Glossary
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
Address Certification
The process used to verify the validity of a postal address.
AFP - Advanced Function Presentation
Advanced Function Presentation (AFP) is an architecture-based system hardware and software for creating, formatting, viewing, retrieving, printing and distributing information on numerous printers and display devices.
Application Programming Interface (API)
APIs are a set of routines, protocols, and tools that allow different software solutions to interact with each other.
Archiving
Also known as Data Archiving, it is the process of moving unused data or information to a separate storage for retention.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence is intelligence exhibited by machines that allow them to perform human tasks.
Asset Referencing
The ability for users to locate objects, content, or data across a set of communication templates
Automated Document Factory (ADF)
ADF is an architecture and a collection of processes that facilitate the efficient production of high-speed, high-volume documents by means of barcode-based tracking, automated reprint, and process managment to ensure high-integrity output.
Authoring Environment
An environment within a system where user can edit and approve content changes to the communication.
B
Batch Production
Ability to produce a batch of high-volume, personalized documents at high-speed and high-fidelity.
Business Correspondence
Also known as Business Letters, this represents all written communications aimed towards fulfilling a business purpose.
C
Campaign Management
Campaign Management is a process where aspects of a company such as pubic relations, sales, and marketing create programs that measure the engagement of a targeted customer with the company.
Capture
Also know as Data Capture, is the process of gathering or extracting data from a electronic or non-electronic source.
Case Management
Case Management software streamlines and automates the (complex) interaction between people, electronic processes, and human tasks to facilitate the completion of a case, claim, complaint or other item that needs a response from the business. From a CCM perspective, a case management system provides the triggers, content, and business logic for communications and interactions, while the composition system deals with formatting and delivery.
Channel Preference Management
Ability to store, manage, and apply channel preferences to outbound, multi-channel communications
Chatbots
Chat bots are programs that respond to human interaction by providing text-based answers; either by deterministic (pre-defined) logic, or by using AI technology to understand context and meaning of the conversation.
Commingling
Commingling is a process where print communications from different businesses are combined to meet certain standards required by print companies or services, which take advantage of economies of scale.
Content Authoring
Business user changing the content of a communication, or the layout of a communication, prior to production.
Content Management
Content Management is a group of processes and technologies that allow the collection and management of information that is published in various methods.
Cross-media Marketing
Cross-media marketing refers to a strategy businesses use to market to its intended audience using multiple forms of media.
Customer Communications Management (CCM)
CCM is software, or an ecosystem of software solutions, that deal with the creation, management and delivery of personalized, data-driven communications, messages, or interactions at scale across every channel and touch-point.
Customer Dashboard
A Customer Dashboard is a feature where users can access overviews of the business performance and various metrics a company is measuring.
Customer Experience (CX)
CX is a measure of how well a brand is perceived by its customers.
Customer Experience Management (CXM)
The practice of managing all interactions that a business conducts with its customers with the express goal of improving the perception that customers have about that business
Self-Service Portal
The ability for recipients to see, download or interact with communications from a portal.
D
Data Lake
Large storage repository onto which all type of data can be stored in native format
Data Transform
Data transform is the process of converting data from one format to another format.
Design Environment
In CCM, a Design Environment refers to the interface where business users can design templates for communications.
Direct Mail
Direct Mail refers to the process where print communications are delivered to intended audiences via post.
Document Composition
Process of designing document or communication templates in accordance to business rules as well as customer requirements.
Document Enhancement
Document Enhancement is the process where users are able to add elements to a document such as barcodes, tracking codes, or Optical Marking Recognition (OMR) features.
Dynamic Case Management
Dynamic case management is a subset of case managmeent and provides the ability to dynamically adapt processes, tasks, or stakeholders at run-time
Dynamic Communications
Ability to embed dynamic content, such as interactive charts or tables, within digital communications generated by a document composition system.
E
Electronic Signature
It is often referred to as a person's signature transmitted into digital form that is attached to electronic documents.
Encrypted Output
A method in which deployed communications are secured via encryption keys.
Enterprise Communications Processing (ECP)
Capabilies that ingest communications at point of origination (legacy, composition, or systems of records), provide tracking, post-comp transform and workflow capabilities across the entire enterprise communications supply chain and life cycle, and typically come with dashboards to give business users real-time cost and operational insights and tighter control over processing.
Enterprise Resource Planning
A system or software that is designed to manage in real-time the day-to-day actions of companies in areas such as planning, purchasing, inventory, sales, marketing, finance and human resources.
