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7 Signs It’s Time to Upgrade Your Current Document Generation Solution

Published Date
Author Smart Communications

By Sienna Quirk, Senior Director, Product Marketing at Smart Communications

Legacy document generation solutions are fine for basic communication, but what happens when you need to create or change templates or want to build in more complex logic? Often these watershed moments of change occur when your current solution lets you down. Changing regulations, expansion into new markets and channels, mergers and brand updates can be a nightmare for those in your organization responsible for managing template updates and creation.

Is it time to rethink your current document generation solution? Here are seven signs you’ve outgrown your current solution and what to look for when evaluating a new one.

  1. If your current solution requires coding, IT resources, or professional service dollars to make necessary updates, it’s time to upgrade. If you want a solution that makes faster updates, look for one that is built to be user-friendly and includes a modern user interface (UI) for admins and users with features like a drag and drop editor, if/then logic, and shared content. These features ensure updates are done in real time, without the headache of waiting on IT or spending your day coding templates one by one.
  2.  If your solution requires a template for EACH AND EVERY variation, it’s time to upgrade. No one wants to manage a template library in the thousands. Instead, look for a solution that can address multiple channels, languages, and brands all within a single template. Cutting down on the number of templates in rotation means less time spent managing and updating and more time dedicated to on meaningful projects.
  3. If your solution was built for a single channel or limited channels, it’s time to upgrade. Customer engagement should start where your customers are, which today could be through various channels including text, email, and voice assistants, and less and less in the mailbox. Look for a solution that can address multiple communication channels and is built with changing technology in mind. Solutions that contain features like open APIs can more easily adjust their channels as new technologies emerge.
  4. If your solution struggles to handle complexities like charts, graphs, images, and videos, it’s time to upgrade. Look for a solution with a proven track record of incorporating the type of content into your document that allows you to better communicate and connect with your customers.
  5. If your solution lacks the ability for users to personalize their message, it’s time to upgrade. Document templates are great for locking down content and ensuring the right messaging and branding leaves your company the right way, every time. But a locked template can still offer personalization without risk. A templated approach to communication doesn’t have to mean your company is void of personality. Look for a solution that allows a business user to connect with their customer in approved areas of a template that show that they’ve listened, and they care.
  6. If you struggle to quickly address changing compliance regulation in your templates, you’re putting your company at risk and it’s time to upgrade. Look for a solution where updates can be made once and flow through to all the templates that are affected, in real-time. This removes the risk of outdated templates making their way into the market during times of change.
  7. If your solution requires business users to work outside of your system of record or requires your users to email Word documents back and forth, it’s time to upgrade. Look for a solution that provides a seamless experience inside Salesforce, or your systems of record, to increase adoption and ensure compliance.

How quickly you can adjust templates when regulations or company priorities shift could make the difference between a smooth go-to-market strategy and a clunky time-consuming project that takes high-value employees away from important activities.  To avoid these risks for your company, make sure you have a solution that can scale with your changing business and that is set up to change with you as technology and customer expectations grow. When done right, having the right document generation solution in place can increase efficiency, reduce risk, and allow your business to scale.

Curious to learn more about the needs of today’s sales teams and how a modern document generation can increase your ability to scale with a rapidly changing market? Tune in to our webinar, Improving Sales Efficiencies with Modern Document Generation, to start your journey toward SMARTer document transformation.