Using a robust and versatile cloud-based customer communications management (CCM) platform is the most effective and efficient way to implement an omnichannel strategy for billing and other customer communications. With best-in-class omnichannel customer communications technology, companies gain the control and capabilities on a single dashboard to deliver individualized communications experiences that drive consumer satisfaction, timely payments and repeat business.
Unfortunately, many companies have taken an ad hoc approach, adding new vendors and support services for each new communication channel, such as email and text messaging. Cobbling together disparate systems, vendors, APIs and SFTPs to provide multiple document formats and delivery options is more costly and far more complex to manage than orchestrating all transactional communications from a secure omnichannel CCM system.
How companies execute omnichannel strategies is increasingly important because billing and payments have become ground zero for delivering customer experience (CX) that either enhances or detracts from enterprise reputation, cash flow, revenues and profits. Recurring bills for timeshare ownership, auto loans and leases, mortgages, homeowner associations, utilities and other monthly financial obligations are the primary customer touchpoint long after the initial transaction. Medical bills and other financial communications also play a central role in the patient experience, often outweighing clinical care in creating a lasting impression.
Not only does fragmentation drive up costs and time to execute omnichannel strategies, but it’s much harder to provide the seamless, consistent, and personalized content and experiences across communications channels that customers expect. Given the strategic importance of billing and payments customer experience, a first-class omnichannel communication platform can give companies an important edge as they compete for market position and growth.
Delivering CX that matters
As important as it is to provide the experiences customers want, it may be even more important to avoid subpar communications that frustrate, confuse or annoy consumers and drive up costs and drive away customers. For 41% of companies, billing-related calls made up 25-50% of their total annual inbound call volume, according to CSG research. In healthcare, 41% of consumers have left a negative review of a provider due to a bad billing experience while 38% have switched providers due to a poor billing experience, according to 2024 Cedar research.
Although leading companies have made improving customer experience an enterprise-wide priority, customer behavior and expectations are changing fast. As a result, many brands are falling behind: According to Forrester’s U.S. Customer Experience Index in 2025, consumer perceptions of CX delivered by U.S. companies have fallen for four years, hitting an all-time low.
Download our white paper: “Gain Control of Your Omnichannel Collections Communications”
Driving better CX with omnichannel communications
Customer-centric omnichannel communications can help reverse this trend. With a premier CCM platform, companies can easily incorporate the top qualities that customers value into their omnichannel strategies and programs:
- Personalization is the biggest driver of customer loyalty, according to KPMG’s 2024-2025 Global Customer Experience Excellence research.
- 69% of consumers expect consistent interactions across departments, according to Salesforce’s 2024 State of the AI Connected Customer report.
- A mix of channels is key: 59% of consumers prefer digital billing, 16% are sticking with print and mail and 27% want both, according to First-Half 2025 ACI Speedpay Pulse findings.
- For ease of use and convenience, consumers also expect omnichannel choices in billing notifications, with 45% favoring email alerts and 21% preferring text alerts, according to ACI Speedpay Pulse. Another 21% want printed alerts sent by mail and 10% want mobile app alerts.
With a CCM platform, companies move beyond simply sending bills to turning customer communications into opportunities that deliver experiences for improving both short-term results and longer-term enterprise results. It centers on taking advantage of the platform’s capabilities.
Offer omnichannel options. These days, meeting customer preferences for how they receive any combination of communications, such as billing statements by mail and payment alerts by text messaging, is baseline. So companies lacking digital and mobile options need to add email and text messaging ASAP. An omnichannel communication platform makes it simpler and faster to satisfy these expectations while enabling automation that improves speed, productivity and efficiency.
Provide easy channel switching. A cloud CCM platform enables companies to promote less costly digital-first options and quickly update channel changes.
Ensure consistent messaging and branding across channels. By developing communications for all channels on a unified system, companies can program business rules and create standards for all users and departments.
Customize messaging and other content. Consumers expect companies to treat them as valued customers and not generic account numbers. Tailoring billing statement content with pertinent information and offers based on customer history and sending additional relevant communications can build goodwill and stronger relationships.
Streamline communications. An omnichannel system makes it easy to track all the communications each customer is receiving, allowing companies to eliminate any redundancies and measure which ones are most effective.
Collaborate with other company departments. Customers open financial communications, especially billing statements, at a much higher rate than marketing, sales or other materials. Drawing on customer data in the system, companies can make strategic use of these documents to segment and customize follow-up messages about existing transactions, offer product or event information, and make sales offers for related or complementary products and services.
Keep compliant. A CCM platform simplifies meeting dynamic regulatory and legal requirements and making disclosure or other updates. With document templates andprogrammed logic, the platform enables companies to apply any change to all affected documents. Instead of sending all disclosures in every communication, companies also can leverage the platform to target and send only the disclosures relevant to each zip code, document type or other variable.
Improve security and privacy. By reducing the number of vendors and systems involved in customer communications, companies can keep a tighter rein on consumers’ personally identifiable information (PII) and personal health information (PHI). Businesses should choose an omnichannel platform partner that prioritizes and proves its security and privacy measures, including through third-party audits.
Integrate with payments. Customer communications can lower barriers to payment. From printed bills with scannable QR codes and prominent placement of toll-free interactive voice response phone numbers to secure links in emails and text messages, companies can emphasize fast and easy ways to pay.
Enable self-service. Leading omnichannel platforms seamlessly integrate with company websites and payment portals, providing epresentment of bills and other communications. This integration facilitates online payments and other consumer self-service, such as reviewing payment history, setting up payment plans and automating recurring payments.
Positive customer communications CX has a tangible impact. Cedar found that 49% of consumers have left a favorable review for their healthcare provider and 58% have revisited a provider after a good billing experience.
It’s clear that catering to each customer’s definition of easy and convenient communications increases timely engagement that leads to prompt follow-throughs on calls to action, such as making a payment. These good experiences add up, bolstering satisfaction and repeat business.
