2. What are the benefits of outsourcing auto insurance claims printing?

You can experience many benefits from outsourcing. Expect that accuracy will improve as a result of sophisticated equipment that uses intelligent insertion to ensure all pages for the addressee go into the correct envelope. Companies that audit their accuracy are continuously improving, too.

You can also gain many cost savings. Transitioning from in-house operations removes expenses for overhead, labor, equipment, and technology. You’ll also benefit from the maximized cost savings that providers pass along to you with the best rates for materials and postage.

Compliance improvements are another advantage. Transactional print and mail companies operate under the highest standards and hold certifications in every area of compliance related to mailings for auto insurance claims. They have dedicated resources that concentrate on ensuring compliance standards are part of every process.

Another thing you gain is the ability to personalize claim documents. With the ability to dynamically print, you no longer need pre-printed templates or inserts. Specific messages about the claim, their account, and other products can all be custom to that addressee.

Video: https://pcigroup.com/ask-the-experts-outsourcing-transactional-mail-benefits/

3. Will you lose control over the process by outsourcing?

Outsourcing should be a relationship between you and the provider. You rely on their expertise to improve auto claims printing, and they consistently deliver great results. You don’t lose control at all. Rather, you get a helping hand.

Visibility can improve with access to real-time information. Our trakPCI portal allows for this in many ways, including:

• Real-time reporting on all aspects of production, from data receipt to delivery
• Full disclosure of all critical account information
• Full letter document process management
• Letter change requests
• Complete archived history of your letter changes processes
• Bi-directional confirmation reports and PDF sample
• Access to accounting data such as running postage totals, postage costs and invoice details
• Customized reports

4. How challenging is it to transition from in-house printing to outsourcing auto insurance claims printing?

The success of the transition depends greatly on your provider’s experience. They should have a proven framework of how to move your operations, including defined implementation steps. It should be a collaborative effort that minimizes disruption. Ask about their framework for transitioning and evaluate its thoroughness.

Video: https://pcigroup.com/ask-the-experts-in-plant-operations-transitioning-best-practices/

5. Will outsourcing increase or reduce risk?

One risk factor in auto insurance claims printing relates to compliance. You’ll reduce risk when partnering with a printer that only produces transactional documents. Every process and task takes regulations, security, and integrity seriously when it comes to auto insurance claims printing.

Another aspect is the risk of downtime from unplanned outages. The mitigator of this is having redundant operations that are geographically diverse. Thus, it’s an important consideration when assessing vendors. It can be the difference between on-time and late delivery.

PCI Group Is Here to Answer All Your Print and Mail Questions

Educating the industry on what’s possible and necessary for streamlined, accurate, and compliant processes is our goal. If you have any questions about what you can gain by outsourcing, we’re here to help. Contact us today for more information.

Want to learn more about how PCI Group can help you improve your customer transactional print communications?

We offer a free 30-minute consultation.

If you’re ready to improve the productivity and efficiency of your communications and drive better customer engagement
contact us today.

The approach part aligns with Lean Manufacturing. Lean guides users to create standard works for each workflow, breaking down all tasks. Our operators are the authors of these, and it ensures that quality is baked into the process, and there’s no deviation across locations or shifts.

Watch this video to learn more about the process.

Asking Questions About Accuracy Is Critical When Evaluating Providers

You always want to determine precisely how a print and mail company optimizes accuracy. There are many key questions to ask in your assessment relating to their processes and workflows.

Accuracy must be part of a company’s pillars if you’re going to be confident in outsourcing your print and mail to them. For the questions to ask, check out this episode of Ask the Experts.

Accuracy and Compliance Must Go Hand-in-Hand

You can’t be compliant without being accurate. The two things are inseparable in transactional mail. Thus, a business’ approach to accuracy must consider all compliance obligations and requirements. When you work with a company that only produces transactional mail, these two aspects are part of the same pillar.

Be Confident in Transactional Print Communications Accuracy with PCI Group

All the things that contribute to accuracy are part of the foundation of our operations. We strive to improve and ensure our clients don’t have to worry about mis-mailings and errors. We’ve developed our accuracy strategy with technology, processes, and approach, so our clients can be confident.

Learn more about our commitment to accuracy by contacting our team today for a discovery call.

Want to learn more about how PCI Group can help you improve your customer transactional print communications?

We offer a free 30-minute consultation.

If you’re ready to improve the productivity and efficiency of your communications and drive better customer engagement
contact us today.

How Accurate Are Your Collection Letter Jobs? Is There Room for Improvement?

