Separating the Wheat from the Chaff

Lower costs, faster response, higher productivity and better security make a compelling case to digitize incoming mail

By George Linkletter, OutputLinks

Has the time finally arrived to fully digitize incoming mail? 

Océ Business Services thinks so -- at least for those medium-to-large-sized organizations that deal with substantial volumes of customer correspondence. 

The unit, which will soon be part of Canon via the Océ NV acquisition, has announced a new, tiered digital mail capability aimed at converting the valuable content of paper-based postal mail into electronic form as soon as the correspondence hits the mailroom. 

The anticipated benefits are significant. They include near-instantaneous delivery of messages, lower costs for distribution, messages that arrive in a form that facilitates immediate processing, less need for subsequent, costly copying and filing, and better accountability and compliance with document management procedures.

“The shift to digital incoming mail took a giant leap forward after the anthrax attacks that followed the 9/11 tragedy,” explains Dr. Michael Field, Director of Product Marketing. “That effort largely centered on the need to assure mail and employee safety in government and media organizations.”

Today, interest in digitizing incoming mail is picking up among a wider range of organizations due to an increased need to reduce costs, triggered by the lingering recession, and a growing awareness of the cost and efficiency benefits of ‘going green.’

“Businesses are always interested in lowering costs and improving efficiency,” he continues.  “And now companies are looking more critically at how they handle and distribute paper-based mail.”

OBS already uses the digital mail capability internally, and it thoroughly prototyped the service with a top national banking and financial services firm. It is now ready for roll out.

Comprehensive yet tailored

For the unfamiliar, the process of digitizing inbound mail involves the scanning and capture of essential business information from paper-based correspondence, the delivery the digitized information to the intended recipient, and the destruction of the original physical mail piece in accordance with the receiving organization’s policies. 

OBS is offering its new capability via two major service options. One is a comprehensive or total content scanning capability. This involves opening and scanning all incoming mail. The second option is permission-based scanning.  Here recipients individually approve correspondence for opening and scanning. Mailpieces designated as confidential are delivered in the traditional fashion – in unopened and physical form while junk mail is discarded in the mailroom, saving distribution costs.

A third option involves envelope only scanning and presentment. This alternative is intended for organizations or business units with an unusual mix of sensitive and routine mail, or those that need to implement digital mail on more of a case-by case basis. It adds accountability and tracking to the traditional mail room capabilities.

“Of course, the best results in terms of lowering costs and speeding cycle times is achieved when organizations use digital mail to re-engineer the entire incoming mail process,” explains Ted Ardelean, Director of Marketing. “Some organizations just need to approach that important task in smaller steps or phases.”

Additionally, a ‘toe in the water’ -- such as envelope-only scanning – can provide an organization with valuable insight into the incoming mail stream and help it forecast potential cost savings or efficiency improvements if the digital mail capability is implemented more widely.

“Many organizations have no idea how much ‘junk’ mail is delivered internally, or how much it costs to deliver,” says Ardelean. “Imaging the envelope is a key first step in determining if the mail is essential. And if the mail is not essential, it can be easily eliminated, along with its ongoing cost of delivery.”

Plus, the capability to suppress unwanted mail is automatic and cost-effective. The system knows who sends the incoming correspondence, and site people can send an automated message instructing them to stop mailing since future mailings will be destroyed unopened.

Suitable for many

The benefits of faster cycle times and improved communications are a little harder to quantify, particularly since they will vary according to industry, the volume of mail received, and whether any mail is already presorted or segregated for faster processing. 

Still, Ardelean says OBS’s own experience -- along with the bank that is currently prototyping the capability -- suggests a host of organizations can reap the benefits of digital mail.

“In the business-to-consumer world, firms with recurring interactions with consumers, such as financial services, insurance, media distribution, telecommunications, and utilities can benefit.”

“In the business-to-business segment, the mail volumes may be lower, but distinct units, such as client service or direct response, are ideal for digital mail.”

“Also, companies with large employee populations, such as professional services like accounting, law, or architecture, or those with a mobile or remote work force, can utilize the capability.

Lastly, any organization that is focusing more on the concept of sustainability or ‘green initiatives’ can benefit as well. “Stopping paper-based mail at the mail room keeps it from infiltrating and circulating around an organization,” explains Field.  “That will reduce subsequent copying, distribution, filing archiving and destruction costs. 

“It may not be enough to save a tree, but it will eliminate unnecessary and wasteful administrative effort as well as the eventual need to re-collect all that paper for eventual archiving -- most likely in electronic form.”

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