Mailroom Magic: Save Time, Money, And Backaches By Migrating To Digital Mail Processing By Laurel Sanders, Optical Image Technology, Inc.

Nearly every type of organization receives mail, and the larger the organization, the more complicated and critical the mail delivery process can become. Opening and logging in mail as it is received, sorting and labeling incoming documents, photocopying materials that have multiple destinations, and delivering the mail is a time-consuming process. Outgoing mail that has been returned means paper records or databases need to be updated. Incoming mail needs to be date- and time-stamped, and time-sensitive material needs to be delivered to its destination as quickly as possible. Interoffice mail means valuable information is constantly in transit, keeping the mailroom staff and records managers on their toes. Sometimes, mail is transported in mail bags and on carts or moved to file storage, requiring constant movement and occasionally heavy lifting.

Although many organizations today employ data entry clerks as a cursory nod to electronic record keeping, the potential for the digital mailroom goes far beyond logging in mail. This article outlines ways that scanning, digital storage, and process automation can help organizations save time, money, and backaches associated with traditional mailroom processing. It also shares ideas for reallocating mailroom staffs to parallel duties in a digital world, ensuring their skills are maximized for the good of the organization, and enabling organizations to do more with existing resources.

When a document management system is tied to digital workflow, an insufficient address note in the system can send the addressee's telephone number to designated staff for a follow-up call to request the correct address. If it is also tied to a phone system, automated calls can be made to request this information, making data collection faster and smoother, without human intervention. If a new address is noted in the system, electronic workflow can deliver alerts to the appropriate staff that information needs to be updated in other systems, or the system can be pre-instructed to update information in other business software systems so that all information matches.