Along with compliance comes the need for accuracy in printed collection communications. Mis-mailings are often a side effect of mass production. When operators don’t have sophisticated equipment and repeatable processes, errors occur.

To eliminate as many mistakes as possible, you’ll want to know your provider’s accuracy rating and how they achieve this. You’ll want to consider both processes and equipment in such an evaluation.

The Process

Every workflow has steps, and when companies use an approach like Lean Manufacturing, they embed quality into the process. Standard works are the task breakdown of each action. Lean Manufacturing also promotes constant auditing to achieve a repeatable workflow. You’ll also want to be sure that every production facility is a mirror so there’s no variance.

The Equipment and Technology

The process is part of the puzzle, and the technology is the final piece. A mis-mailing happens at insertion, so the best print and mail companies use advanced inserting machines and mini cameras to scan barcodes on each document. Insert integrity and chain of custody control from receipt of files to production will need to be capabilities your provider offers.

Be Confident in the Production and Delivery of Collection Letters with the Right Partner

Your organization must live by compliance and accuracy in how you interact with consumers. It’s critical, no matter the channel of communication. Just as you want your employees to adhere to this, you must hold your partners equally accountable.

You can with PCI Group. We are experts at printing and mailing compliant and accurate collection letters. All our operations comply with the FDCPA, and we are SOC I&II certified. We also have an industry-leading accuracy rating of 99.9999%. Plus, you’ll have access to tracking, reports, and more with trakPCI, a secure, online document management platform.

Contact us today to find out how we can support your debt collection efforts.

Want to learn more about how PCI Group can help you improve your customer transactional print communications?

We offer a free 30-minute consultation.

If you’re ready to improve the productivity and efficiency of your communications and drive better customer engagement
contact us today.

Improve the Quality and Engagement of Your Communications

Your auto finance communications allow you to deliver critical information to customers beyond just the basics. Designing statements with a professional elevates the quality and the potential engagement.

First, you can use full color and include graphs, images, bolded sections, and more. Delivering all this to customers in an easy-to-read format could increase their trust in your company. Dynamic printing in the WFP, you can insert specific content into each letter for things like:

• Upselling or cross-selling other services
• Advising that their lease is ending and instructing them on where they can view options online
• Special promotions

It’s much more effective than inserts, which get tossed. Most people read their statements, so putting the information inside works great. Ditching inserts also saves money.

Hit Accuracy Levels That Are Industry-Leading

Accuracy in transactional print and mail refers to getting the correct document into the right envelope. It seems simple enough, but mis-mailings are prevalent without advanced processes. For example, we use The WPF to marry fully digitally composed files with in-line print production and intelligent insertion, using 2D barcodes to ensure high accuracy.

In addition, we’ve developed hundreds of standard works through Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma, leading to repeatable, dependable workflows. Continuous auditing of these processes helps us be proactive in catching potential risks. As a result, we have an industry-leading 99.9999% rate. With this level, you can be confident that mis-mailings are a low risk.

Remain Compliant and Secure with Experts

Compliance in auto finance print and mail means adhering to standards about keeping personal information private and confidential. The objective is to avoid any breach of customer information and meet specific financial security obligations. In order to create this ecosystem of security and compliance, you can rely on transactional printers.

For example, we comply with and have certifications for many regulations, including FISMA, SOCI & II, PCI DSS, and state breach notification laws. Further, we take data security seriously. We have a complete chain of custody process for each record, tracked from ingestion through print and insertion. Data transfers are via SFTP file transmission protocol, with encryption of it during transit and rest. We also employ user-level security, firewalls and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS), physical security, two-factor authentication for network access, and limited entry to production areas.

PCI Group Is Your Outsource Partner for Auto Finance Print and Mail Services

Working with our team means you get turnkey solutions from a trusted provider. We support many financial institutions with print and mail services, including statements, privacy letters, collection letters, past-due notices, and more. You’ll enjoy cost savings, streamlined processes, and strong compliance, security, and accuracy operations.

Check out what we can do for you today.

Want to learn more about how PCI Group can help you improve your customer transactional print communications?

We offer a free 30-minute consultation.

If you’re ready to improve the productivity and efficiency of your communications and drive better customer engagement
contact us today.

Transactional print and mail companies are accuracy innovators. All they do is transactional, and they’ve woven in many safeguards to boost accuracy, including:

• Using bar codes and mini cameras to scan each document, assuring it goes into the correct envelope.
• Implementing Lean Manufacturing and standard works to develop repeatable, reliable workflows.
• Following strict protocols and rigorous controls to improve accuracy continuously.

An organization that has these things in place is one you can trust to deliver accuracy.

