PDFs Are, Like, Totally the 80s of Documents — And Your Customers Deserve Better

If you wanna talk gnarly relics, let’s, like, time-warp back to the 80s. We had boomboxes blasting Journey, Walkmans eating our mix tapes, and fax machines clogging up office life like they were going for a high score. Our cars had tape decks, our fashion had shoulder pads, and our documents? Well, they were paper. Lots of it.

The 80s were rad — but also bogus in hindsight. And you know what? PDFs — those "digital documents" we still cling to — are basically the shoulder pads of customer communication. Big, clunky, and trying way too hard to look professional.

PDFs: The Boombox of Documents

When PDFs showed up in the 90s, everyone was all, "Totally rad! My formatting stays perfect no matter who opens it!" But fast forward to today, and working with a PDF is like rewinding a cassette with a pencil — grody to the max.

Wanna fill out a PDF form? Print it, sign it, scan it, email it back. Gag me with a spoon. Want to edit a PDF? No duh — you need some third-party tool that may or may not barf all over your fonts. PDFs don’t interact — they just sit there, like the airhead of digital documents.

Interactive Documents: The Totally Tubular Upgrade

Today’s customers aren’t down with static files. They want experiences, not just attachments. They expect documents that are personalized, interactive, and smarter than your average homeboy.

That’s where interactive documents come in. These aren’t just "files" — they’re full-on digital experiences. Customers can update their info, watch personalized videos, click to pay, or even chat with a virtual assistant — all inside the document itself.

It’s the difference between:

• A mix tape your crush made you (sweet, but stuck forever in one order) — and a Spotify playlist that evolves with your taste.
• A paper map you tried to fold in your lap — and real-time GPS that reroutes you when some dweeb forgets to warn you about roadwork.

PDFs Were Trustworthy — But, Like, Total Posers at Engagement

Let’s give PDFs a little love — they were preppy and reliable, like the kid who actually did their homework. But trust today? It’s about more than just looking tidy. Customers want transparency, flexibility, and a document that actually helps them do stuff.

Imagine this:

• A bill that not only shows what you owe but lets you pay it — righteous.
• An investment statement that serves up a personalized video explaining your returns — bitchin’.
• An insurance policy that lets you adjust your coverage mid-document — awesome to the max.

That’s not sci-fi — that’s InfoSlips, baby. We just snagged the Xplor Application of the Year 2024 award because we don’t just make documents — we make interactive, personalized, totally tubular customer experiences.\

Why Your Business Needs to Book It Outta the 80s

If you’re in banking, insurance, utilities, or wealth management, every document you send is a conversation with your customer. And if that conversation feels like it’s coming from 1985, you’re gonna lose. Fast.

The companies winning today aren’t just sending files — they’re creating dynamic, interactive moments of value. They’re meeting customers where they are: on their phones, in their apps, inside experiences designed for today’s attention span (which, let’s be honest, is about 12 seconds).

Let’s Leave PDFs (and Acid-Wash Jeans) in the Past

Look, the 80s were radical for their time — but your customers deserve more than a Trapper Keeper in PDF form. They deserve documents that work with them, not just at them.

The future of customer communication isn’t static. It’s interactive, personalized, and party hearty with your data.

And it’s already here — no duh.

Alan Burger CEO, InfoSlips North America Document Geek Turned CXM Homeboy Winner — Xplor Application of the Year 2024