An important part of business is communication. The ability to stay connected to partners and customers at any given moment, can affect the efficiency of your operation. Traditionally writer correspondence and physical mail was the most common way to communicate, especially when communication was sensitive. Direct mail is still frequently used but there are now alternative methods of communicating that prove to be better options. Relying on traditional mail for important business matters can actually be unfavorable compared to newer, more effective options.
Snail Mail Inefficiencies
Mail and postal services are an integral part of our infrastructure, but they have inherent faults that can create inefficiencies for businesses when they rely on it too heavily. The United States Postal Service (USPS) is truly flooded with letters, deliveries, and other packages every single day. While it’s nice to receive mail for physical records, it can be hard to track, and delivery times average at a minimum of 1-3 business days depending on where it’s being sent which is longer than alternatives. USPS averages that they process and deliver 187.8 million pieces of First-Class Mail. But, because of the inundation, thousands of letters are lost each year. In 2014 USPS recorded 88 million pieces of mail in their lost and found centers. They were only able to return 2.5 million of lost mail to customers resulting in a 21% recovery rate.
In 2020, it’s projected that over 300 billion emails will be sent per day worldwide, and each day the average office worker receives 121 emails a day. The average person checks their email 15 times every day which increases the open rate of emails. Email is a far more efficient form of business communication because of its speed and efficiency. There are far fewer manual processes when sending an email than sending direct mail. There are no envelopes, postage, or even physical delivery which is a cost-effective and faster. Emails can also be easily sent to multiple parties, include attachments, and backed up for reference which facilitates auditing and record keeping.
Broadcasts
Broadcast messages, or mass messaging, makes communication easier for your internal team. Leveraging mass communication tools streamlines letters and notices which increases productivity within your organization. Sending all your contacts emails or text messages (SMS) at once can eliminate many manual steps like typing out emails for each recipient. This system can help relieve backlogs of letters and notices by sending out a personalized message to everyone at once.
Document Sharing
An online platform where property managers can directly share general documents is incredibly efficient for both customers, vendors, and property managers alike. Uploading documents to shared property management portal is simple and fast. Property managers can just make documents available online and control who has access without having spend time personalizing, printing, and distributing them individually. Also, online document sharing can improve your appeal to customers who largely prefer self-service customer service options.
Employing new and versatile methods of communication can improve operational organization and efficiency.
