Use cases
Automating customer communication: seven use cases from day one to win-back
Most customers do not leave because an offer is missing. They leave because nobody was there at the crucial moment. The PBM Campaign Platform recognises these moments and approaches each customer at exactly that point – individually, via the right channel and without overwhelming them.
Definition
What is a use case in customer communication?
A use case is a recurring occasion in a customer’s life – such as the end of a contract, a new contract or a long period of silence – to which a customer journey responds automatically. Unlike a one-off promotional campaign, it runs permanently and approaches each customer at their own moment.
In the PBM Campaign Platform, dynamic segments control who takes part: anyone who meets the condition today starts today. An occasion thus becomes a process that keeps running without manual list maintenance.
Customer lifecycle
Which use case belongs to which phase?
Every phase in a customer’s life has its own occasion. The seven use cases cover the entire path – from prospect to the customer you want to win back.
Preliminary stage · prospect
‘The prospect isn’t ready yet.’
B2B lead nurturing
View B2B lead nurturingAccompany prospects with relevant content over months and hand them over to sales exactly when interest rises measurably.
‘The invitation gets lost.’
Event communication
View event communicationInvitation, registration, reminder and follow-up as one journey.
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1 · New customer
‘The first 90 days are decisive.’
New customer onboarding
View onboarding journeyAccompany new customers step by step instead of leaving them alone with a welcome pack.
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2 · Existing customer
‘The customer doesn’t know what else you offer.’
Cross- & upselling
View cross- & upsellingThe next suitable product with the argument that matches the profile.
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3 · Renewal
‘The contract is expiring – and the competition knows it too.’
Contract renewal & reinvestment
View reinvestment journeyApproach customers about maturing contracts and investments in good time and personally.
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4 · Risk
‘Cancellations don’t come out of the blue.’
Churn prevention
View churn preventionRecognise warning signs and respond before the customer cancels.
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5 · Win-back
‘The customer has gone quiet.’
Reactivation
View reactivationBring inactive customers back with a genuine occasion – or deliberately let them go.
By industry
Which use cases are typical in your industry?
The table shows where a use case is particularly common. Every journey can be transferred to any industry – the matrix is a guide, not a limit.
- = typical core case
- = easily transferable
- = rare
| Use case | Banks | Insurers | Energy & municipal utilities | Statutory health insurers | Automotive | Branch/dealer/franchise networks | SMEs & B2B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New customer onboarding | typical core case | typical core case | typical core case | typical core case | easily transferable | easily transferable | easily transferable |
| Cross- & upselling | typical core case | typical core case | easily transferable | easily transferable | typical core case | easily transferable | typical core case |
| Contract renewal & reinvestment | typical core case | typical core case | typical core case | easily transferable | typical core case | easily transferable | easily transferable |
| Reactivation | easily transferable | easily transferable | easily transferable | easily transferable | typical core case | typical core case | typical core case |
| Churn prevention | easily transferable | typical core case | typical core case | typical core case | easily transferable | typical core case | easily transferable |
| B2B lead nurturing | easily transferable | easily transferable | easily transferable | rare | easily transferable | typical core case | typical core case |
| Event communication | typical core case | easily transferable | easily transferable | easily transferable | typical core case | typical core case | typical core case |
- New customer onboardingtypical core case
- Cross- & upsellingtypical core case
- Contract renewal & reinvestmenttypical core case
- Reactivationeasily transferable
- Churn preventioneasily transferable
- B2B lead nurturingeasily transferable
- Event communicationtypical core case
- New customer onboardingtypical core case
- Cross- & upsellingtypical core case
- Contract renewal & reinvestmenttypical core case
- Reactivationeasily transferable
- Churn preventiontypical core case
- B2B lead nurturingeasily transferable
- Event communicationeasily transferable
- New customer onboardingtypical core case
- Cross- & upsellingeasily transferable
- Contract renewal & reinvestmenttypical core case
- Reactivationeasily transferable
- Churn preventiontypical core case
- B2B lead nurturingeasily transferable
- Event communicationeasily transferable
- New customer onboardingtypical core case
- Cross- & upsellingeasily transferable
- Contract renewal & reinvestmenteasily transferable
- Reactivationeasily transferable
- Churn preventiontypical core case
- B2B lead nurturingrare
- Event communicationeasily transferable
- New customer onboardingeasily transferable
- Cross- & upsellingtypical core case
- Contract renewal & reinvestmenttypical core case
- Reactivationtypical core case
- Churn preventioneasily transferable
- B2B lead nurturingeasily transferable
- Event communicationtypical core case
Branch/dealer/franchise networks
- New customer onboardingeasily transferable
- Cross- & upsellingeasily transferable
- Contract renewal & reinvestmenteasily transferable
- Reactivationtypical core case
- Churn preventiontypical core case
- B2B lead nurturingtypical core case
- Event communicationtypical core case
- New customer onboardingeasily transferable
- Cross- & upsellingtypical core case
- Contract renewal & reinvestmenteasily transferable
- Reactivationtypical core case
- Churn preventioneasily transferable
- B2B lead nurturingtypical core case
- Event communicationtypical core case
Classification based on typical occasions in the industry; not usage statistics.
One platform, seven journeys
What do all seven use cases have in common?
All seven run on the same mechanisms. This makes every new use case faster and safer than the one before.
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Four checks before entry.
Does the journey fit? Are data and consent complete? Has the customer already been in it? Is a higher-priority campaign running? Only then does the contact start.
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All channels in one journey.
‘Email, letter, landing page and SMS – in one journey, not in four tools.’ If email consent is missing, a letter is sent automatically.
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Contact frequency across all campaigns.
‘Relevance instead of volume: fewer but better-suited contacts – across all channels.’
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Every exit has a reason.
Completed, converted, left segment, displaced: you can see why someone left the journey – not just that they have gone.
First step
Which use case should you start with?
Start with the occasion that has a fixed date and whose data you already have. This is usually a contract end or a maturity date. Three questions help you choose:
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Is there a clear trigger event? A date or a notification from your core system is a better start than ‘all customers’.
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Is the data already available? Contract end, channel consent and responsible adviser are enough for the first journey.
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Can success be measured clearly? A closed contract, an appointment or a renewal is measurable. ‘More attention’ is not.
Life insurance matures on 31 March
Frequently asked questions about use cases
Which customer communication can usefully be automated?
Automation pays off wherever a recurring occasion affects many customers: new contracts, expiring contracts, maturing investments, declining usage, events and long decision-making processes in B2B. The PBM Campaign Platform maps these seven use cases as customer journeys across email, letter, landing page and SMS.
Which customer journey should you automate first?
Start with an occasion that has a fixed date and whose data is already available – usually contract renewal or reinvestment. The trigger is unambiguous, the target group is clearly defined and success is measurable. Onboarding and churn prevention then follow on the same foundation.
Do I need separate software for each use case?
No. In the PBM Campaign Platform, all seven use cases run on the same mechanisms: dynamic segments, Journey Builder, consent check per channel and cross-channel contact frequency management. A new journey reuses existing attributes, brands and templates.
How do I prevent a customer from being contacted in several journeys at the same time?
Before every entry, the PBM Campaign Platform checks whether the customer is already in another campaign. The higher-priority campaign wins; the other pauses until the more important one ends. In addition, configurable contact caps and minimum intervals limit the number of contacts across all channels.
Do the use cases also work without email consent?
Yes. Consent is checked per channel. If email consent is missing, the journey can automatically fall back on a letter, provided postal marketing is permitted and the customer has not objected. Clarify in advance with your data protection team which channels are suitable for your customer base.