Remaining Compliant Can Get Overly Complex

You’re in the financial business, which means almost everything you do has compliance attached to it. Transactional print and mail is one of the most critical areas you can’t overlook or fail to enhance. Hiring an expert in the field simplifies compliance for you. It’s in their DNA and part of every process they use. To improve these, they audit regularly and have oversight from a dedicated compliance officer.

Compliance doesn’t have to be a worry or concern when you work with a trusted provider that meets and exceeds the rules.

Transactional Print Services for Banks: The Right Partner is PCI Group

Transactional communication is all we do at PCI Group. As a result, we’ve refined every process to ensure cost containment, improved accuracy, and dedicated compliance. Many banks rely on our work to deliver the right document to the right customer every time. Find out how you can benefit from outsourcing with us as your partner.

Want to learn more about how PCI Group can help you improve your customer transactional print communications?

We offer a free 30-minute consultation.

If you’re ready to improve the productivity and efficiency of your communications and drive better customer engagement
contact us today.

What Are Standard Works?

Standard works come from 5S and document how operators perform work. Processes can have hundreds of steps, and a standard work breaks them down in the correct sequence. In doing so, you can optimize the tasks to improve quality and accuracy.

The reason they are so valuable is that they ensure consistency. Otherwise, operators may do the same tasks differently, which can cause issues. If there’s no definitive way, then there are many ways, and that’s confusing and detrimental.

So, how does a company create standard works? For PCI Group, we put those in the hands of the people that actually do the work. Our top-performing operators defined these and agreed on the “best” way. In all, we have over 270 standard works related to transactional mail and print.

Lean Manufacturing Solves Accountability Concerns

Another essential part of Lean Manufacturing and its impact on accuracy is its implementation facilitates accountability. The optimized processes hold all those involved accountable.

Everyone is cognizant of their goals, and tracking of those occurs. We display KPIs (key performance indicators) visually, so workers see them, keeping them top of mind.

Lean is much more than a strategy or tactic. It’s a culture, and when everyone is on the same page, Lean lifts an organization’s efforts holistically.

Lean Manufacturing Accuracy Supports Transactional Print and Mail’s Stringent Guidelines

In transactional print and mail, accuracy is EVERYTHING. There is literally no room for error. Because errors can cause big problems, from exposing confidential information to being non-compliant with regulations.

That’s why Lean Manufacturing is such an ideal practice for the industry. Process auditing happens regularly to identify any variabilities and work to improve them. This pursuit of continuous improvement never ends, and staff can continue to hone their skills and drive positive change.

Since we implemented it, its impact on accuracy has all been positive. In turn, it’s motivated employees to suggest standard work adjustments to keep moving the needle on accuracy, which currently sits at an industry-leading 99.9999%.

For any organization with a high volume of transactional mail, working with a Lean Manufacturing provider should be a priority. There’s just no room for error when it comes to these type of mailings.

Learn more about working with our Lean-focused operations today.

Even if you have looked at an outsource printing company before, it may be time to take a second or even a third look. At the top of your list may be confidential printed documents, specifically those sent to customers. This process requires printing, envelope insertion, and postage at a minimum. Large expensive equipment, labor, and repair costs are often the big budget items; but there are numerous other costs. When you combine this with the fact that many businesses are experiencing declining needs for paper documents, many companies are taking a much closer look at outsourcing than ever before.

Now, let’s talk about how and when outsourcing makes sense.

Why Outsource Non-Core Business Functions

Besides the obvious reasons of reducing costs, which frequently ranges from 20-40%, there are other benefits as well. When you work with a provider that focuses on this area exclusively, they are more likely to do it better than you. But if you are unsure of all the areas you should consider in your decision, consider these reasons:

• Personnel: Are costs for labor going up while volume goes down? If this is the case, then outsourcing is probably a good choice.
• Equipment: To print and mail compliance documents, you need sophisticated equipment, which means high-dollar leases and always having to keep up-to-date on the latest and greatest.
• Scalability and Efficiency: When you do things in-house, it’s often hard to scale things outside core competencies. You may not have the infrastructure for it. If efficiencies are not being met, then there is cause for concern.
• Regulation and Compliance: Has it become overwhelming for your in-house staff to keep up with regulations and compliance? If so, it’s time to take a serious look at this. Failure to properly adhere to compliance regulations can be costly both in fines and company reputation.

Outsourcing: Get Started with Print and Mail Customer Communications

If your organization currently runs an in-plant, then it could be a great opportunity to pass off this function to the experts. Why? Because there are substantial costs associated with keeping your in-plant up-to-date and functioning. In fact, a Fortune 1000 company could spend up to $100 million a year on printing. While this figure includes all printing, not just customer communications, the printing mailed to customers was certainly one of the leaders.

