The past 12 months have been something of a drain on optimism. Between Covid-19 safety requirements and lockdown restrictions, business has been injured significantly. So, finding ways to lower costs and improve the bottom line is more important than ever. Adopting a Digital Mailroom can help companies take a step closer to recovery in 2021.
Of course, the idea of a PO Box is nothing new. Just as remote working has been hailed as a move forward in operational terms, implementing a digital mailroom has been identified as a step towards a more fluid and largely more efficient workplace.
The benefits that an electronic-based system brings compared to the traditional paper-based mailroom system mean that a host of savings can be made – both in time and overall cost. And with costs reduced and systems and services both running more efficiently, the boost to a business’s overall strength is something not to be sniffed at.
So how exactly can the benefits of a digital mailroom translate to a stronger, fitter operation as it wrangles with the continuing challenges posed by the impact of 2020?
1. Enhances The Remote Working Process
The most immediate benefit is the way in which a digital mailroom complements the remote worker. In the past, posted mail, invoices, orders and other documents would be hand-delivered to an employee’s desk but with so many employees now working from home, hand-delivery is impossible.
Through a PO Box, the incoming mail is scanned and converted into an electronic form that can be immediately sent directly to the relevant staff member via email. Within seconds, they receive it even if they are working from their kitchen table. And where relevant, the item can be uploaded to a document management system so it can be accessed remotely by multiple team members.
2. Less Time, Greater Efficiency
The idea behind a digital mailroom is pretty straight forward: basically, to both sort and distribute information automatically and instantaneously, providing immediate access to documents as well as the ability to meet tighter timeframes. And when available research reveals that almost a quarter of businesses in the UK already handle more than 5,000 items of inbound mail every month, the overall benefit is clearly significant.
3. Reduces Operational Costs
Mailroom teams commit a considerable amount of time to traditional mailroom procedures. Digital mailrooms don’t need this staff, drastically reducing the overall financial cost of the mailroom. Photocopying costs are also cut dramatically, with ink cartridges, paper supplies and maintenance costs removed.
All this helps to boost competitiveness, and with AIIM research showing a PO Box repays itself after just 12 months or less for 46% of companies, that boost can be significant.
4. Enhances Customer Service
As mentioned, a key benefit of a PO Box is the ability to distribute or access information quickly. When it comes to customer services, this benefit is extremely useful. It allows a business to reach customers directly more quickly. The information gathered from scanned mail items are included in the CMS, and so data retrieval becomes almost immediate.
And as any customer service survey will prove, speed of reply is a principal aspect expected by customers, providing another competitive advantage. According to a Microsoft survey, 67% of consumers want a response to customer service questions within 24 hours.
5. Greater Transparency, Better Compliance
Digitally captured data is not only more easily stored, it’s also more easily tracked and verified. A PO Box, therefore, plays its part in ensuring a company provides a greater degree of transparency and, in doing so, boosts data management compliance levels. How? By providing a secure audit trail for the entire document lifecycle and protecting confidential information from inadvertently getting into the wrong hands.
Click here if you would like to learn more about Kefron’s Digital Mailroom service.
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