Manage Return Mail Processing With eReturn Mail from FSSI

Is your return mail piling up and consuming valuable time and resources? Instead of sorting through piles of undeliverable mail, outsourcing your return mail processing can streamline this task and reduce the burden on your team. By partnering with a return mail processing service, you can efficiently manage undeliverable mail, cut down on extra postage costs, and ensure compliance with USPS Move Update requirements.

This solution not only saves you time but also helps maintain an accurate and up-to-date customer address database, eliminating the hassle of returned mail.

What is Return Mail?

Return mail consists of mailpieces that are undeliverable as addressed. The mail is usually returned because of outdated, inaccurate or insufficient address data. This hits businesses especially hard that deliver a high volume of mail like financial services, insurance, healthcare and the utility industry.

By optimizing returned mail management and making the necessary changes to your address databases you can make sure more mail reaches the hands of the intended recipient and cut operational expenses with less waste and strengthen your customer relationships.

What Does Undeliverable as Addressed Mean?

Undeliverable As Addressed (UAA) means that the postal mail could not be delivered to the intended recipient at the address written on the mailpiece. This typically occurs due to one of the following reasons:

• The addressee has moved and did not submit a change of address form with the USPS, so there is no forwarding address on file.
• The address on the mailpiece is incomplete, incorrect, or illegible, lacking crucial details like the street number, street name, city, state, or ZIP code.
• The address is for a vacant residence or business that is not currently occupied.
• The intended recipient is deceased or unknown at that address.
• There is no mailbox or mail receptacle at the address to receive deliveries.
• The recipient refused to accept the mailpiece or pay any necessary postage.

This can adversely affect businesses that deliver a high volume of mail, such as those in the financial services, insurance, healthcare and utility industries. By utilizing returned mail management and making the necessary changes to your address databases, you can ensure more mail reaches the hands of its intended recipients and cut operational expenses while strengthening customer relationships.

The High Cost of UAA Mail

In 2023, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) processed nearly 4.5 billion pieces of undeliverable as addressed (UAA) mail, which represents a significant portion of total outbound mail. This UAA mail cost the USPS approximately $1.33 billion. For businesses, the financial impact is even greater, with estimated costs of $20 billion annually to manage UAA mail. Each piece of returned mail can cost a company up to $25 in expenses related to reprocessing, including postage, labor, and address updates^​​1

These expenses come from several key factors:

In addition to the direct costs, UAA mail disrupts customer communications and damages the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. Undelivered bills, statements, and notices can lead to delayed payments, lost revenue, and potential compliance risks for businesses in regulated industries. Marketing efforts also suffer as promotional materials fail to reach intended audiences, wasting both time and money​​

Outsourcing return mail processing can help reduce these costs and streamline the handling of undeliverable mail, ensuring that your business maintains up-to-date address records and minimizes disruption to your operations.

Returned Mail Solutions

With eReturn Mail™, you can electronically manage all undeliverable-as-addressed mail and update your customer address database. As a result, you’ll get rid of the trays of undeliverable mail taking up space in your mailroom. Eliminate or drastically reduce your undeliverable mail and say goodbye to staff having to manually enter it into your system.

Optimize Return Mail Processing and Keep Your Customer Address Database Up-to-Date

eReturn Mail is an electronic solution that provides a digital file of all “Change of Address” (COA) and “Undeliverable as Addressed” (UAA) information for physically returned mailpieces, covering all scenarios of returned mail, and decreasing occurrences of nixies in the process.

Here’s How eReturn Mail Works:

• Using a proprietary program, FSSI matches USPS data with our database so there is no manual processing on your side
• Through FSSI’s Unique Piece Tracking (UPT), we provide you with data on all mail that was returned in a convenient electronic file
• We format the data so you can quickly and easily manage customer addresses and make real-time updates
• When database updates are not feasible without consent, you can quickly identify and contact customers to get updated information
• Satisfies Move Update compliance by streamlining the review process and address cleansing practices to help keep your customer data up-to-date
• With Secure Destruction, you can instruct the USPS to destroy all UAA mail and forward all COA mail to your customers
• Physical mail stacking up in a company’s mailroom can be eliminated or significantly reduced

Returned Mail Handling and Processing Solutions

With eReturn Mail™, a Return Mail processing solution from FSSI, you can electronically manage all undeliverable-as-addressed mail and update your customer address database. As a result, you’ll get rid of the trays of undeliverable mail taking up space in your mailroom. Eliminate or drastically reduce all of your undeliverable mail and say goodbye to staff having to manually enter it all into your system.

Save Time and Money and Re-Capture Lost Business Opportunities

Our return mail processing services enable you to save time and money spent on managing and processing UAA mail and help keep your communications moving forward as planned. Re-capture lost financial and business opportunities and reap the benefits of not having to manage as many returned pieces of mail. With fewer missed bills, notices and more positive customer experiences, it can be a reality.

