Leaders in statement printing and mailing have been quietly reinventing their operations to improve speed, quality and efficiency. They are leveraging technologies to digitally transform and automate, refocusing workforce roles and responsibilities and introducing new ways for machines and people to get work done together.
The result: Smarter, more unified, more flexible and more efficient printing and mail facilities and services. With this foundation, statement printing companies are establishing new best practices to drive better performance for clients and the print and mail providers themselves.
Why innovate in statement printing?
The fact is, printed and mailed transactional communications remain a force to be reckoned with, making them an integral part of any customer communications program. The USPS delivered 44.3 billion pieces of First-Class Mail in fiscal year 2024, the primary category for personal correspondence and business mail including statements.
Staying on the cutting-edge with statement printing has helped sustain significant demand for billing and other transactional mailings even amid surging digital communications. The key is delivering paper communications experiences comparable to the secure, effortless, and personalized digital ones.
Statement printing best practices in action
To keep up with digital communications, leading statement printing companies have moved to an end-to-end, integrated, largely automated operation from file processing to printing and mailing. This approach minimizes manual steps and discrete workstations to increase production speed and efficiency and reduce human errors. Sophisticated equipment and software make it possible to produce highly individualized statements and other mailings while improving turnaround times.
Best practices optimize these innovations. They include:
Seamless print and digital integration.
It starts with a cloud omnichannel customer communications management platform that enables companies to develop, update, approve, track, analyze and report on paper, email and text communications. The single communications hub helps ensure consistent messaging and smooth customer experiences at every touchpoint and across channels. It also makes it easier to bridge between print and digital, such as adding a QR code on a printed statement that links to a payment site or special offer.
Hyperpersonalized communications.
Companies can use their CCM platforms to customize images, logos, messaging and other content in every statement. Continuous-feed color inkjet printers then produce customized billing statements, welcome letters, payment reminders, election materials and other transactional communications with variable color for each document at the same cost as black-and-white and without sacrificing production speed.
Automation and touchless workflows.
Workflows are highly automated, from data handling and file processing to printing and mailing. High-speed, continuous roll-fed inkjet printers produce complex designs and incorporate color simplex or duplex printing at over 50,000 sheets per hour. Statement printing companies then use high-speed inserters that accept rolls straight from the printing equipment. This integrated print finishing automates folding, inserting, and sealing envelopes.
Data-driven quality control and insights.
Advanced camera systems linked to printing equipment read 1,200 pages or more per minute, confirming color, logo, and even dollar totals for checks printed. Every mail piece is printed with a variable barcode, which is scanned by a barcode camera as they exit the inserter to verify ensure the addresses receives the intended communications.
Enhanced security.
Statement printing providers employ advanced encryption technologies and physical protocols that safeguard personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI) and other data at every stage. AI tools are beginning to add new layers of protection, including real-time threat detection and response.
These best practices deliver direct and lasting benefits to statement printing clients, including greater reliability, scalability, speed and flexibility to drive strategic CX-focused communications programs. These
Please contact us to learn how to optimize your statement printing.
Key takeaways:
- Statement printing best practices center on greater efficiency, speed and quality.
- They are foundational for delivering the customer experiences that consumers expect.
- Innovative practices are keeping mailed paper statements relevant amid surging digital communications.
