| Document creation software has been evolving | | | | Management discipline and a document could not |
| since the 1970's. Originally document creation or | | | | simply be turned around in a day. Thus, customer |
| composition software was essentially a piece of | | | | communications management projects remained |
| code that sat upon a mainframe and attached to | | | | fairly un-dynamic and a sudden change in market |
| transactional business applications on the | | | | conditions might induce a delayed reaction in |
| mainframe. | | | | customer communications documents. |
| The documents that these systems produced | | | | What did begin to emerge towards the end of |
| were functional, that is probably all you can say | | | | the 1990's was the advent of business user |
| about them. Developing document creation | | | | messaging software. Now, a user in marketing |
| applications within these systems was time | | | | could add a marketing message hours before a |
| consuming and demanded an awful lot of code. | | | | statement run was due to be produced and that |
| However what may surprise you is the number | | | | message would hit customer letter boxes the |
| of applications out there still running on these | | | | next morning. |
| systems! | | | | From 2000 on, things really began to take off. |
| During the 1980's, we started to see an advance | | | | More and more control was pushed in the users |
| in the document creation arena. Systems became | | | | direction. The ability to drive communications to |
| easier to work with and the notion of bringing | | | | customers became a task of the business. |
| some variable data in for select marketing | | | | Convergence of other document management |
| messages began to appear. The advent of the | | | | tools such as archival and retrieval tools meant |
| PC began to bring software tools in the document | | | | that the business of creating documents was |
| management arena. Notably, imaging and work | | | | moving from being a service function to an |
| flow and letter creation tools. | | | | active, live and dynamic value provider. |
| However compared to today, computing power | | | | Customer service functions began to notice |
| was still relatively low, Windows had not really | | | | benefits. Higher quality documents mean fewer |
| emerged as a dominant operating system and the | | | | calls into the call centre. The ability to view |
| tools that companies were using to generate | | | | customer documents online through web |
| documents remained fairly rigid and certainly | | | | browsers meant that customers were served |
| demanded a heavy skill set to create new | | | | more effectively and quickly. Call centre |
| document creation applications. | | | | productivity was rising. |
| With these tools, the process of getting a new | | | | In the last 5 years, the push to be able to |
| document to market was long and fairly arduous | | | | communicate via any channel with relevant |
| requiring much IT input and much liaison and | | | | content has grown significantly. Today, document |
| dialogue between the business and IT. Thus once | | | | creation is the means that a company |
| an application was built, it was likely to remain | | | | communicates with its customers, prospects and |
| fairly static. | | | | suppliers. |
| Then came the 1990's. Windows was in | | | | The ability to deliver documents as paper, email, |
| ascendancy and the concept of GUI (Graphical | | | | sms, web, to social media, using XML documents |
| User Interface) tools began to emerge. WYSIWIG | | | | to interface with suppliers efficiently, to be able to |
| (What you see is what you get) began to make | | | | communicate customers on a one to one basis |
| an entrance into the field of document creation | | | | means that document creation starts involves |
| and composition. Now, users of moderate skill and | | | | advanced data management, marketing process |
| IT literacy could begin to take some control over | | | | and input, sophisticated distribution and technology |
| the look and feel of the documents. | | | | explotation. |
| A large portion of the scripting has now been | | | | Today, Document Creation drives sales, improves |
| removed from the document application | | | | company efficiency, increases customer loyalty, |
| development process. The scripting that was | | | | share of wallet and numerous other key |
| required now was related to document business | | | | performance indicators. Document creation can |
| rules - what salutation to use, if variable x on the | | | | live and breathe with an organisation and gives |
| document equals y then show this wording etc. | | | | organisations a competitive advantage that |
| Whilst this advance was significant, we certainly | | | | competitors not equipped with the right |
| couldn't call the document creation process | | | | technology simply can't succeed against. |
| dynamic. There is still a lot of need for IT Project | | | | |