| In developing a business case for Customer and | | | | carefully at this as long term cost of ownership |
| Marketing Communications Management, there | | | | could rise significantly if the software requires. |
| are some significant consideration in developing | | | | Customer Communications Management |
| the overall Total Cost of Ownership elements of | | | | Application Component Re-Usability |
| the business case. There are many aspect to a | | | | 13. Service Oriented Architecture. One of the key |
| customer communications solution that will need | | | | features of advanced service oriented |
| measuring in different ways. | | | | architecture based platforms is the ability to |
| A full implementation of Customer | | | | re-use components across multiple applications in |
| Communications Management will demand | | | | potentially widely different environments. The |
| hardware, software and human resource. The | | | | ability for software to integrate effectively into a |
| differential in costs could be significant between | | | | Service Oriented Architecture model and leverage |
| the various vendors. | | | | existing organisational components whilst |
| There is no single vendor that can deliver every | | | | contributing valuable new components will have a |
| aspect of your Customer Communications | | | | significant bearing on overall lifetime cost of |
| Management infrastructure although there are one | | | | ownership. |
| or two that get fairly close. In designing you | | | | 14. Marketing Communications Vendor Technology |
| implementation strategy you will need to think | | | | Trial. You may want to consider a 'bake-off' |
| about whether a best of breed approach with | | | | scenario once you have a vendor shortlist. |
| integration is better or, a minimal vendor approach | | | | Establish a set of tasks that test the speed at |
| is desirable. | | | | which an application environment can be brought |
| Lets take a look at some of the key focal points | | | | live - make it challenging but not over complicated. |
| for you customer communications management | | | | The vendor will likely put their best resources on |
| infrastructure: | | | | this and it will not only be a test of the software |
| Customer Communications Management Support | | | | but, a test of the vendors ability to deliver skilled |
| & Maintenance for Software, Printers and | | | | human resource when required. Give each vendor |
| Inserters. | | | | a level playing field. |
| Support and maintenance contracts with vendors | | | | Cost of Customer Communications Management |
| will apply across the full spectrum of products. | | | | Integration |
| Within the software arena, It is likely that vendors | | | | For Customer Communications Management to |
| will offer similar contracts terms and terms of | | | | serve the Marketing function effectively, ease of |
| service. But do check the terms of service. If the | | | | integration is a key factory. Look at the vendors |
| business is a 24hr operation, you are going to | | | | experience here. |
| need 24hr support. Also examine the level of | | | | 15. Data Integration. Can the data ETL and |
| support offered in the regions in which you may | | | | analysis tool-set integrate easily with your existing |
| install the software systems. If you are based in | | | | systems. Look at the breadth of systems that |
| France and all support operations are based out | | | | you are likely to want to integrate with in the |
| of the US, how quickly can people be on site to | | | | future. How easily can the system talk to |
| support you if matters go critical? | | | | systems across multiple platforms that may |
| The software elements of the Customer | | | | range from z/os to SAP to Siebel to a wide |
| Communications Management infrastructure should | | | | variety of other applications. |
| also be examined. Will major upgrades come free | | | | It is not just the vendors components that are |
| of charge, or will there be an expectation that | | | | important, how open are systems containing vital |
| more money is spent to stay on the upgrade | | | | data? Can you get this data out of them easily? |
| path? | | | | 16. Marketing and Customer Communications |
| Also, the upgrade policy should be examined in | | | | Design and Authoring Integration. How does you |
| context with the development plans of the | | | | company do this today? What tools are used and, |
| vendor. Does the vendor guarantee backward | | | | will they integrate easily with the Customer |
| compatibility between point releases of the | | | | Communications Infrastructure that you have or, |
| software or will the document applications have to | | | | will a change to a proprietary vendor design and |
| be re-written to cope with the upgrade? This | | | | authoring environment become necessary?. Will |
| could be a very significant cost if you run a | | | | the vendors design environment meet the needs, |
| number of document applications. If your | | | | goals and objectives of your design and authoring |
| company is not able to swallow this, are you | | | | teams and what will the cost of change be? |
| comfortable being left with a technology that will | | | | Perhaps fundamentally will it be possible to push |
| ultimately stagnate over a period of a few years? | | | | design and authoring out to the business |
| There are at least two significant hardware | | | | community? This is a fundamental tenet of |
| components within a customer communications | | | | customer communications management but some |
| management infrastructure. These are high | | | | vendors still won't be able to do this very well. |
| volume printers and the mail finishing devices or | | | | Pushing the responsibility back to IT will |
| inserters. Both of these items will have significant | | | | significantly raise costs and will reduce business |
| capital outlay and will require regular servicing. You | | | | and marketing agility massively. |
| will need to ensure that engineers are available | | | | Also look at work-flows, many companies have |
| locally and quickly. | | | | deployed standardised work-flow environments. |
| 1. Hardware vendor service contracts. Look | | | | Will your vendors solution be able to integrate |
| carefully at service contracts between vendors, | | | | here? All these factors have a bearing on cost. |
| as they can vary significantly. | | | | Customer Communications Management Vendor |
| 2. Printer and Inserter Replacement Component | | | | Licensing policy |
| Costs. Also look at the cost of components if | | | | 17. Customer Communications Management |
| they need to be replaced. How do they compare | | | | Software Environments. |
| between vendors? | | | | This is a big one and there are differentials |
| 3. Print and Inserter Servicing. Are their charges | | | | between vendors. As a minimum, you will need |
| for out of normal hours servicing? | | | | development and test environment and a |
| 4. Print and Inserter Component Inventory. To | | | | production environment. What are the vendors |
| guarantee normal operations, it may be valuable | | | | policies for development licences. |
| to hold an inventory of hardware components at | | | | 18. Multi Site Licence. The other key factor that |
