October 2011

US Postal Service Default, plus onsite report from GraphExpo

A time bomb is ticking for the US Postal Service. The USPS is loosing between 7 and 8 billion dollars each year and is at risk of default on a five and a half billion dollar payment to retiree health benefits. A number of proposals in Washington take different approaches to solve the problem. Will the Post Office survive this current crisis? Will it take a government bailout to do it? What does the future of the Postal Service look like down the road?

We will discuss the risk of USPS default, plus get an onsite report from GraphExpo when we speak with Pat McGrew on this month’s podcast. Pat comes to us live from Chicago and reports from the GraphExpo conference; she also reports on the Australian Direct Marketing Association conference in Sydney, as well as the Asia Dscoop gathering in Singapore. Couldn’t travel to these important industry conferences? No worries, Pat will fill us in on the most important topics and trends to watch.

Time – 32:22

Download Episode 37

Sponsored by:

Craine Communications Group

September 2011

Managing Paper and Paperless Communications – Interview with analyst Rich Huff

While the “paperless office” is far from reality, the fact remains that paperless communications are an undeniable part of the business landscape today. But how do you manage the confluence between traditional paper-based documents and modern paperless communications? That’s the subject of this podcast interview with Rich Huff, a principle analyst at Madison Advisors, a well known strategic consulting and market research firm focused on the customer communications management (CCM), electronic delivery, and print industries. I’ll ask Rich about his thoughts and observations on how companies can navigate the changing landscape of customer communications, when paper fits and where it doesn’t, and for his take on best practices to design document strategies in today’s challenging technical and business environment.

Time – 28:56

Download Episode 36

Sponsored by:

Cincom
Crawford Technologies
Craine Communications Group

August 2011

Document Strategy Implementation

Even the most thoughtful and comprehensive document strategy will not be successful if it is not executed effectively. All of your assessments, conclusions and proposed actions must come together in a project plan that will effectively map the course of your strategy and direct your efforts successfully.

This episode concludes a series of podcasts exploring the five phase document strategy design model found in the book “Designing a Document Strategy.” The series began nearly two years ago, please see the podcast archives to get caught up. This time we finish with the final phase of document strategy implementation.

But beyond the typical Gaant charts and action items, we’ll examine thoughtful contingency planning and post-project activities that will ensure that you hit the mark with your document strategy, and that the advantages and improvements you aimed for will indeed be realized over time.

Time – 39:54

Download Episode 35

Sponsored by:

Cincom
Crawford Technologies
Craine Communications Group

July 2011

Using QR Codes in Cross Media Marketing

QR codes are getting a lot of attention these days. The development and application of QR codes, used in conjunction with mobile communications and smart phones, some say, represents a revolutionary breakthrough in cross-media marketing.

These small two-dimensional “quick response” barcodes are interpreted by the camera function on your smart phone and can then display information directly on the your phone, or take your phone’s browser directly to a personalized web page, online video, and more.

Just now catching on in the United States, QR codes are quite popular in Japan and Europe. The potential to use QR codes to reach new customers is growing, especially as the general marketplace becomes more mobile.

That’s what we’ll be discussing on this month’s podcast with Stephen Poe, a document and communications systems expert who will help us make sense of the technology and better understand how to design strategies to leverage the benefits of this cutting-edge cross-media marketing tool.

Time – 29.34

Download Episode 34

Sponsored by:

Cincom
Crawford Technologies
Craine Communications Group

June 2011

Social Media – Leveraging the “Customer Conversation”

Everyone is talking about social media these days, and for good reason. If you are not involved with social media marketing you are missing out on a tremendous opportunity.

But most of the focus on social media is centered on ways to reach out to customers and foster relationships. Very little discussion is centered on using social media to understand what customers are saying about your company and their experience with your products and services.

What customers are saying about your company in social media can dramatically impact your brand equity if you are not actively managing the “customer conversation.” What can you do to uncover risks to your brand and unearth new opportunities in the marketplace?

We’ll explore all of this and more in this episode of the Document Strategy Podcast.

Time – 29.24

Download Episode 33

Sponsored by:
Cincom
Crawford Technologies
Craine Communications Group

May 2011

Interview with AIIM President John Mancini – ECM industry trends; plus a report from Xplor2011

We are pleased to welcome John Mancini back to the podcast. John is the president of AIIM, the enterprise content management association, and we ask him about a recent AIIM study on the state of the ECM industry and to summarize the notions presented in his keynote address at the info360 conference last month in Washington DC.

Also on the show; Pat McGrew joins us from the Xplor 2011 conference in Florida. Xplor is a perennial resource for document industry professionals, but if you were not able to attend this year, no worries. Pat reports live on the most important strategies and tactics that were talked about this year.

Time – 34:35

Download Episode 32

Sponsored by:

Cincom
Craine Communications Group

Managing the Cycle of Change – Continued discussion from the book Designing a Document Strategy chapter six. Plus, a report from the OnDemand/AIIM info360 conference in Washington.

35:26 min

Download Episode 31 – April 2011

Interview with author and columnist Joe Rickard, plus a report from the PODi AppForum in Las Vegas. Building revenue and best practices in graphic communications and beyond.

35:00 min

Download Episode 30 – March 2011

Personalization, Privacy and the Data Dilemma. Strategies and tactics that help leverage the power of personalization while avoiding the pitfalls of privacy and data security.

34:22 min

Download Episode 29 – February 2011

Automated Document Factory techniques and strategies with guest Paul Abdool, chairman of Xplor International. Best practices to take advantage of an ADF.

35:21 min

Download Episode 28 – December 2010