The Operational Benefits of eReturn Mail:

• Effectively manage all undeliverable mail: Receive both COA and UAA information for physically-returned mail pieces. Utilize the data to electronically manage all undeliverable mail.
• Easily update customer address database:  Make real-time revisions to your customer address database based on information in the electronic data file, which is formatted for quick and easy updates. Address cleansing can be a great way to save money on wasted postage costs.
• Automate outreach for consent:  When the database cannot be updated without permission, easily identify customers with UAA or COA. We will set up a process to send a letter to get consent for any database modifications.
• Stop sending to undeliverable addresses: Reduce unnecessary costs for mail that you know can’t be delivered.

The Cost Benefits of eReturn Mail:

• Effectively manage all undeliverable mail: Receive both COA and UAA information for physical mail pieces. Utilize the data to electronically manage all undeliverable mail.
• Easily update customer address database:  Make real-time revisions to your customer address database based on information in the electronic data file, which is formatted for quick and easy updates. Address cleansing can be a great way to save money on wasted postage costs.
• Automate outreach for consent:  When the database cannot be updated without permission, easily identify customers as UAA or COA. We will set up a process to send a letter to get consent for any database modifications.
• Stop sending to undeliverable addresses: Reduce unnecessary costs for mail that you know can’t be delivered. Enlist the customer service team to follow up and get the correct recipient information.

Why Choose FSSI’s eReturn Mail?

Problem: NCOA doesn’t capture all undeliverable-as-addressed mail, only changes of address that were registered with the USPS. Even if you are able to update your customer database based on NCOA information, you’ll still receive all other “Undeliverable as Addressed” mailpieces. Additional postage assessments will be incurred if COA-specific mail exceeds 0.5% in one month. Additionally, customer addresses need to be updated with any changes within 95 days of the mail date to be Move Update compliant.

Solution: Our address cleansing services cover ALL undeliverable mail. With the electronic information from FSSI, you can update your customer address database electronically and in real-time. Correspondence can also be coordinated to get consent to make updates. We handle all return mail data digitally and can manage any scenario. Secure destruction also eliminates physical returned mail and having to manage/process nixies.

Be 100% on Top of Your Undeliverable Mail

Choose the solution that covers all of your return mail and enables you to electronically manage it with ease – from handling address management and address cleansing to updating your customer address database. With eReturn Mail, keeping up with physically-returned USPS mail will never be an issue again. Take the steps today to eliminate heaps of UAA and COA mail and effectively manage it all like a pro.

Manage Return Mail Processing With eReturn Mail

Is your organization struggling with mounting piles of returned mail? Are you wasting valuable resources manually processing undeliverable-as-addressed (UAA) mail? There’s a more efficient solution to this common problem.With the right return mail processing solution, you can:

• Eliminate the buildup of physical returned mail
• Reduce additional postage fees
• Maintain USPS Move Update compliance
• Streamline your mailing operations
• Improve address database accuracy
• Ensure USPS Move Update compliance

FSSI’s eReturn Mail service offers a comprehensive approach to managing all UAA mail. This solution provides electronic data files with updated address information and non-delivery reasons, allowing for real-time customer database updates. You can also coordinate follow-up communications for consent-based updates and instruct USPS to securely destroy UAA mail.

By outsourcing UAA mail processing, you can eliminate handling of returned mail, reduce operational costs, improve address database accuracy, and ensure compliance with USPS Move Update requirements. With eReturn Mail, transform your UAA mail challenges into opportunities for improved efficiency and customer communication.

FSSI’s eReturn Mail service offers a comprehensive approach to managing all UAA mail. This solution provides:

• Electronic data files with updated address information and non-delivery reasons
• Real-time customer database updates
• Coordinated follow-up communications for consent-based updates
• Option to instruct USPS to securely destroy UAA mail

With eReturn Mail, transform your UAA mail challenges into opportunities for improved efficiency and customer communication.

Why Partner with FSSI to Manage Undeliverable as Addressed Mail?

Problem: The NCOA system fails to capture all undeliverable-as-addressed mail, focusing only on changes of address registered with the USPS. Even if you manage to update your customer database using NCOA information, you’ll still receive other “Undeliverable as Addressed” mailpieces. If COA-specific mail exceeds 0.5% in a given month, you’ll incur additional postage assessments. Additionally, customer addresses must be updated within 95 days of the mail date to comply with Move Update standards.

Solution: Our address cleansing services address ALL undeliverable mail. Utilizing electronic data from FSSI, you can instantly update your customer address database. Correspondence can be coordinated to obtain consent for updates. We manage all return mail data digitally, with the capability to handle any scenario. Secure destruction eliminates physical returned mail, eliminating the need to manage/process nixies.

Let Us Handle Your Undeliverable-As-Addressed Mail

Choose a solution that encompasses all aspects of return mail processing, allowing you to manage it electronically effortlessly—from address management and cleansing to updating your customer address database.

With eReturn Mail, staying current with physically-returned USPS mail becomes a non-issue. Take proactive steps today to eradicate piles of UAA and COA mail and efficiently manage it.

Contact us online or call us at (714) 436-3300 to schedule a no-obligation consultation. This innovative solution will immediately change the way you manage and update your customer address database and handle returned mail processing of mailpieces.

Sources:

¹https://www.sepire.com/blog/undeliverable-as-addressed-mail-facts-figures-and-fixes-part-1