Finding a reliable and experienced print and mail provider in the transactional space isn’t easy. Because of the nature of transactional mail, your partner should check all boxes of quality, accuracy, compliance, security, and expertise. A gap in any of these could spell trouble. To find a dependable print and mail provider, you’ll want to avoid these red flags.
They Don’t Have Redundancy in Place
Being prepared for disasters means having a robust business continuity plan in place. That’s not possible without redundant locations in different locations. If the vendor only has operations in one place or has satellite offices that can’t bear a larger volume, you should be concerned.
What happens if something occurs that shuts down operations? How fast can they get back up and running? Every second on the clock is critical, and downtime means disruption.
First, it could put you in a place of noncompliance because notifications and letters fail to meet the allotted time window. Second, if mailings are invoices and statements, a delay could cause delayed or late payments, jeopardizing your cash flow.
Redundancy and a well-designed business continuity plan are imperative. Without it, you don’t have a dependable print and mail provider.
Their Accuracy Rating Still Indicates a Significant Risk in Mismailings
In transactional mail, mismailings are a catastrophe. It’s not the same as promotional direct mail. Only the recipients of these letters and documents should be the opener. You’ll want to ask a provider their accuracy rating.
The industry benchmark is 99.6%, and that sounds impressive. However, when you look at your production volume, which could be 1,000,000 pieces a month, you’d still average 4000 errors. Is that acceptable? Not when you’re talking about transactional mail.
Our industry-leading 99.9999% accuracy rating amounts to one per million mailings. How did we become so accurate?
Much of that has to do with our processes and adoption of LEAN manufacturing and Six Sigma. We have virtually eliminated mismailings due to our strict protocols in processes. Additionally, our advanced insert technology uses barcodes and tiny cameras to ensure every document goes into the correct envelope.
They Don’t Specialize in Transactional Mail
Most print and mail houses do a little bit of everything. They don’t specialize in transactional mail, so they may not have a system that runs efficiently. When these companies mix offerings, that often means they don’t have the robust procedures in place to deliver accuracy, security, or compliance.
Thus, your risk of errors or noncompliance rises. When an organization does a lot of everything, they rarely excel at anything. Dependable print and mail providers are singularly focused on transactional mail. Every part of their operation dials into accuracy, compliance, security, and quality.
They Can’t Print Dynamically
Dynamic printing is another pivotal functionality you want in a print and mail partner. Those that can provide this deliver many benefits.
First, it allows you to save money with the White Paper Factory (WPF) approach. What this describes is the precise management of the production process. Rolls of white paper go into the inkjet printers, and digitally composed files connect to in-line print production and intelligent insertion. It reduces costs because there are no pre-run templates needed nor space to store them. Everything prints at the same time. As a result, the level of productivity and efficiency increases.
Second, WPF allows you to customize messages by recipient to drive engagement. For example, you can include promotional messaging, which will see more eyes on a statement than on an insert. Beyond promotions, you can feature information about how to pay bills, special programs, or anything else you want your customers to know.
They Don’t Have a Compliance Officer
Should you be concerned if a print and mail company doesn’t have a compliance officer? Yes, because it demonstrates that compliance isn’t a key objective. For transactional mail, there’s no room for error. A dependable print and mail provider has compliance in their DNA and a full-time compliance officer on staff. There’s just too much risk involved not to make this a priority.
Their Data and Physical Security Lacks Diligence
Security must be top of mind in transactional mail. From the time you transfer data to them until mailings occur, there are many opportunities for breaches to occur. You’ll want to ask very granular questions about what they do to secure data (e.g., encryption, firewalls, network monitoring, etc.). If the answers sound all fluff with no substance, this is a giant red flag.
Further, it’s not just data that needs protection; facilities need it as well. That can be tricky for those multi-use buildings that handle all types of print and mail. Physical security should include limited access to production areas by need, security cameras, and safeguarded property perimeter.
PCI Group: Your Dependable Print and Mail Provider
You’ll find everything you need and expect from a partner with our team. All we do is transactional mail, and hundreds of companies trust us to deliver on accuracy, quality, and reliability. Find out why by connecting with us today.
