The term mailstream was coined in the late 20th century to recognize the emerging industry that combined business insight,
customer engagementCustomer engagement refers to the engagement of customers with one another, with a company or a brand. The initiative for engagement can be either consumer- or company-led and the medium of engagement can be on or offline....
, document workflow and mail production.
Today, the
Mailstream is defined as the physical and digital
mailMail, or post, is a method for transmitting information and tangible objects, wherein written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal...
, documents and packages, that flow across organizations to their customers and back. It encompasses people, technology and processes from document creation to production, distribution and management.
The term mailstream was coined in the late 20th century to recognize the emerging industry that combined business insight,
customer engagementCustomer engagement refers to the engagement of customers with one another, with a company or a brand. The initiative for engagement can be either consumer- or company-led and the medium of engagement can be on or offline....
, document workflow and mail production.
Today, the
Mailstream is defined as the physical and digital
mailMail, or post, is a method for transmitting information and tangible objects, wherein written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal...
, documents and packages, that flow across organizations to their customers and back. It encompasses people, technology and processes from document creation to production, distribution and management. Industry leaders estimate that the mailstream represents a $900 Billion global category.
The term takes a broad perspective on the mailing process as part of the interconnected
mediaMass media denotes a section of the media specifically designed to reach a very large audience such as the population of a nation state. The term was coined in the 1920s with the advent of nationwide radio networks, mass-circulation newspapers and magazines. However, some forms of mass media such...
mix marketers, businesses and governments use to reach customers. The process of using targeted mailings lists, printing, inserting into envelopes and mailing communications involves several information systems.
- Customer Intelligence
-What it is:Customer Intelligence is the process of gathering and analysing information regarding customers; their details and their activities, in order to build deeper and more effective customer relationships and improve strategic decision making....
involves leveraging high-quality customer data, including up-to-date address information, demographics and preferences as well as past buying behaviors.
- Production Intelligence integrates this customer data in a production environment, while linking print and mail operations in ways that improve control, integrity and efficiency.
- Channel Intelligence helps deliver this content consistently across all channels using electronic document management and enterprise content management
Enterprise content management refers to the technologies, strategies, methods and tools used to capture, manage, store, preserve, and deliver content and documents related to an organization and its processes. ECM tools allow the management of an enterprise level organization's information...
technologies.
Print mail – postcards, letters, catalogues or brochures – drives consumers and business professionals to corporate and retail Web sites. A particularly effective medium for direct marketers is called transactional mail. Financial statements,
mortgageA mortgage is the transfer of an interest in property to a lender as a security for a debt - usually a loan of money. While a mortgage in itself is not a debt, it is the lender's security for a debt...
bills,
credit cardA credit card is part of a system of payments named after the small plastic card issued to users of the system. It is a card entitling its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...
statements,
insuranceInsurance, in law and economics, is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for a premium, and can be thought of as a guaranteed and known...
premium statements and even driver’s license renewal forms arrive in homes with useful information. Advertising and promotions included in transactional mail a discipline known as TransPromo, are particularly effective in driving consumer behavior.
The term mailstream recognizes the evolution of mail in the
InternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standardized Internet Protocol Suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
-era. Correspondence mail - postcards, personal letters and telegrams - has been on the decline as it has been replaced largely by
e-mailElectronic mail, often abbreviated as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages, designed primarily for human use...
. However, direct mail and catalogue volumes have increased as online retailers use market data to target customers who often visit their sites or have specific tendencies. As an example, customers living in warmer climates are more likely to purchase air conditioners in the summer. Businesses track when customers are most likely to make certain purchases, and communicate with their customers accordingly through
direct marketingDirect marketing is a sub-discipline and type of marketing. There are two main definitional characteristics which distinguish it from other types of marketing. The first is that it attempts to send its messages directly to consumers, without the use of intervening media...
. When businesses leverage this intelligence by synching their
communication Communication is a process of transferring information from one entity to another. Communication processes are sign-mediated interactions between at least two agents which share a repertoire of signs and semiotic rules. Communication is commonly defined as "the imparting or interchange of...
s with customer data, they are optimizing their mailstream.
Internet shopping has also lead to a growth in parcel shipping, and today a host of products including prescription drugs and DVDs reach their intended recipients via the mailstream.
Innovations in the Mailstream
In recent years, new applications and technologies are making the mailstream more valuable to companies and government agencies.
Location intelligenceLocation Intelligence is the capacity to organize and understand complex phenomena through the use of geographic relationships inherent in all information. By combining geographic- and location-related data with other business data, organizations can gain critical insights, make better decisions...
combines geographic- and location-related data with other business data, so organizations can gain critical insights, make better decisions and optimize important processes and applications.
Postal votingPostal voting describes the method of voting in an election whereby ballot papers are distributed and/or returned by post to electors, in contrast to electors voting in person at a polling station or electronically via an electronic voting system....
applications increase voter participation and strengthen voter confidence in a growing number of states. New technologies, including the Pitney Bowes Relia-Vote
TM Mail Balloting Solution, offer integrity across three distinct processes: voter file preparation, outbound ballot assembly and inbound mail ballot processing.
Personalized postage offers consumers and businesses an easy way to add a personal touch to physical mail by designing customized stamps that include photos and logos.
Eco-friendly solutions are also addressing consumers concerns about mail and the environment, including consumer education, reducing undeliverable mail, recycling and reforesting, creating more targeted mailpieces and reducing CO2 emissions.
Additional Resources
Toward an Optimized Mailstream
The Truth about Green – How mailers can protect the environment.