The Benefits of Managed Mail

What is Managed Mail?

Managed mail is a system for sorting and handling mail that won’t make it to the destination in 24 to 48 hours. Even in an era of high tech communications, we continue to send a significant number of letters and packages through the mail. Managed mail remains common in businesses that send a large number of legal notices, paper bills and small packages.

What Are the Benefits of Managed Mail?

Managed mail services eliminate the need for secondary sorting of mail that won’t arrive at the destination in one day. The managed mail is sorted and sent on to the correct destination.

The destination plant will send the mail to the recipient.

In a number of big cities, this system results in faster delivery of legal forms, letters and products. More importantly, the managed mail system reduces your shipping costs. For example, the managed mail is shipped from the destination plant to the recipient after rush-hour. Yet they get it almost as fast as if you sent it priority from your office. Furthermore, the first class, second class and economy class letters are bundled and shipped together. Now you get to take advantage of economies of scale with your mail. The same is true if you’re relying on bike couriers for delivering letters or packages.

Managed mail systems do require some infrastructure and ongoing costs

You need to buy barcode scanners and use them to track shipments. Yet, you want the ability to track parcels and letters so that you can verify it wasn’t lost. Managed mail services may eliminate but always reduce the need for the old-fashioned mail room that takes up a lot of valuable real estate. You don’t need to spend as much time sorting the mail that arrives, either. On the other hand, you don’t have to maintain mail sorting equipment or franking machines.

Managed mail can improve your overall security

When mail is sent to a managed mail service, they can throw away the sloppy handwritten letters or suspicious packages. They may have instructions not to forward packages that are unusual, and they can throw away rotted gift baskets or advertisements. Another benefit of managed mail is that you don’t have a legitimate reason for couriers to wander the halls supposedly seeking someone to sign for a letter. That may be done by the managed mail service, or you can have those few special cases handled by someone up front. Another point in favor of managed mail is that anyone who wants to pick up your mail or drop it off goes to the managed mail services provider instead of competing for space in a crowded lobby.

Your accounting becomes much easier

The managed mail service is a single line item in the budget. You know what you’ll pay based on the amount of mail they process. This is far simpler than trying to budget however many labour hours are required. You can also take strategic steps to reduce the costs once you know what they are, whether it is the cost of sending out postcards and flyers to local customers about a new store opening or handling rebate requests.