Digital Mailroom Can Solve Returned-Mail Woes

For a corporate mailroom, standard incoming mail is a snap to handle, particularly if there is some level of automation in place. Mail can be quickly sorted, scanned, and distributed to the correct department.

Returned mail, on the other hand, poses a substantial challenge. The USPS can return a piece of mail for a number of reasons. Sometimes there’s a forwarding address; sometimes there isn’t. Evaluating those “yellow sticker” mail pieces, finding a new address for the addressee, and then resending the mail can cost as much as $3 per piece and significantly higher costs in financial services and healthcare environments where compliance and security issues abound.

On average, over 4.5 percent of all mail is returned as Undeliverable-as-Addressed (UAA) each year., but those costs can quickly add up for high-volume mailing operations. Returned mail also sucks up an enormous amount of manual labor which can lead to late or missed payments, lost correspondence, and even compliance violations.