We live in a digital world. Most consumers receive lots of communications from companies via email. Much of it is promotional, but people appreciate the convenience of receiving invoices and other regulated communications in this manner. As costs for postage rises, consider transitioning to more transactional email delivery.
What Is Transactional Email Delivery?
Transactional email delivery describes a subset of digital customer communications. The transactional categorization relates to the content of the emails. It contains PII (personally identifiable information) and/or PHI (protected health information).
Since it includes confidential information, different rules apply to email sending. They require all the same compliance and security safeguards as print and mail versions.
How Does Transactional Email Delivery Work?
Businesses send millions of emails every day to their customers that have promotional intent. They typically use an email platform to do so. This technology works for marketing communications but isn’t robust enough for transactional emails.
You’ll need a platform that employs encryption and data security protocols. It should provide:
- Firewall security
- IPS (Intrusion Protection Systems)
- SFTP(secure file transfer protocol)
Solution providers should also use proactive cybersecurity measures to assess security, including penetration testing and vulnerability scanning.
It has the same features as a marketing email system with extra layers of security checks and balances. Other functionality unique to transactional email delivery includes:
- Reputation monitoring: You don’t want this to degrade, and the technology should alert you of any issues that would impact message sending.
- List validation: Sending emails to incorrect addresses affects deliverability and response. With verification services, the system isolates those that are dead, wrong, or dangerous.
- Inbox placement: Insights on inbox placement allow you to measure performance with greater accuracy. It also helps your messages stay out of junk or spam folders.
- Email authentication: With this capability, you can protect your reputation and track authentication processes.
Can Transactional Emails Reduce Costs?
One of the top reasons businesses emphasize email delivery is to save money. The facts are that postage increases at least annually. Paper, ink, and other materials can also fluctuate and have continued to rise. If managing all your print and mail in-house, you’re also paying for labor and overhead costs.
Every company needs to rein in operational costs, and this is a clear avenue to do so. There will always be a subset of customers who want paper invoices and documents.
However, you can incentivize them to move to paperless statements and letters. For example, you could offer a slight reduction in fees or offer discounts on future purchases.
Is Transactional Email Compliant?
Compliance is critical in any delivery of transactional communications. It’s somewhat different in the digital world, but all these emails must follow any relevant regulations, such as PCI-DSS, SOC I & II, HIPAA, HITRUST, and FISMA.
Compliance with rules and laws is part of the core design of a transactional email platform. The data security safeguards apply to the entire lifecycle of the message. It’s especially vital with healthcare-related communications.
HIPAA-compliant email solutions must follow the guidelines within the law. The solution must implement access, audit, and integrity controls. PHI monitoring and secure archiving are also requirements.
It can be a complex regulatory environment. You want to work with partners who specialize in this to ensure you’re not in danger of noncompliance.
What Steps Can You Take to Transition to More Transactional Email Communications?
As you look ahead to realizing cost savings and efficiency, you can start your transition by:
- Evaluating technology solutions available and how they meet your compliance, security, and brand needs
- Launching a communication strategy to urge customers to adopt paperless billing
- Documenting a lifecycle framework for all tasks associated with sending compliant, secure emails
- Reviewing other beneficial features like reporting, archiving, physical letter triggers, and formatting options
If transitioning tops your list of priorities, we can help. Our eDelivery solution meets your needs, and many companies trust it to power their transactional emails. Learn more about eDelivery.
