No matter what industry your business may currently operate in, you are probably looking for ways to operate more efficiently. In any competitive business climate, even the smallest changes may be necessary in order to help you establish and maintain a competitive advantage.

One of the areas that many businesses could potentially improve their operations—but generally tend not to—is the ways in which their documents are printed, sealed, and delivered. With the relatively high cost of ink, envelops, and paper, many businesses find themselves paying much more than is actually necessary.

In order for your business to operate as effectively as possible, you may need to consider outsourcing your statement printing and mailing services to a specialist. Contrary to popular belief, many of these specialized services can actually help their clients save money every year—in addition to providing them with a generally higher quality product.

Outsourcing your document print and mail services is generally a good idea, but it can be difficult to know which specialty services can best meet your company’s specific needs. In this article, we will discuss the most important things for you to know about outsourcing your document mailing services, the types of services that are currently available, and the things to look for in a prospective business partner.

The Benefits of Choosing to Outsource

There is no surprise that with each passing year, an increasing number of businesses make the decision to transfer their document printing and mailing duties from in-house to a specialty service. These firms provide a sort of personalized and professional service that very few businesses are able to create on their own.

The most obvious reason that a business would outsource their document printing and mailing services is that doing so can actually help them save money as time goes on. Document printing and mailing services are able to purchase all of their paper, ink, envelops, and other supplies in bulk, meaning that the bulk savings can eventually be passed along to their customers. Furthermore, these companies also have the sort of infrastructure needed to succeed such as industrial printers, special relationships with various postal services, and others.

In addition to saving on per-unit costs, outsourced document printing and mailing services can also provide businesses with superior product quality . These companies are well aware of which features are necessary to include in their documents and will happily modify existing templates according to your business’ specific needs. Optional features may include aesthetics (watermarks, logos, custom labels), security (special ink, paper, envelops, etc.), or features that are unique to your business’ specific industry.

Access to Higher Quality and Security without the Costs

Though it is rare that choosing the higher quality product can actually save your business money, the document printing and mailing industry is one instance where this may actually be possible. Quality is very important when it comes to handling documents that will be read by your partners, current clients, and prospective new clients, and is not something that should be willingly overlooked.

Quality is especially important for businesses that have to send documents dealing with sensitive personal information (medical, financial, tax-related, etc.). Fortunately, recent technological developments have significantly increased the number of security options that are available.

• Thermochromatic ink

• Visible fibers, fluorescent fibers

• Microprinting

• Chemical sensitivity, toner anchorage, etc.

• Increasingly secure envelops

Whether you are mailing checks, invoices, medical statements, or anything else of a sensitive nature, having a partner that can offer you increased security features will certainly be quite beneficial.

Wide Variety of Services Available

In the year 2017, the United States Postal Service handled roughly 150 billion different pieces of mail. Naturally, this is a firm indicator that the USPS still plays an essential role and that there are many different reasons that someone would consider using the post office. As social interactions between people have largely shifted online, the postal service still remains a critical component of many businesses across the country.

The best document printing and mailing services are the ones that will be able to offer your business the widest variety of choices available. This way, once your business is ready to increase or otherwise modify its postal operations, you will not need to go through the hassle of finding a new business partner.

Fortunately, the top document management services typically have many different options available to choose from:

• Standardized document mailing: typically delivered on 8.5” x 11” sheets of paper, can be used for a variety of different purposes.
• Invoices, bills, and other financial statements.
• Patient statements: for these statements, it is very important to make sure that the company you are working with is HIPAA certified .
• Mass (or targeted) marketing campaigns: studies show that individuals are more likely to respond to tangible mail than they are to respond to an ad online.
• Return services: whether you are collecting payments, rebates, or anything else, it may be helpful to send a return envelope along with whatever you’re mailing.

Typically, in order to further access the benefits of bulk discounting, these companies will help you save more with larger orders. This means that combining invoices, various marketing materials, and client bills into a single order might be your most lucrative option. But regardless what your specific needs may be, you should be sure to look for a company that is able to effectively adapt to your business.

Things to Look for in a Prospective Document Mailing Partner

By making the decision to outsource your check printing and mailing services, you can delegate this responsibility to an experienced professional. This makes it possible for you to focus on the other aspects of your business that you likely specialize in yourself. However, even once you have made the decision to outsource these responsibilities, you will still need to decide who you plan to outsource them to.

There are several different things you should keep in mind when comparing different document print and mail services. Obviously, the first thing you should probably consider is your budget and whether making the choice to outsource can actually save you money. But furthermore, you should also be looking for a company that has substantial amounts of experience, professionalism, and the ability to create customized business solutions.

The chemistry you have with your business partners will also be quite important. Before making any final commitments, be sure to look for a firm that is willingly able to answer all of your questions:

• Why should we choose you as our document printing and mailing specialist?
• Do you have any special qualifications? How do you make sure that sensitive information stays secure?
• What are the top features that are available for your documents and envelops?
• How can your business help us improve our bottom line?

By taking the time to ask these simple questions (and any others that you may have), you will be much closer to finding a business partner that is compatible with your needs.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that the need for specialized document printing and mailing services is quite strong. You may be surprised just how much your business can improve quality and your bottom line by making the decision to outsource these services. By having a general awareness of what you need before you choose a partner, you will be in a much better position to make the correct decision.