SMART WORKPLACE
Mail Delivery in a Mobile World: 4 Steps to Get it Right
by James McDonald on February 14, 2017
Decades ago, delivering a letter or package was as simple as heading upstairs and dropping the parcel on the intended recipient's desk. But today, employees don't necessarily spend all of their time at a dedicated workspace—they work from home, jump between office locations, use hot desks or migrate to different workplace zones.
Ensuring that important mail gets delivered on time to the right person is more difficult now than ever, but it doesn't have to be. Here are four steps to get mail delivery right as the workspace and mail management landscapes evolve alongside technology.
Step 1: Don't Stop Investing in Mail Management
While it's true that email, video chat and other collaboration tools caused a significant decrease in postal mail, online ordering has actually created a spike in package delivery. Plus, technology still hasn't replaced the reliability, security and logistics of traditional mail for important documents like contracts, proposals, tax or legal papers and checks.
In other words, facilities aren't necessarily seeing less mail; they're just seeing a different kind of mail. Organizations must acknowledge that their facility's mail system is still a critical function of business and invest in its infrastructure.
Step 2: Automate Mail Management Processes
By implementing mailroom management software, organizations can automate more error-prone tasks such as data entry, item indexing, storage, routing, tracking and sending receipts. And instead of team members wasting valuable time tracking down recipients, mail management software will send an automatic email notification to the employee letting them know it's time to retrieve their package.
Facilities can also install kiosks to assist recipients with mail retrieval. A more streamlined and accurate back-end process will help ensure prompt and proper front-end delivery, even for a mobile workforce.
Step 3: Adopt Mobile Tools
Arming your mail staff with barcode scanners and mobile applications creates a more efficient and reliable mail cycle.
Barcode scanners digitize incoming mail data and enable mailroom employees to sort and track each piece of mail faster and more easily. Mobile applications capture signatures, dates and timestamps in real time as mail travels from source to recipient. As a result, personnel can tackle mail delivery with greater agility, accountability and visibility.
Step 4: Use Digital History for Mail Delivery Issues
Before mailroom technology existed, late or undelivered packages were a mystery that often required a substantial time commitment to solve. Now, well-equipped mailrooms keep a record of every move a piece of mail makes.
Though issues are less likely in a modernized mail cycle, if an issue does occur, resolution is as easy as pulling up the parcel's history to find out when and where it strayed off course. Real-time monitoring also enables mailroom personnel to provide accurate delivery estimates.
Follow these steps, and you can create a mail delivery system that's efficient and agile enough to tango with even the most active workforce. Plus, your mail delivery system will benefit from greater accountability and consistency, less handling time, reduced human error, lower operational costs and the capacity to comfortably handle high volumes of mail without breaking a sweat.