Print and mail communications remain a primary means of delivering information to consumers. A portion of this has specific regulatory requirements when personally identifiable information (PII) or protected health information (PHI) is part of the content. A mail services company can produce this for businesses, ensuring compliance and quality.
Is outsourcing a good move for you? Keep reading to find out.
Mail Services Company Defined
A mail services company provides outsourcing solutions for organizations. They specialize in transactional print and mail, which is anything with sensitive information. These providers combine compliance, security, accuracy, and quality. Additionally, you can reduce your costs by engaging such a firm.
4 Things Mail Services Companies Excel At
If you’re considering transitioning to this service, here’s what you can expect.
Dedication to Compliance
A transactional production company focuses solely on this type of mail, which means compliance impacts every workflow. With so many mandates to follow, it can be overwhelming to keep up with changes. These experts are always ready to adapt because it affects everything they do.
They also do more than check the box compliance. Having certifications that demonstrate adherence to HIPAA, HITRUST, FISMA, PCI DSS, and more is just the start. They should be able to explain their processes and how compliance guides them.
Often, these print and mail shops employ a Compliance Officer. That means they have dedicated resources that are auditing and adjusting when necessary.
Data Security Strength
To meet compliance, you must also have a robust data security program. Most regulations require data encryption at rest and in transit. They also should have a secure data transmission system, typically SFTP.
Proactive cybersecurity measures are also critical. Those include penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, network segmentation, firewalls, and Intrusion Protection Systems (IPS).
Further, the print and mail services business should have physical security practices. Components of this are gated entries, restrictions in secure areas, and cameras.
Commitment to Accuracy
Have you ever experienced mis-mailings? It happens when an addressee receives the wrong statement or communication. Such an incident could be a non-compliance concern and could damage your reputation.
While 100% accuracy would be impossible, print and mail companies have perfected it with intelligent insertion.
Here’s how it works:
- Each page printed receives a 2D barcode.
- A camera scans the barcode, which informs the inserter of which pages to fold into the envelope.
- A second camera captures an image of the insertion for verification.
These processes marry technology and innovation to deliver near-perfect accuracy. By using this process, we’ve earned a 99.9999% accuracy rating.
Quality Via Lean Manufacturing
Providers that implement Lean Manufacturing usually have greater quality scores. That’s because it provides a framework for auditing standard works, creating a quality assurance (QA) strategy.
QA is much more effective than quality control (QC). In QA, you regularly evaluate the process to identify issues and correct them. In QC, it’s simply a post-production inspection.
Consistent auditing improves the workflow, which supports compliance, as well.
PCI Group: A Premier Mail Services Company
Any company can say they provide mail services, but only a few specialize in transactional. It’s all we do at PCI Group. With over 56 years of experience, we’ve mastered outsourcing, serving companies in highly regulated industries.
Compliance, security, accuracy, and quality are the pillars of all we do. Find out more by requesting a consultation with our experts.
