Delivering for over 200 years

Brand consistency via online portal

A national driving school was aware of instructors ‘designing and printing’ their own promotional literature. Although they wanted the instructors to generate business, having spent millions on advertising they saw this as detrimental to the brand. They wanted to ensure there was consistency across the whole country and needed to find a solution to support the instructors.

McLays developed an online portal where a range of literature was created and approved by legal, brand and marketing departments whilst allowing the instructors to personalise them for their own use. This included business cards, leaflets & posters.

Instructors were given their own login details and from there they could create, preview and order stocks that would be digitally printed and posted to their chosen address.

This system ensured that typefaces, logos and tone of voice were in line with the business guidelines and made it very easy for instructors to create their own promotional packs whilst ensuring brand integrity.

Welcome Packs via multiple channels

Many businesses have to provide new and existing customers an extensive suite of documents that can include welcome packs, T&Cs, contracts and policy information.

Use of McLays’ integrated communication system typically enables >80% of pack information to be sent via email providing personalised communications. This utilises a combination of HTML text and images, accordion sectioning and PDF/UA or digital insert attachments, with inbuilt accessibility tagging.

The remaining data records are printed, enclosed with personalised and/or pre-printed inserts and mailed via MiPost DSA business mail.

Email addresses are domain verified prior to the dataset being processed for mailing, and all failures are automatically forwarded to print and mail production. Real-time reporting advises customers how their data has been processed and provides essential MI for analysis and future planning.

Facsimile imaged files can be generated for automated client archiving with metadata for identification and search location.

McLays add value via comprehensive reporting systems that include file reporting via API machine to machine data exchanges and real-time portal dashboards.

Chase Cycle Communications

McLays offer clients integrated communication pipelines that combine SMS, email and printed mail directly to their customers.

Subject to the customers’ preferences, a text is often a more cost-effective way to notify, remind or “nudge” them to complete and respond with required information. Real-time reporting dashboards from McLays offers analytics and confirm when a text is delivered or other status messages if the SMS fails.

An email in the first instance can work in the same way as, like SMS, it is more cost effective and immediate than a printed letter. Even though McLays provide a Royal Mail DSA discounted business mail service under their own C9 licence, the costs of postage can make mail the ‘communication of last resort’ and more of a premium solution.

However, depending on the message, purpose and timing, printed communications posted directly to the recipient can still be an effective medium with the return on investment still being positive. The printed packs also provide confidence when it comes to regulatory and compliance demands.

By cleverly using the data, fully integrated communications can be automatically programmed to combine SMS, email and printed mail to maximise effectiveness and automatically create a fully or semi-automated chase-cycle.

A text or email sent initially may go unanswered or unopened, which, after a set period of time, may generate a follow up text or email, or even a printed letter. Likewise, a response via one medium can trigger a whole new cycle of messages via multiple media.