Complete Guide: Why You Should Use Digital Mailrooms? ✉️

What is a Digital Mailroom?

You have probably heard of the term “digital mailroom” before but do you know what it really means? In order to truly understand it, you might want to swing by your mailroom department. Unless, of course, you already run one and are well aware of how digital enhancements serve mailrooms.

In that case, you know that mailroom work can be, more often than not, frantic. Case in point: employees are constantly trying to sort and process copious amounts of mail and running around mail carts to deliver them to rightful recipients in time.

This manual method of mail processing and delivery can be hectic, to say the least. And when things get hectic, due to influxes of mail, the chances of human error increases. That’s where a digital mailroom can help save the day. It digitizes all of your company’s inbound mail and automatically routes it to the correct recipient, rectifying any potential errors.

Additionally, employees can receive important packages and documents in and outside of the office. With a digital mailroom, they can access their mail and packages from their smartphone on the go. When you digitize mailroom workflow, it makes mail processing more efficient, which is vital for modern businesses.

Furthermore, according to an AIMS Research Paper, 60% of the users reported better mail traceability and compliance after digital mailroom implementation. Ultimately, if you want to streamline your mail operations, using digital mailroom automation software is the way to go!

How Does a Digital Mailroom Work?

Digital mailroom automation software uses document scanning and capture techniques to create digital copies of mail, so it is available electronically.

Basically, when physical mail and packages come into your organization’s mailroom, they are checked-in and scanned by an operator. After having been scanned, mailroom software automatically creates a digital copy of the item in its system’s repository and automatically classifies and links the item to the corresponding owner in its system by extracting information from the label.

Operators used to manually enter in package information into systems and link them with owners. Now, digital mailrooms automate this process

is available electronically and can be accessed through various departments. In this way, digital mailroom automation software helps you go paperless and modernizes operations.

PackageX Mailroom: Best Digital Mailroom Automation Software:

When it comes to digital mailroom technology, there are a couple of great apps available on the market. One of the best is PackageX Mailroom. It brings its users a comprehensive solution for all things related to mailrooms.

From processing and tracking to notifying recipients, automatically following up with recipients and locating packages in the mailroom, PackageX does it all. Below, you will find some of its most popular features:

• PackageX Mailroom shows you a directory with all potential company recipients as soon as you open the app.
• Allows you to categorize various departments into “Groups,” so you can easily decide where to send mail.
• When mail arrives, its barcode and label information is efficiently scanned, eliminating the need for manual data entry.
• Rightful recipients are tagged and can pick up their mail from the designated pickup locations.
• Mailroom offers proof of delivery with every pickup to minimize errors.
• Stores a systematic record of mail actions for all inbound and outbound mail for you to go through whenever you need.
• Creates a comprehensive dashboard to show all of the packages that are picked, pending or overdue.
• Helps you organize all remaining packages into specific shelves, so it’s easier to locate and retrieve them for later.

By combining all these features into one software, PackageX provides you with the perfect electronic mailroom. In this way, you never have to lose access to important mail and package information and can pick items when it’s the most convenient for your recipients.

Furthermore, the software caters to various industry niches. It can work effortlessly with corporates and coworking spaces, universities and residential communities. Its cloud-based software ensures there is no need for specialized hardware.

Recipients have the option to hold, transfer and discard mail at their convenience. They can also receive photo notifications of their packages, along with emails that come with nifty remote mail action requests called “Call-to-actions.”

All data is preserved in logs and users have the option to do a quick search for package identification. They can simultaneously manage multiple mailrooms with just the one app, increasing the ease of managing various mailrooms. Overall, PackageX Mailroom provides the ultimate solution, revolutionizing mail and maximizing efficiency.

What Are the Benefits of a Digital Mailroom?

Digital mailroom services have done wonders to change the industry as we know it. It has helped mailrooms become a cornerstone department in many of the world’s leading organizations.

Digital mailrooms are central to the operational efficiency of organizations because as organizations grow, so too do the documents they create, send and receive. They require a system that can keep track of the movement of all of their valuable documents.

Also, an increase in paperwork can lead to overwhelmed employees. This goes on to create problems like unsent invoices, unpaid bills and unsatisfied customers.

