A Great Statement — what's in it for you?

Each month you connect with your customers through account statements or invoices. These statements are like one-on-one meetings with your customers. Make the most of them and benefit.

• Increase revenues by including targeted promotional messages.
• Decrease costs by reducing call volume to call centres.
• Improve cash flow by shortening payment cycles.
• Build customer loyalty by personalizing statements.

Why mail works

Here's why mail—and well designed, personalized statements in particular—continues to be one of the best ways to communicate with your customers.

• 89% of Canadians read their mail the day they receive it.
• 92% of Canadians are more likely to open a piece of mail if they do business with the company from which it originates.
• 72% of Canadians agree that mail is the best way to receive important information.
• 79% of Canadians prefer to receive general business correspondence by mail than by any other means.
• 85% of Canadians prefer to receive their bills and invoices by mail.

The Value of Mail Study, Marketing Research CP #07-27, September 2007

Test your statement

Take the Test and find out how your statements measure up. All you need is a copy of your current statement and a few moments to answer some questions. You'll get a full report and rating after the test.

10 keys to statement success

1. State the facts.
Present accurate, clear and relevant information—in your client's language of choice.

2. Think like your customers.
Analyze your statements from your customers' perspective. Ensure that key information—such as amount due, payment due date, account number and balance—can be found and understood at a glance, in an order that makes sense to your customers.

3. Keep it clean.
Use a clean design. Don't be afraid of white space. Statements that feature multiple boxes crammed with text confuse readers.

4. Limit font styles and sizes.
Using more than 3 or 4 different fonts in a document confuses readers unnecessarily, as does excessive capitalization. Avoid “all caps” and use capital letters only for proper nouns and at the start of sentences.

5. Use visual aids.
Graphs and charts should be clear and relevant. Icons should be simple and easily identifiable.

6. Tell them how—step-by-step.
Include clear instructions to make it easy for your customers to complete forms and remittance stubs.

7. Make it personal.
Personalize information wherever possible and avoid generic statements. For instance, list recent usage or purchasing patterns to tailor the document to each customer.

8. Put your knowledge to work.
Use the customer information you already have to better target your communications and promotional campaigns.

9. Take ownership.
Too often, the design and content of statements reflects the input of several internal groups—administrators, customer service agents, IT and print operations, for example. Statements are communications vehicles, and should be owned and managed by the marketing department.

10. Be easy to find.
List your contact information—including your telephone number, email address and website—prominently.

Based on the findings of a white paper commissioned by Canada Post.

View an example of a Great Statement

Frequently asked questions

What makes a Great Statement?
Who should I involve in the process?
How can I get started?
How can I measure the results?
How can I identify what kind of information my statements should include?
How is Canada Post involved?

What makes a Great Statement?

A Great Statement is a transactional document—such as an invoice, a bill or an account statement—that has been designed with your customers in mind. Great Statements do more than just provide account information; they can help you build one-on-one relationships with your customers, increase your revenues and decrease your costs. Make a Great Statement by:

• Personalizing statements for each customer.
• Using visual aids like graphics and charts to make information easier to understand.
• Creating a clean design with a limited number of font styles and sizes.

Who should I involve in the process?

The marketing department should own the statement, but must solicit feedback from other groups, including customer service, communications, print operations, billing/accounts receivable, and IT. You may even require a dedicated project manager.

How can I get started?

Follow our 10 keys to statement success and consider hiring an information design firm, such as:

• Blue North Strategies
• Prinova
• Simplified Communications Group

How can I measure the results?

Before you start, establish baselines for relevant data so you have metrics against which to measure how your new statement performs. Metrics may include:

• Call centre volume
• Response rates and revenue from promotional messages on statements
• Number of customer complaints or questions about statement information
• Average number of days it takes customers to pay bills
• Overall customer satisfaction levels

For best results, monitor changes in the months (or year) following redesign.

How can I identify what kind of information my statements should include?

• Ask your customers how they would improve your statements. Hold focus groups, circulate surveys and conduct market research.
• Ask your call centre operators what statement-related questions customers ask most often.
• Compare your statements to those of your competitors and firms in other sectors.

How is Canada Post involved?

We are committed to helping organizations communicate more effectively with their customers. We believe that strong transactional documents can be a valuable part of an integrated communications mix.

For more information on Great Statements and how they can benefit your company and improve your customer communications, please contact your Canada Post account executive.