- What Is Transactional Direct Mail?
- Main Types of Transactional Mail
- Transactional Print and Mail Services: What Can They Do for Your Company?
- Inkit Has Something That Other Transactional Print and Mail Services Don’t
Order confirmation emails may work for small online purchases. But what about large-scale transactions? In this case, customers want to have physical proof of payment. They expect to receive a mail order confirmation with all the details right after the purchase is completed. That’s when transactional mail comes into place. The familiar paper format makes people feel more secure and builds trust. In addition, transactional print is a highly effective way of nudging customers into taking the target action. It has much higher open rates than emails and, therefore, is more effective for sending billing documents. Whereas after receiving the first billing notification by email, 59% of the recipients ignored it and needed a follow-up, only 29% of customers billed by transactional mail didn’t pay the first time. In this respect, transactional mail also improves customer experience. Printed transactional messages make people less likely to call the support team, trying to clarify why they have unpaid bills. Taking into account that one call costs a company around $9, transactional mail can also cut customer support expenditures.
If your company needs to send transactional mail, there is no need to invest in expensive printing equipment or hire a statement print specialist. You can cooperate with one of the transactional printing companies that will manage the printing and delivery process. In this article, we will overview the main functions of transactional print and mail services. You will learn what processes are covered by traditional transactional printing companies and what you can get with Inkit’s direct mail automation software.
What Is Transactional Direct Mail?
Transactional print is a traditional way to connect with your customers offline by sending them important information such as invoices, collection notices, account statements, etc. Compared to other mail types, transactional mail is heavily based on customer data. Such customer documents have a clear official purpose and include a lot of personal details. Therefore, they are usually handled by transactional print and mail services that can ensure the necessary level of accuracy and security.
Main Types of Transactional Mail
There are numerous ways to use transactional messages in your business. Although most companies send transactional mail to organize financial operations, it’s also suitable for order confirmations, legal updates, and more. You can even enclose marketing mail pieces with transactional mail to kill two birds with one stone. Here are the most common types of transactional mail:
Transactional Mail Example #1: Account Statements
An account statement is a summary of all financial transactions made with an account during a specific period. Statement print is very handy to track previous transactions and financial activity. Checking/brokerage account statements and credit card bills are the most widespread subtypes of account statements.
Transactional Mail Example #2: Transactional Mail Invoices
Invoices are sent by a party that provides services or products to a customer that pays for them. An invoice establishes an obligation to complete the payment within the stated time. This is the foundation of any business-customer relationship. In addition, invoices are used in B2B, B2G, G2B, and G2C segments. In 2019, the global invoice volume reached 550 billion issued both for services and physical goods.
Transactional Mail Example #3: Order Confirmation Mail Pieces and Purchase Receipts
This transactional mail type is mainly used by online stores to provide customers with documents on their purchases. Printed order confirmation and receipts prove the completed transaction and are often legally required. It’s especially relevant if the order takes a long time to manufacture and ship.
Transactional Mail Example #4: Terms of Service / Privacy Policy Updates
If people never read your legal updates online, transactional mail may be your last chance to share important news. A physical copy attracts much more attention than notification emails. The thing is that direct mail is associated with crucial information, such as bills, invoices, etc. so people are more likely to check it. This ensures higher open rates and allows reaching out to customers with critical legal information.
Regardless of the transactional mail type you need to send, never ignore security. Such mail pieces will include confidential customer information and other personal details. A data breach may cost you a brand reputation and a lot of money. Therefore, make sure to choose transactional printing companies very carefully. It’s better to opt for transactional print and mail services with the relevant expertise, proper data security, and automated processing of customer data.
Transactional Print and Mail Services: What Can They Do for Your Company?
Let’s be honest. Although transactional direct mail is essential for everyday business operations, you cannot spend too much on transactional messages. Sometimes inexperienced companies purchase printing equipment, hire designers, and invest in the United States Postal Services plans, wasting a significant part of their budgets. The good news is that you can avoid repeating their mistakes. Outsourcing to transactional printing companies can make your mailing more cost-efficient and appealing. Traditionally, most mailing providers offer the following set of transactional print and mail services:
- Transactional Mail Design. Transactional printing companies provide designers that can consult you and help to choose the most suitable transactional mail mockup. They may also offer standard templates for common types of transactional messages.
- Transactional Mail Printing. Transactional print and mail services use high-speed digital color printers and professional inks. They know how to choose the right paper and how to prevent direct mail damage. Without experience in transactional mail, you won’t be able to achieve the same level of print quality.
- Transactional Mail Delivery. Full-service providers will organize the delivery process for you. You just need to share a mailing list with the necessary mail addresses and names. Such providers often cooperate with local postal services to reduce mailing rates and get other benefits. Nevertheless, you may come across a company that specializes solely in transactional mail design or printing. In this case, you will be forced to take care of delivery on your own, which, naturally, requires additional time and effort.
If you are currently considering several transactional printing companies, try to clarify every detail. Most probably, this will be long-term cooperation, so you need to be sure they can take care of your transactional messages. It’s recommended to choose a full-service provider that covers the whole statement print and delivery cycle.
Inkit Has Something That Other Transactional Print and Mail Services Don’t
The key idea behind Inkit’s direct mail automation tool is to simplify mail printing and delivery. It makes transactional mail more affordable and easily accessible to anyone. You no longer have to rack your brain over designs and mailing plans, trying to slash expenses. Inkit’s state-of-the-art automation minimizes transactional mail cost and provides top mailing quality. Why is it so? Inkit provides transactional print and mail services that traditional transactional printing companies don’t, including:
- Printing and delivery automation.
- Postcard and letter builder with easily customizable templates.
- Flexible batch size for any transactional mail volume.
- Integration with CRMs, customer data platforms, email marketing systems, and other third-party tools.
- Worldwide delivery within 3-6 business days.
- Automated data processing for top-notch data security.
- The 24/7 support team always ready to assist.
- Variable data printing for transactional print personalization.
To learn more about the capabilities of Inkit, check out its features or get a demo and try it for yourself.