Many paper focused industries like insurance and banking created their own in-house in-plant because they thought it would save money. Only to later discover that the upkeep and maintenance of the equipment is way beyond the costs that they projected. There are other costs that often go unrealized too, like fees related to keeping facilities up and running and the costs of to maintain those facilities. Outsourcing eliminates all of these headaches.

What the Customer Communication Experts Can Do for Your Business

It’s not just reducing the printing and mailing expense and the lease fees, postage, labor, and more. There are plenty of other benefits as well. Reduced exposure to security breaches, less exposure to risk and enhanced ability to collect revenue and cross-sell to existing customers are benefits you may enjoy by outsourcing.

Don’t think you’ll lose control of communications. In fact, you’ll probably have more control and visibility than ever. This is because outsource providers frequently offer services that aren’t part of your current process. With document tracking, each letter can be tracked from initial receipt to postage.

Print and mail specialists can also offer address management which scrubs and verifies the address based is a deliverable address using the U.S. Postal Service’s Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB). This helps reduce returned mail volume and the costs associated with it.

Then track your letter through the mail stream in real-time. You’ll be able to drill down to the individual letter, whether you sent 100 or 1,000,000. This gives you verification that the letter was delivered, especially helpful in any invoicing or collections notices. Should your communication contain return envelopes for payment, providers may be able to allow you access to this tracking as well.

With an outsource printing company you will always know where your mailed communications are, which is typically far beyond the capabilities of an in-plant.

How to Get from In-Sourced to Out-Sourced

Now, that you’ve heard all the pros for outsourcing your print and mail letters, you’ll need to go through three steps to see if you really will reap the benefits of outsourcing.

First, assess the existing print operations by a third-party. If you don’t have the capability to do it yourself, invite a third-party expert to do the assessment for you. If you simply allow your in-plant employees to do it, they may not consider all of the key factors in the decision. When you assess your in-plant, it’s not just about the price. Your current operations need to be scrutinized for accuracy, compliance, and efficiency. Ask yourself, can you currently determine what percentage of your letters reach the right individual? When evaluating compliance, ask yourself if you are compliant with all of the various regulations your mailings are subject to. Look at your volume compared to capacity. Is that expensive equipment you have running at capacity or significantly below?

If you decide outsourcing may be right for you, it’s time to discover what to do next.

Steps to Finding Your Outsource Printing Company Print Provider

With these steps, your business will find a better way to manage print and mail.

Step One: Determine Current Operations Opportunities to Improve

Three main areas you should be able to improve are 1) cost per piece and total cost 2) accuracy and 3) increased postage effectiveness. Third-party customer communications experts will have much larger production volumes than yours, so costs are divided by a much larger volume, reducing the cost per piece. Vendors who have upgraded their processes and printing technology will most likely have a much higher accuracy rating. Remember, even one mis-mailed item can damage your company’s reputation and leave you open for litigation and fines. Finally, vendors that mail high volumes should be postal experts. That means, they have the latest technologies to suppress bad addresses, pre-sort your mail and deliver it in the most efficient manner, saving you time and money and increasing the deliver rate of your mailings.

Step Two: Understand the Efficiencies You’ll Gain

Your current process has efficiency issues, especially when manual work is involved. The right partner removes almost all manual labor from the work. This means a larger volume of letters can be sent each day.

Step Three: Analyze the Offerings of Reputable Vendors

This is the time to narrow your list of providers by asking them the questions that matter. Start with these:

• How do you handle compliance?
• What technology features do you employ that make the process more efficient and accurate?
• What is their accuracy rating?
• What kind of print and mailings do you offer (size, full-color printing, insertions, etc.)?
• How secure is your facility?
• What is your business continuity plan?

Step Four: Compare and Choose

Compare the different offerings, pricing, metrics, and other information about your top picks. You should arrange a site tour with those providers that make it past your comparison. Seeing things in-person will give you a real-world look at operations, scalability, and security. Finally, after looking closely at the industry, make your choice with confidence.

Outsourcing Customer Communications Is a Win-Win

Once you’ve chosen your new partner, you’ll find it’s a mutually beneficial relationship. No longer will you be on the hook for costly equipment and leased space to hold it, huge bottom line drainers that don’t fall under core competencies. You’ll also be able to realize the benefits of working with a best-in-class provider, that offers a more efficient and accurate solution to save you money, and maintain confidence that your print and mail operations are now with the experts. Find a better way to print and mail customer communications today with smart outsourcing.