy to use, adopted effortlessly
and answer a real need. The straightforward act of receiving an SMS message hascompletely changed consumer expectations of delivery schedules. A notification
reminding people of an appointment has been shown to increase attendance rates.
SMS and email communication of power outages and maintenance demonstrably
boost customer loyalty for utility companies. According to recent research, 84
percent of people in the US say they expect companies to send them reminders and90 percent say they are more likely to do business with companies that do so.1
Improved customer experience is only one important application for communication.
An effective messaging solution can increase performance across a wide rangeof business operations, including digital marketing, product launches, employee
management, product and service delivery, support and maintenance and supply chainmanagement. In addition, notifications should be an integrated part of the delivery ofdigital citizenry services and are core to applications for public sector organizations.

Get the right message to the right person at the right time, using the right communication method

3/9The right people, the right time, the right channel
Omni-channel messaging solutions are far more than simply a means of distributing
information. Properly implemented, they create an effective platform for the capture,
management, exchange and analysis of the flow of communications across anorganization and beyond. By implementing an omni-channel messaging platform,
users can communicate with people using their preferred channel or device. This
helps build a stronger relationship with customers, partners or stakeholders, ascommunications go from a one-way dissemination tool to a bi-directional exchange.
The right enterprise-grade service must have the omni-channel capabilities totarget communications based on recipient preference and the flexibility to adapt
as preferences change. It must ensure that communications are not restricted
to a single channel, such as SMS appointment notifications, where that channel
is inappropriate to the individual. It should also be able to inform the sender orsending application when a communication channel is unavailable.

The right message, the right response mechanism
The wide variety of available communication types mean that the omni-channel
messaging platform must be able to deliver a single, highly personalized message,
such as late payment reminders or enticing marketing offers, while being able toscale to broadcast millions of messages simultaneously in the event of network
outages. The solution has to be seamlessly integrated into the organization’s
business processes and operational workflows. The right solution speeds up cycle
times and improves the customer experience, creating a decisive competitive
advantage by integrating with key enterprise systems, such as CRM, ERP andsupply chain management tools.
Multi-channel messaging

Omni-channel messaging

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The goal is to achieve complete control and visibility across all communications
flows. This level of integration allows users to automate a high degree ofcommunications in a way that enables the effective customization of themessage. It also facilitates the ability to include the right response mechanism
within the notification so that it becomes a part of an end-to-end businessprocess. For example, insurance companies can use the response mechanism
within notifications to launch directly into their claims processing systems or
manufacturing and grocery companies can use a multi-modal communication
strategy to support their damaged goods recall procedures.
By integrating notifications into business processes, users can target and tailor
messages based on business rules, such as key events or customer behaviors. For
example, a power company can use loading data to predict if peak loading is likely
to affect supply to some customers, and that can trigger automatic notifications ofpotential outages.
By implementing an omni-channel messaging platform, users gain access to unified
data across all communication and message types, making it possible to see whichchannels are most effective for which messages and to which recipients. With
integration into ERP, CRM and marketing automation systems, users can moreclosely match communications to actions. Customer experience is a clear area ofbenefit from this type of deep-dive analytics, but the same approach can be taken
to manage performance in other business areas, such as Accounts Payable andsupply chain.
Omni-channel messaging provides the foundation to build a complete
communications ecosystem to reach new customers, build customer loyalty, increasecustomer satisfaction and maximize profitability.

Low cost, high returns
This cost-effective approach to communications enables organizations toquickly improve how and when they connect with stakeholders. The more anorganization uses notifications and the more effectively it targets them basedon customer preferences, the greater the potential to build positive customer
experience and loyalty. Research suggests that the growing demand of notifications
is yet to be properly satisfied. One survey found that, 42 percent of people wanted
businesses to contact them by SMS but only seven percent were getting text
notifications.2 Another found that nearly half of respondents, ages 18 to 34, would
like to receive fraud alerts from their bank by SMS but fewer than one in fivereceived them.3 There is plenty of opportunity to innovate the ways organizations
use notifications to improve business performance, while
reducing costs.

Get the right message to the right person at the right time, using the right communication method

5/9Core components of an omni-channel messaging platform
Customizable• Select distribution channel based onrecipient preference• Develop message and timing based on businessprocess and workflow• Send discrete, targeted communications to increasecustomer loyalty and reach new customers withpersonalized content

Flexible• Support all communications channels, including SMS,
voice, email and fax with a single, trusted vendor• Adapt to meet new channel preferences as
they emerge• Meet message volume demands withcloud-based scalability

Automated• Automate message and delivery based onbusiness rules• Automate high volume or batch transmissions
as needed• Deliver personalized email, voice, SMS or fax
messages to one, a few or millions of recipients• Send high volumes of email messages with improveddelivery rates• Adhere automatically, based on time zones, to voiceand SMS blackout periods• Adjust voice message delivery rates to accommodate
call center capacity