Enterprise Services Bus (ESB)
ESB is an architecture that integrates applications or communications across a centralized bus-like infrastructure.
Extraction
Also known as data extraction, this process involves the user retrieving relevant information from various data sources (such as a database).
F
File Inspection
This is the process where users check whether there are missing or corrupted resources within an incoming file or document.
Forms
In CCM, Forms are used to automate data capture by having users input relevant information into text boxes that are automatically captured and then categorized into a system.
G
H
HTML5
HTML5 is a coding language that is used to describe content displayed on the internet.
Hybrid Cloud
Hybrid cloud is a computing architecture that combines different cloud computing set ups with on-premise deployment.
I
Interaction
In the context of the Aspire Leaderboard, 'Interaction' refers to the customer's ability to respond to an organization's communications.
Interactive Communications
Abillity for end users to change or modify customer communications at run-time, typically using a web browser
J
Journey Mapping
Software that visualizes customer interaction episodes with a goal of obtaining actionable insights to improve the customer experience.
K
L
Large enterprise
Aspire defines a large enterprise as an organization wtih 20,000+ employees.
Low-code/No-code
Low-code / No-code development frameworks enable drag & drop communications design for business users with minimal coding and IT involvement.
M
Microservices
A microservice architecture is a collection of indepently, deployable small software services that work together to achieve a business objective.
Mid-market organization
Aspire defines a mid-market organization as a business with 2,000-19,999 employees.
Monolithic
Also known as Monolithic Archictecture, this refers to a software archictecture that was built in a single container in which components of the software are interconnected and interdependent.
Multi-channel
This is the process where companies interact with their customers through different communication channels.
Multi-tenant public cloud
A multi-tenant public cloud is a computing architecture where multiple users can share public or private cloud resources, yet have their information isolated and hidden from other tenants.
N
Next Best Action
Suggestions from analytical engine on what to communicate next with a goal to improve business outcomes.
O
Online Designer
In the context of the Aspire Leaderboard, 'Online Designer' refers to the tools that allow marketers to create integrated, personalized marketing communications campaigns for their customers using an online platform or portal.
Omni-channel Communication
Unified, coordinated customer communications to enable conversations across multiple channels.
On-premise
On-premise software is a term used for software that is installed in the facilities of the user/s.
On-demand composition
Trigger-based, on-demand generation of communications or interactions
Online Testing
Real-time testing of (multiple) variants to determine highest conversion
Optical Marking Recognition (OMR)
OMR is the process of extracting human-marked data from various forms of documents.
P
Production Print Management
Software to manage secure, compliant, and efficient production of high-volume print or digital output
Private Cloud
Private Cloud is a cloud computing model where a company's IT services is managed under a company-owned cloud software.
Public Cloud
Public Cloud is a cloud computing model where IT services are constructed using combined physical and digital resources, which are then used to deploy services over the internet.
Q
R
Rapid Application Development Framework
See Low-code/No-code Development Frameworks
Re-engineering
The ability to modify or enhance incoming print or document-related data streams with barcodes, inserter marks, images, textual or layout changes, usually with a goal for more efficient post-production processing or to enable multi-channel output.
Rendering
In the context of the Aspire Leaderboard, 'Rendering' refers to the transformation of web-based pages into PDF format for the purposes of digital delivery or printing.
S
Small-Medium Business (SMB)
Aspire defines SMBS in the following way:
- Micro SMB: up to 10 employees
- Small SMB: 10-99 employees
- Large SMB: 250-499 employees
Small Enteprise
Aspire defines a Small Enterprise as an organization wtih 500-1,999 employees
Software Development Kits (SDKs)
SDKs is a "headless" software version (without UI) that allow IT programmers to incorporate features into other applications.
Stand alone
In CCM, stand alone refers to software products that specialize in a single area, and are generally not part of a wider product portfolio.
Swim Lanes
Found in Journey Mapping tools that help visualize processes and interrelated touchpoints
T
Touchpoint
A point of interaction between a business and a customer
Transactional Communications
Transactional Communications refer to communications that result from a business transaction. Typical examples include bills, statements, invoices, and notices.
Transpromo
Combining the words "transaction" and "promotional", this refers to promotional messaging added by companies to transactional documents such as bills, statements, invoices, etc.
U
V
Version Management
In CCM, Version Management or Revision Management is the ability of user/s to track and control changes that occur within a document template.
W
Welcome Kits
A Welcome Kit is a type of communication that is sent to new customers to make them familiar with the product or services that they have purchased.
Workflow
Workflow or Process Workflows refer to the definition, automation and execution of business processes where actions are determined based on a business rules.