| your own document production facility. What does | | | | may affect you is multi site licensing. If you |
| the manufacturer recommend that you hold, and | | | | operate in different places around the world, what |
| what are the costs of holding and maintaining this | | | | are the costs of rolling out mirror environments |
| inventory? | | | | to new sites? Examine carefully the vendors |
| 5. Printer and Inserter Power Consumption. High | | | | policy here. |
| speed colour printers and inserters are power | | | | 19. Cost per seat. What is the cost per seat for |
| hungry devices. What is that power likely to cost | | | | the elements of the customer communications |
| the company? | | | | management infrastructure? Does the vendor of |
| 6. Building Environment Costs -A few printers | | | | bulk purchase discounts. Are the number of seats |
| require specialised working environments. They | | | | likely to grow over time? |
| may require climate controlled environments. | | | | 20. Operating System. Some vendors charge |
| What are the costs of the space to provide this | | | | different prices depending upon the operating |
| environment. What are the costs of adapting a | | | | system in use. How do vendors compare? |
| building to deliver this climate managed | | | | 21. Additional non-vendor components - Here we |
| environment. What are the acquisition and running | | | | might be looking at factors such as obtaining mail |
| costs of the climate control equipment. | | | | compliance databases, Websphere components or |
| 7. Headcount Requirements - Realistically, how | | | | other factors. What additional software |
| many people are going to be required to operate | | | | components may you need to source to deliver |
| the inserters and the printers? Take along | | | | the application that your business needs? |
| experienced document production managers when | | | | Management of Legacy Applications |
| assessing the hardware equipment required and | | | | 22. Leveraging new and old. Some document |
| be pragmatic in this assessment. | | | | applications may not justify redevelopment. |
| 8. Growth in document output volumes. Carefully | | | | However, what is the cost of integrating the |
| consider current and future ouput volumes. If you | | | | legacy into the environment to obtain say |
| anticipate a growth in output volumes, then plan | | | | production integrity benefits? Can this be done |
| this. Will the equipment that you buy today be | | | | easily or are you going to be running some |
| able to meet those volumes? Will you need to | | | | applications out of scope of the customer |
| invest in extra printers or inserters in the | | | | communications environment? |
| foreseeable future? Will the space you have be | | | | Customer Communications Management Server |
| able to accommodate any growth in capital | | | | and Desktop Hardware costs - |
| equipments. | | | | 23. Server Requirements. Don't forget your going |
| 9. Printer and Inserter Replacement costs. Unlike | | | | to need servers to run this all on. Consult with the |
| software, machines will eventually become | | | | vendor carefully in respect of the required |
| ineffective and unproductive to maintain and | | | | hardware configuration and get costs from your |
| operate. How long does the hardware vendor | | | | hardware vendor early. There will be a difference |
| anticipate the equipment will last under your | | | | depending upon the operating system you are |
| production loads? What is the anticipated | | | | running. Is the desktop configuration suitable? Will |
| replacement costs in the future? Take these | | | | you need upgrade licences for the desktop? |
| figures, build in some contingency and plan for this. | | | | Business and Technical Training Costs |
| 10. Leveraging legacy equipment. You may already | | | | 24. Training Considerations in Customer |
| have printers and inserters that may be suitable | | | | Communications Management - At the very least, |
| for much of the output that you plan to | | | | you will require administrators, some level of |
| undertake. What are the costs of getting this | | | | application development capability and training for |
| equipment suitable for participation in the process | | | | end users. |
| and how old is the equipment? Is it worth | | | | What are the vendor training costs and, do they |
| upgrading? | | | | offer 'train the trainer' courses to help you reduce |
| Speed of Customer Communications Management | | | | overall education costs? What are machine |
| Software Installation, Configuration and | | | | operator training requirements going to be? What |
| Development | | | | level of skills are you going to need across the |
| Not all software products are borne equal. | | | | infrastructure, and what is this going to cost? |
| Whether we are looking at data, authoring, | | | | Production Mail Health and Safety |
| composition, channel distribution, print | | | | 25. You will need to ensure health and safety |
| management or print stream engineering the | | | | compliant environments for the physical print and |
| products differ. Some products are built upon | | | | mail elements of the Customer Communications |
| ageing platforms whilst others utilise the latest | | | | Management infrastructure. What are the costs |
| technologies focused upon speed of deployment | | | | and training implications. Will you need to adapt the |
| and overall cost of ownership. The differences | | | | building to meet health and safety guidelines? |
| can affect Total Cost of Ownership in a number | | | | As can be seen, there are many factors to be |
| of ways. | | | | considered in developing the Total Cost of |
| 11. Development Costs. Development and / or | | | | Ownership equation for Customer |
| configuration of some kind will need to take place | | | | Communications Management. The multi-point |
| across all of the software components being | | | | nature of Customer Communications Management |
| installed. Document Composition comes with its | | | | means that there is much to be considered and |
| own development environment and data products | | | | deriving truly accurate figures is likely to be a near |
| will require detailed configuration and embedding | | | | unachievable goal. However ball park understanding |
| into the environment. Applications will also need to | | | | is achievable. |
| be developed if you plan on using print stream | | | | What should be clear from this is that in |
| engineering technology. | | | | developing the business case arguments for the |
| 12. Skill Levels. Depending upon the vendor, some | | | | implementation of a Marketing and Customer |
| applications may still require heavy IT skill to | | | | Communications Management infrastructure Total |
| develop within whereas others will offer a strong | | | | Cost of Ownership should not be ignored as it is a |
| GUI (Graphical User Interface) environment that | | | | significant element of the overall budget and |
| take much of the rough work out of developing | | | | perhaps over a period of a few years, far more |
| applications and linking systems together. Look | | | | significant than the initial capital outlay. |