Integrated• Integrate seamlessly with business processes andoperational workflows• Integrate with enterprise applications, including CRM,
ERP and any enterprise application

Reliable• Trust in performance with reliable deliverability with
global reach and local presence• Maintain confidentiality of customer information,
facilitating compliance with privacy, security, auditing
and record-keeping mandates• Send high volumes of email with improved delivery
and performanceGet the right message to the right person at the right time, using the right communication method

6/9OpenText Notifications
To keep pace with the speed of business, organizations depend on effective andtime-sensitive communication with customers and business partners in the format
they prefer.
OpenText™ Notifications is a cloud-based, comprehensive, omni-channel messaging
platform that strengthens the message creation and delivery process with endto-end visibility and communications control. It enables users to deliver essential
communications via SMS, voice, email and fax based on the preference of the recipient.
With a robust API that allows integrations for the widest range of back-end systems,
including CRM and customer communication tools, users can tailor and target
messages, while ensuring they remain compliant and fully auditable.
Notifications enables users to manage all communications across all channels
from a single, secure, web-based portal. The entire system can be managed
from any web browser to make complete multichannel communication quick andeasy. As a cloud-based software as a service, Notifications provides the flexibility
and scalability to meet the specific business need. Individual messages are aseffectively handled as large-scale broadcast communications.
OpenText™ Notifications Analytics is available to provide the transactional
data intelligence and volume trends to improve operational efficiencies and drive
company profitability. With a comprehensive view of system performance,
users can quickly and easily make data-driven decisions based on realtime andhistorical performance indicators. They can improve engagement with customers
and provide a culture of performance-driven outcomes with visibility into volume,
performance and deliverability metrics for omni-channel messages.

Integratewith OpenText
Exstream
Desktop,
Web portal
Back-office,
CRM applications

Get the right message to the right person at the right time, using the right communication method

EmailSMS
Fax
Voice

7/9Notifications features
Multiple methods ofcommunication in asingle solution• Supports all communications channels, including
SMS, voice, fax and email, from a single provider

High-volume email
delivery• Improves deliverability with a powerful, multi-tenant
platform built to handle the highest volumes of email

Rich analytics• Applies detailed information on transactions andmessages for key performance indicators, including
messaging volume,system performance, message
deliverability and easy-to-use data visualization tools

Deep integrations• Integrates seamlessly with business processes andoperational workflows within enterprise applications,including CRM, marketing automaton and ERP, throughrobust APIs

Pre-built integration• Creates and delivers powerful communications with apre-built integration for OpenText™ Exstream™ to offerbi-directional communication and visibility between thesolutions

Complete customer
engagement• Allows organizations to create an effective engagement
solution through results-driven metrics and visibility
between the systems and a 360-degree view for themost consistent customer experience• Personalizes the message to the individual anddelivers via their preferred channel, adapting
communications as channel preferences change

Notifications benefits
Improvecommunications• Increase messaging effectiveness by targeting theright recipient with the right message through thecommunications method they prefer• Transition from disrupted, limited information control
to full, end-to-end information control

Improve customer
loyalty• Personalize messages for an improved customer
experience• Create and deliver targeted offers to individual
customers and capitalize on new sales opportunities• Increase business agility and respond faster to market
trends and customer behaviors to increase revenue andstrengthen customer engagement and loyalty

Reduce costs andimprove efficiency• Adopt a single provider solution for all omni-channel
messaging requirements and future-proof messaging
capabilities• Remove the costs of separate, disjointed messaging
systems and support and reduce administrative tasks

Get the right message to the right person at the right time, using the right communication method

8/9About OpenText
Explainer video
Demo video	OpenText Exstreamand OpenText
Notifications
solution overview

OpenText, The Information Company, enables organizations to gain insight throughmarket leading information management solutions, on-premises or in the cloud. For
more information about OpenText (NASDAQ: OTEX, TSX: OTEX) visit: opentext.com.

Connect with us:• OpenText CEO Mark Barrenechea’s blog
• Twitter | LinkedIn	OpenText Notificationssolution overview
Learn more

1 Wakefield Research, The Remind-Me Generation: How Digital Amnesia is Changing Consumer Behavior andImpacting Your Business http://engage.nuance.com/digital-amnesia-report?cid=701d0000001Kf3kAAC&ls=Social
Media&rs=Blog&offer=DigitalAmnesiaReport&ot=whitepaper
2 Wakefield Research, The Remind-Me Generation: How Digital Amnesia is Changing Consumer Behavior andImpacting Your Business http://engage.nuance.com/digital-amnesia-report?cid=701d0000001Kf3kAAC&ls=Social
Media&rs=Blog&offer=DigitalAmnesiaReport&ot=whitepaper
3 O penMarket, Text the Preferred Channel for Millennials to Talk to Brands, US Study Reveals (2016) https://www.
openmarket.com/press/text-the-preferred-channel-for-millennials-to-talk-to-brands-us-study-reveals/

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