As part of our drive to provide the best CCM advice and ideas to the market, we recently ran a Webinar covering document accessibility. This showcased our innovative accessibility platform that offers best-in-class customised document solutions.
Hosted by Katrina Fox, Marketing Manager at Crawford Technologies, the session featured industry experts (our very own) Tracey Whelan, Director at Nirva and Jane Black, Accessibility Lead for the international team at Crawford Technologies. They shared thought-provoking insights on how accessibility solutions can enhance customer communications.
Accessibility conundrum
Many customers are facing an accessibility conundrum. Our feedback shows these are common challenges:
– Inclusive communications: Ensuring the right language and for accessible delivery.
– Compliance: Meeting the correct legislative requirements in the correct format.
– FCA Consumer Duty (2023): Upholding standards of consumer protection.
– Contracts: Creating clear, easy-to-understand and accessible contracts.
– Equality Act (2010): Complying with recent changes introduced in 2024.
– Company reputation: Protecting reputation through effective communications.
– Disparate systems: Managing multiple tools and systems for different stakeholders.
Accessibility needs
We believe there are key considerations to appreciate for document accessibility:
– Making reasonable adjustments for disabilities.
– Providing equivalent services for those with disabilities.
– Addressing EU legacy directives on digital accessibility still impacts the UK.
– Complying with PSBAR (2019) for public sector websites and documents in the UK.
– Meeting European Accessibility Act (2025) equal access to digital products/services.
– Ensuring digital accessibility to business with EU customers.
Compliance implications
If an organisation ignores digital accessibility there are implications:
– May have discrimination claims from customers.
– Increasing accessibility regulations every year.
– Legal challenges from customers regarding accessibility.
– Security and data breaches due to regulatory non-compliance.
Getting accessibility right
We discussed how effective stakeholder engagement is crucial:
– Stakeholders: Deliver accessible communications across all stakeholders.
– Recognition: Strive to be a specialist in accessibility and user experience.
– Processes: Integrate seamlessly with existing systems to minimise costs.
– Documents: Offer solutions for customer, internal and personalised communications.
– Prioritise: Staff must agree the most important customer and digital experiences.
– Timing: Communicate within a reasonable timeframe and cost.
– Inclusive: Align teams to deliver accessible processes and workflows.
Delivering accessible documents
An enterprise document accessibility platform enables the creation, management and distribution of accessible communications, ensuring full compliance within one system. Key criteria include:
– Accessible: Adhering to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and PDF/UA standards.
– Internal: Setting operational, service and customer experience standards.
– Language formats: Translating documents into different languages.
– Alternative formats: Providing alternative formats such as Braille, large print and audio.
– Assisted technology: Enabling access for those with visual and cognitive disabilities.
– High volume: Seamless real-time delivery of high-volume accessible formats.
– Monitoring: Monitoring and warning systems for non-compliant documents.
– Testing and validating: Automated testing and validation against global standards.
Conquering PDF challenges
An accessible PDF must be optimised to work with assisted technology and have pages that will be turned into web pages. It involves:
– Adding Metadata for assisted technology compatibility.
– Using headings and paragraphs that function as anchor points.
– Correctly ordering tables or financial information for accessibility.
– Including alternate text to images so it links on the page.
– Presenting information in a readable order, not just page layout.
Beyond compliance
Making communications accessible is the right thing to do for your customers. Here’s why:
– One in four adults live with a disability.
– Positive user experience builds customer loyalty.
– 83% of customers value experience as much as products or services.
– 70% of consumers believe brands should take a stand on accessibility.
– Better performance, gaining a 28% higher revenue and twice the net income.
Access now
View the full webinar recording and discover how you can conquer communication accessibility. Find out how our enterprise document accessibility platform goes beyond meeting compliance targets and solves your communication challenges.
About Nirva
Nirva is the UK’s agile expert in driving smarter customer communications. Nirva specialises in driving better standards of customer communications through solving the everyday problems that people in CCM roles face. It helps clients improve their business-critical documents, messaging and processes, maximising return on CCM tech investments. Experienced in all industries, Nirva has specialisms in the insurance, healthcare, finance and utility sectors. Nirva provides high-level communications consultancy, and its consultants are able to carry out any or all phases of a project, including project planning, solution design, migration, implementation, training and mentoring of staff. For more information visit www.nirvauk.com
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