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Your Document-to-Envelope Mailroom Checklist

June 11, 2020
Author: Caroline McManus
 

 

Mailing errors or inefficiencies can be costly and damaging to a business’s reputation.”

 

When you’re processing business mail, there are a lot of little details to think about, and those details can affect the productivity and the overall success of your business.

That’s why we’ve created a step-by-step checklist that contains the elements you need to think about before you send out another batch of invoices or statements.

 

1. Let’s start with the document:

Make what is inside the envelope special

In a month we receive hundreds of documents in the mail or via e-mail. It is the most consistent interaction businesses get with their customers and it is a great opportunity to retain current customers, cross-sell them on your different services, and give them valuable information.

  • Are you making a good impression with your customers? Is your document branded with your logo? Are there customized elements? Do you include marketing messaging or reminder notes?
  • Is your document creation process efficient? Is document creation centralized to achieve a consistent look to all your communications? This also helps when there are updates to branding or templates.

 

2. Next, we are moving on to preparing those documents for the envelope:

Make this process efficient and compliant

Mail preparation is a critical part of the mailing process, but it can be time-consuming and complex, especially for businesses that rely on manual processes. Failure to make the most of technology to automate mail preparation will not just impair productivity, but also reduce competitiveness.

  • Are you manually sorting documents, pulling exceptions, merging and stuffing envelopes? Mail tech for companies big and small that can do this process automatically which leaves you with hours of extra time and makes your business safe from compliance audits or customer complaints.
  • Is your business compliant? Healthcare, insurance or finance offices often have to meet certain compliance regulations when they handle personal customer information.
  • Do you offer your customers e-mail or fax delivery? Offering your customers the option to go paperless, can help your business save on preparation time and postage costs. In addition, it can improve your mail response time so you can reduce days sales outstanding as well.
  • Are you sending Certified Mail® manually? You can create, track and archive Certified Mail online saving your business hours of preparation time and improving mail visibility.

 

3. Finally, it is time for delivery:

Ensure that your documents get to the customer quickly, accurately and cost-effectively

The faster invoices are sent out the quicker your business gets paid. Plus, the more efficiently you send out your mail the lower your postage costs. Either way, it means more money in your bottom line. And there is nothing mailroom managers or CFOs like more!

  • Are you checking that your addresses are correct? Almost 40 million American businesses and individuals change addresses every year. Be sure you are connected to the most up-to-date address data.
  • Are you still paying the full price for postage? Do you know that if you sort your mail before it goes to the post office that you can qualify for discounted pre-sort rates? You can also get discounted rates when you use a postage meter.
  • Are you still sending multiple envelopes to the same customer instead of merging them all together? Cut down on the excess by merging documents from the same customer into one envelope.
  • Do you have visibility and a record of when important documents were sent and received? You can when you send your documents digitally. Multi-channel delivery helps businesses but also customers choose how they want to deliver their mail.


Ready to add automation to your document-to-envelope process, but don't know where to start?

There are a lot of mail pitfalls and challenges, and we are here to help you smoothly navigate them all. Businesses of all sizes use our cloud-based solution Impress to add intelligence to the mail prep process. See how Impress can transform the way your business handles mail. Reach out and contact a mail expert to learn more about our solution or to schedule an audit of your current process. We can help you find ways to make mailing faster, easier and less expensive!

I'M READY FOR AUTOMATION

 

 

Your free mailing checklist

You can download our document-to-envelope checklist and reference it whenever you audit your mail process or preparing a large batched mailing. 

Use this checklist as a starting point, and customize it to fit your mailing needs. 

The more you think about your mailing process and understand what are your strengths and opportunities the more confident you will feel sending out your mailings. 

Download Checklist

 

 

 

 

Comments

March 11, 2020 at 9:32 am
Linda Phillips
Thank you for all of the information and always looking for more usable information.
October 10, 2019 at 10:18 am
Shirley Gray
Thank you for this information. Could I get further detail regarding ... how to decrease cost …. Are you still paying the full price for postage? Do you know that if you sort your mail before it goes to the post office that you can qualify for discounted pre-sort rates?
October 17, 2019 at 2:02 pm
Caroline
Hi Shirley, In order to qualify for pre-sort rates you have to make the USPS' job easier! So that means you provide them with verified and detailed address information about the recipients. This extra information makes delivery easier for the USPS. The way to do this is to have data quality or address correction software. You also have to send out over 500 pieces of mail at a time to qualify. If you'd like to learn more, please contact a Quadient representative to talk about data quality options! 877.888.0677
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