That’s a huge price to pay. Generally speaking, the larger your company, the more paperwork it sends and receives. Here, you can see how a digital mailroom will stand to benefit these organizations.

By incorporating digital mailroom technology in your organization, you can revolutionize the way your company deals with mail. You can optimize your mailroom workflow, so errors are minimized. Here are the top seven advantages of having a digital mailroom:

Improve Efficiency

Automating your mailroom can help speed up mail and package intake and delivery processes. Meaning, information reaches its rightful recipient in considerably less time. This helps reduce overhead costs in the long-run. With an effective system in place, the chances of errors are also minimized.

Automation also saves time and money and facilitates cash flow back into the company. Moreover, digital mail can be coded and have its data stored in a directory when items are scanned. This allows to easily be incorporated in internal processes unlike physical mail.

Work from Home/Remote Work

Due to the pandemic, remote work has become a common practice. With a remote workforce, sending paper mail can be a tedious task. Similarly, sending work related packages to various locations can be troublesome.

Digital mailroom services help greatly with this problem. Employees can access important information from wherever they are working, increasing productivity and, in turn, elevates customer satisfaction.

Documents in hard copy take more time to route to recipients than electronic mail. They are also vulnerable until they are properly scanned. The same issue does not arise when mail is digitized.

In case of packages, an efficient mailroom app can help employees better manage them even while residing in different places. Hence, if your employees are working remotely, digital mailroom services can prove to be of utmost importance.

Improve Customer Satisfaction

The majority of troubles related to customer service are usually missing paperwork, poor response to queries and bad communication.

A digital mailroom can help you avoid all of this. That’s because it greatly streamlines your day-to-day administration and helps you enhance your profit margins. Digital mailroom services can help you improve your relationships with your customers.

When there is no need for manual data entry and your documents are automatically sorted, your work processes speed up, meaning your customers are getting all of their paperwork in a timely fashion. Digital mailroom apps also provide automated responses to customers and help solve their queries easily.

By digitizing your mail, you can also streamline your claims processes. Your customers won’t be using various different channels to contact you. Instead, all channels can be merged into one single workflow. This feature helps you handle claims more efficiently without being overwhelmed.

You can route all communication to the relevant departments as well. If claims’ management is done without a hassle, your customers are bound to be happy. Happy customers are returning customers!

Simplified Compliance

Digital mailroom services offer simplified compliance and smooth data safeguarding. By scanning, allocating and storing mail through an intelligent software, security and privacy risks are reduced. However, these risks are more likely to be found in traditional mailrooms.

Digital mailroom compliance measures help your organization manage data obligations in an efficient manner. Data subjects can easily exercise their data rights and facilitate your wider compliance strategy. All confidential documents are properly protected which is important in order to align with strict (General Data Protection Regulation) GDPR rules.

Usually, the process of digitizing your mailroom is accompanied by skilled experts. They can effectively guide you in regards to adhering to GDPR policy. With software that automatically relegates employees to be in compliance with GDPR policy, you no longer need to hire or consult experts.

Cost Savings/Cost-effectiveness

In a traditional mailroom, a lot of employees are needed. They are the ones responsible for sorting, scanning and delivering mail. In large organizations and agencies, a huge amount of mail comes in every day. That’s why you’ll often see mailroom clerks making rounds and delivering packages.

A digital mailroom reduces the number of workers needed; thereby, automating.

This means your organization does not have to spend a lot on hiring and retaining employees. Similarly, a digital mailroom helps companies go paperless. Since, paper use accounts for a huge portion of operational costs, this can help organizations save more money.

With less money being spent on these things, businesses gain the incentive to invest in other areas, allowing for cost reduction and technology enhancements to happen at the same time.

Improving Security

The greatest risk to document security is human error. Sometimes, employees can misplace physical files and lose track of incoming mail. They can also send the wrong package to the wrong person. These mistakes aren’t uncommon, especially since the mailroom is a chaotic workplace.

Digital mailroom technology takes away additional human input from package processing, serving to greatly decrease the chances of error. They prioritize security and come equipped with theft protection technologies to help enhance package safety.

For every large organization, it is imperative to identify compliance weak spots and take effective measures to address them. A digital mailroom service greatly favors that process.

