Communication is the backbone of many organizations. How, when, and why organizations communicate with their customers is critical not only to acquiring new customers but also to retaining and expanding existing customers. 

The challenge many organizations face is de-centralized communication. It is not unusual for departments to use different tools and templates to communicate with their customers. The problem this approach creates is that there is a high risk that communication will not be on-brand, not be compliant, and not be personalized. That’s why more and more organizations with many individual customers have started creating a Communication Center of Excellence. 

What is a Communication Center of Excellence? 

It’s an important question any organization should ask themselves before embarking on creating a Communication Center of Excellence. And it may be different things to different organizations. 

Our definition is that a Communication Center of Excellence (CCoE) is a centralized team of communication experts. The CCoE is responsible for creating and producing all communication templates for the whole organization. This way, all communication will use the same templates, contain legally required information, and be on-brand. 

The CCoE team is composed of experts in various communication channels and is responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining communication strategies to improve customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention. 

The CCoE is not just a team but a process that focuses on continuous improvement and innovation. By analyzing customer data and feedback, the CCoE can identify communication gaps, optimize communication workflows, and integrate new technologies to enhance the customer experience. 

The benefits of a Communication Center of Excellence

Developing advanced documents such as insurance policy letters, implementing letter editing processes for claims, and automating the production, distribution, and archiving of millions of personalized documents and messages, is a complex task that involves stakeholders from many departments such as underwriters, product managers, marketing, IT and legal.  

Here are some of the benefits that comes with a Communication Center of Excellence: 

  1. Consistent brand messaging: One of the primary benefits of creating a CCoE is ensuring consistent brand messaging across all communication channels. The CCoE team can develop brand guidelines and communication templates that align with the organziation’s mission, vision, and values. This consistency builds trust and credibility with customers, as they know what to expect from the organization’s communication.

  2. Improved productivity: By centralizing customer communication, the CCoE team can streamline communication workflows and reduce response times. For example, by integrating a CRM system like Salesforce, the CCoE can manage customer data in one place, automate tasks, and provide personalized communication at scale. These integrations and automations improve productivity and allow the team to focus on high-value tasks like solving complex customer issues. 

  3. Enhanced customer experience:  The CCoE team’s primary goal is to improve the customer experience by providing personalized, efficient, and effective communication. By analyzing customer data and feedback, the CCoE team can identify communication gaps and pain points and design strategies to address them. For example, by implementing chatbots or AI-powered assistants, the CCoE team can provide 24/7 support and personalized communication to customers.

  4. Cost savings: Creating a CCoE can also result in cost savings for organizations. By centralizing customer communication, the organization can reduce duplication of efforts and resources, such as hiring multiple customer service representatives for each communication channel. Additionally, by using integrations and automations, the CCoE team can reduce manual tasks and improve efficiency, which translates into cost savings for the organization. 

One of our clients, Skandia, was amongst the first organizations to create a CCoE back in 2006. The foundation for the CCoE is the Metaforce Customer Communication Management (CCM) platform, Centerpoint.  

“The strength of Metaforce’s standard CCM-platform lays partly in the technology, but also in the knowledge and experience Metaforce has in the field of insurance and communication”.  

– Magnus Forsman, Product Owner Communications at Skandia 

How do you create a Communication Center of Excellence?

The most successful organizations start by consolidating their Customer Communication Management platforms before creating a CCoE. You can read more about the important things you need to consider when consolidating your CCM solutions by downloading our "Setting up a Communication Center of Excellence" paper below or reach out to one of our experts  

Download our Setting up a Communication Center of Excellence paper