Never underestimate the role of ‘transactional’ comms

Did you know that 74% of consumers feel frustrated when the comms that they receive isn’t personalised? These days, consumers expect more than just functional interactions – they crave personalised and engaging experiences. It’s fair to say that this statement often applies to more traditional Marketing messages – however it’s equally relevant for ‘transactional’ comms such as order confirmations or policy documentation.

Tap into intent

Recognising the intent of your prospects/customers allows you to provide the right content at the right time. Whether they're making a purchase, booking a service, or inquiring about a product, acknowledging their intention to buy or engage is key in order to guide them further down the funnel. A multi-channel, multi-step abandoned basket journey is a great example of this, at a stage where customers may be suffering from decision anxiety. This essential touchpoint is more than just a 1x email follow up – it’s a series of communications in a small timeframe that allows you to reassure them, and bring them back to the purchase journey.

Understanding emotions

Customers are not just completing transactions – they’re experiencing emotions at every touchpoint. Recognising (and addressing) these emotions can significantly improve the customer experience. One example could be the excitement of booking a vacation, or the anxiety of making a significant purchase – these all form part of the ‘customer emotion curve’ that customers go through. We’ve seen this first hand with one of our key clients, a major travel and insurance provider, who we’ve worked with to transform their transactional comms journey – tapping into customer needs and desires to make the communications more impactful.

Introducing emotional insight

One way in which you can start to build emotional insight into your journey, is by mapping out the customer journey, and highlighting the key emotional moments. This insight can then be used to help influence both the language/tone of voice, as well as the design elements of the campaign.  

For example, a booking confirmation for a travel provider could look to resonate with the elation of the upcoming trip and relief of booking. Amazon do this really well, often including recommendations in their order confirmation – which enhances the feeling of a personalised shopping experience, at a time when a customer is likely to have a positive perception of the brand. This use of personalisation also helps to counter ‘choice paralysis’ – which occurs when customers are overwhelmed by too many options, making it difficult to make a decision. Netflix do this well, simplifying the decision-making process by including 2-3 recommendations (based on viewing history and ratings) to help users decide what to watch next.

Keep it engaging

Utilising engaging and compelling imagery and video, at the right time in the journey, is a great way to captivate your audience. For example, a welcome video allows you to increase connection with your brand and reinforce value. This also leans into the customer emotion curve, where customers may be suffering from ‘buyers remorse’ – the regret that some customers can feel after making a purchase, which can lead to cancellations. Customer testimonials are another great way of reducing the feeling of regret, particularly when done through visual means such as video. Testimonial video allows your other consumers to see and hear what your existing customers have to say, building a higher element of trust and a high level of social proofing (evidence that people have purchased and found value in your product).

Capture customer preferences

Undoubtedly a crucial part of every customer journey, and one that will have a huge impact on your ongoing relationship with your customer base is the ability to capture Marketing preference / consent at every opportunity. A well established Marketing Preferences centre will allow you to understand where and when customers want to be contacted – customers generally respond positively when being asked directly on how they’d like to be contacted, rather than a brand making assumptions. It’s also an opportunity to go beyond channel preferences by asking more detailed questions e.g. ‘Which product are you most interested in?’. This enables you to influence their experience at each and every touchpoint (which will of course require investment in personalisation).

In summary

Transactional comms really don’t have to be mundane. There is a huge opportunity to transform these interactions into touchpoints that make an impact, leaving a lasting (positive) impression. A few key things to remember: ‍

1. ‍Engage with intent: Invest in a multi-channel strategy that addresses customer decision anxiety ‍
2. Leverage emotional insight: Take the time to map out emotional moments in the customer journey – this can influence tone, language and design
3. ‍Utilise compelling media: Drive engagement with well-timed videos, imagery, and customer testimonials ‍
4. Capture preferences: Continuously gather and act on customer preferences

By focusing on these areas, you can really strengthen your brand loyalty, drive higher NPS (Net Promoter Score), and address customer pain points throughout their journey.  

We love to help brands optimise their customer journeys. If you’d like to find out more, feel free to get in touch.