From Transactional Document to Sales Document in ERP
Business documents can also improve sales, service, and processes
In our digital age, business documents are far more than conventional transactional documents. They are critical tools that, used strategically, can help make customers happier, strengthen brand image, increase sales, and streamline business processes. The concept is called TransPromo, and it involves enriching transactional documents to turn them into sales documents.
From simple transactional documents to advanced sales messages, the Transpromo scale shows the range of document options. The possibilities are many, such as QR and barcodes, product and personal images, infographics, and personalized messages on the documents.
87% of organizations agree that traditional experiences no longer satisfy customers. In fact, 85% of business buyers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products or services, and 57% have stopped buying from a company because a competitor offered a better experience (Salesforce).
TransPromo scale
The invoice is the world’s most overlooked service and sales channel
Have you ever thought about using the invoice as a service and sales tool? Probably not. Surprisingly, the invoice is often overlooked by most marketing departments despite being a highly effective tool for customer retention, loyalty, and upselling.
The invoice is actually the world’s most read document. People also spend the most time on it, averaging from one to three minutes – think about that. On top of that, it’s a document that often passes through several hands and frequently reviewed. How many other channels can brag about the same retention and open rate?
While emails typically have an open rate of 20% or less, the invoice is an effective but overlooked marketing channel, especially in business to consumer (B2C), where recipients often have the invoice at hand either physically, in an app, or by email. Many B2B companies receive invoices only through EAN, OIOUBL, or other electronic invoice portals, where it doesn’t make sense to invest in creating attractive content for the invoice, as it is automatically removed from the portal.
Additional information = additional sales
Used correctly, this effort can increase service levels, improve the dialogue with customers, and ultimately result in additional sales. Whether the invoice is digital or physical, it can contain much more than just the standard information about price, delivery, and payment terms. Here are a few examples:
- You can add product images on the invoice along with a link to a landing page on your company’s website, where the customer can get tips on a smart way to use their newly acquired product in practice.
- You can include information about other products in the same category that may interest the customer and link to them.
- You can add action triggers, where the customer can sign up for future campaigns, special offers, etc.
- If the customer is a returning client, you can use the invoice to inform them about more advantageous ways to shop with you, such as setting up a service agreement or obtaining quantity discounts.
Faster shipments and inventory processes with TransPromo
Product images and colors speed up shipments
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. The wisdom of the old saying also applies in an often overlooked area, namely where goods change hands from supplier to customer. This includes the warehouse, receiving area, and shipping department. All the places where physical products are registered, stocked, picked, packed, shipped, checked and more. Product images and color codes are an efficiency booster that can help get goods quickly organized in the receiving company’s warehouse and promptly delivered to the end customer.
Delays affect competitiveness and customer loyalty
Mistakes along the way can cause delayed deliveries, which can have reputational and financial consequences. For example, a pallet of components misplaced in the warehouse can significantly delay production, and a shipment to the US that is stuck in customs can lead to dissatisfied customers and lost revenue.
These seemingly small bumps in the road create major disruptions in the supply chain, slowing down the company’s operations. Both service levels and customer experience and loyalty are at stake. Therefore, efficient and intelligent handling of documents and documentation should not only be an operational necessity but also a strategic priority to maintain and improve your company’s market position.
TransPromo optimizes the supply chain
But wait, didn’t we just introduce QR and barcodes to streamline all these processes? Yes, many companies have done that, but in addition, simply adding product images and color codes to documentation and labels can make everything run a little easier and faster at every stage.
Here are a few examples:
- B2B sports fishing company gets their goods through customs three times faster after they started adding product images to their customs documents.
- IC Group has made receiving goods easier for their customers by adding logos, barcodes and soon images to labels, making it easier for the receiver to navigate shipments and find what they need.
- Design company House Nordic has introduced product images and barcodes on all labels to streamline the receiving process. Also, their quotes now have a wow factor with large product images aimed at increasing the number of accepted quotes.
- Other companies successfully use color codes to inform about risk factors for products in a shipment. For example, they might highlight fire hazards that employees in the receiving department and the warehouse need to be aware of.
While QR and barcodes require physical equipment in the form of scanners, adding images and color codes as a supplement to the barcodes on all documents included in a shipment of goods is a straightforward and simple solution. It can be managed centrally in Output Management systems that offer this feature and require no programming or individual setup for each shipment.
Involve Marketing in document design
One might wonder why more people haven’t noticed these opportunities earlier. This is probably mainly because the setup of invoices and other transactional documents is often handled by the IT department, typically during the implementation of new back-office systems.
Their focus is naturally on making sure the systems work and deliver the right data, rather than on documents, branding, usability, and customer experience. That ball is in the sales and marketing’s court, which I would encourage to play themselves.
A first step is to examine whether your transactional documents have the potential to be enriched and transformed into promotional documents. The next step is to involve the marketing team, so the messages, structure, and content are integrated into the overall communication strategy and the documents add value. This can lead to both increased revenue and improved processes!
Five reasons to take your business documents to new heights
1. Professionalism builds trust
Well-designed invoices, delivery notes, and receipts reflect professionalism. They create a positive impression with customers and partners, building trust in your business and demonstrating transparency.
2. Brand identity strengthened
Business documents can be customized to reflect the company’s brand identity. This means you can include the right logos, color schemes, graphic elements, and tone-of-voice. Consistent branding across all communication channels, including documents, strengthens brand recognition.
3. Messages can be personalized individually to recipients
Business documents offer a unique opportunity for personalization. Including personal messages, exclusive offers, or thank you notes on receipts and invoices can enhance the customer experience. Customers value these personal touches, which leads to increased loyalty and repeat purchases.
For example, Semler Group A/S, which deals with the import, sale, leasing, and rental of cars and agricultural machinery, plans to use documents in its marketing. “We see great opportunities to add service messages to users such as ‘Now is the time to change to winter tires,’” say Jan Sundby Olsen and Allan Jensen.
4. You become easier to do business with
In addition to their aesthetic value, business documents serve a practical purpose. Business documents give customers easy access to their registered information, making business information easily accessible. This not only makes it easier for the customer to pay, but also to trade efficiently and seamlessly with your business.
5. Staying compliant
Compliance with business document regulations, such as accurate billing and tax controls, is crucial. Failure to comply can lead to legal issues, while staying compliant increases your credibility.