Here’s how a digital mailroom can help you enhance security:

• Rapid access to mail can reduce interference and limit the decision cycle.
• Offers increased control and visibility for all incoming mail and packages.
• Detailed auditing and reporting increase traceability.
• All remote access through devices like phones and tablets is completely secure.
• Implements role-based security policies.
• Proof of delivery ensures nobody but the rightful recipient can access confidential information.

Reduce Paper Waste

Many companies run on paper-based processes. Printing, photocopying and packaging constitutes paper usage in most organizations. More paper use means more paper is getting wasted. It’s not uncommon to find paper baskets full to the brim in office cubicles.

Those paper baskets are more often than not filled to the brim with crumpled up pieces of paper. That’s a lot of paper waste accumulation! This accumulation results in a negative impact on the environment, considering 35% of tree felling is due to paper production.

With digitized mail, staff has no need to handle incoming paper. With a reduced use of paper, paper waste also decreases drastically. This small step makes a lot of headway when it comes to protecting the environment.

In-house vs. Outsourced Digital Mailroom: Which One is Better?

One re-occurring question that comes up when talking about digital mailrooms is, “could this be done in-house?” Ultimately, it comes down to the complexity and volume of mail your organization is receiving.

If your company is getting mail items in the low hundreds per week, opting for a digital mailroom will be counterproductive. In that case, set-up costs would be an unneeded expenditure. As such, large organizations that handle thousands of mail items every day benefit the most from a digital mailroom.

Third parties tend to have experts that use advanced technology and skills to provide an efficient service. In contrast, organizations usually lack such expertise in-house.

It also depends upon your organization needs. Some companies are not keen to allocate space to mailrooms in their expensive city offices and would rather choose to outsource. Other companies prefer to keep all systems in-house.

Even the most standard digital mailroom service can be better than handling all tasks manually. However, an outsourced mail service provides resilience and longevity when it comes to mailroom efficiency. The same cannot be said about an in-house mailroom.

Ultimately, this is the reason why, in many cases, an outsourced digital mailroom service tends to be the smarter choice.

Virtual vs. Digital Mailroom: What is the Difference?

A digital mailroom digitizes files by scanning them and making them available electronically. On the other hand, a virtual mailbox is a way to get your postal mail online.

To use a virtual mailbox service, you have to first pick up a postal address. Then, once file arrive at your facility, they get scanned. Those files get uploaded to your digital mailbox, so you can access them anywhere, anytime.

These are far better options than paper mail. When your mail is waiting for you at the mailbox, it has the risk of being exposed to other people. In this way, your mail security can be at risk. With a digital mailbox, your mail awaits you in secure facilities and is handled by professionals.

A virtual mailroom eliminates the need for equipment like printers, scanners and paper storage. Instead, recipients can just receive their mail separately. This helps save cost and time.

Virtual mailrooms ensure that you never lose important mail again. They archive all mail electronically to your digital mailbox. In case of packages, they are securely stored till you provide a mailing address.

By turning your paper mail into virtual mail, you can have 24/7 access to important documents. Digital mailroom services have become a must-have after the pandemic, highlighting the volatility of the business environment.

When circumstances can change at any time, it’s important to have a fail-safe way to receive important items and files. That’s what a digital mailroom provides. Companies that digitize their mailrooms have greater mail availability for remote staff.

In the end, you just have to ask yourself a couple of simple questions:

• Is your mail staff becoming overwhelmed by the volume of packages and documents being delivered every day?
• Is your mail getting delivered on time?
• Are errors, resulting from manual handling, getting in the way of your everyday productivity?

If the answer to any of the above questions is yes, then it’s time for you to switch to digital mailroom technology that can help you eliminate all of these risk factors. Next, you should make the decision regarding whether or not you should digitize your mailroom in-house or get the help of a third party.

In that case, do a thorough examination of the kind of mail you're getting. Complex mail with a lot of room for error is better handled by experts. A cost-benefit analysis will help you pin point how much you want to spend on this service as well.

Only after considering all these factors, will you be able to choose the best digital mailroom software out there. Hopefully, this article has given you more insight into how digital mailrooms work and why they are necessary for the dynamic work environment of 2021.