Combine the advantages of digital with the proven benefits of physical mail to deliver a streamlined and cost-effective solution for creating, printing and delivering customer communications anywhere at any time.

As the UK emerges from life under lockdown, the focus of government, businesses, public services and wider society will shift – from survival to revival.

Identifying and implementing efficiencies that drive down costs was already a business priority and organisations are discovering that it needn’t come at the expense of quality. Indeed, the rise of automation and the shift towards flexible working is prompting many businesses to reimagine the future and restructure their ways of working. It has the potential to transform, streamline and enhance an organisation’s ability to market and deliver products or services and communicate with its consumers.

Retaining customers – and recruiting new ones – remains a key ambition, with 70% of marketers identifying conversion and sales leads as their priority.¹ This acquisition aspiration is now a business-critical mission.

Remote possibilities reimagined

Many small and medium sized businesses and start-ups were already enjoying the cost, efficiency and productivity benefits of remote working and automation.²

Remote working – from home and on the road – is likely to become business as usual for many organisations.²

The impact of innovation is fuelling a cultural shift that’s likely to accelerate as more organisations appreciate the emerging opportunities. Advances in technology are making it quicker, easier and more cost-effective than ever to manage and grow a business from anywhere at any time.

“You have to think of the word ‘hybrid’... It won’t be binary – remote or in an office. You’ll reimagine work as a set of hubs. And people may do certain work when they are at home and then come into the office and meet with each other several times a week. It just depends on the kind of work... It will not be pure mobile; it will not be pure in-the-office.”

Ginni Rometty, IBM executive chairman Ginni Rometty.³

Automated systems can handle routine or mundane business processes, releasing people to focus on the more profitable activities that humans excel in – creative thinking, building rewarding relationships and delivering customer experiences, that can stimulate recruitment and retention.

Marketing automation

Deloitte research revealed that 8% of organisations globally delivered over 50 automation projects⁴ during 2019. Altogether, 58% of organisations worldwide implemented some form of automation last year⁴.

For marketers, it’s a great opportunity to cut down their campaign costs and seize upon consumer signals of purchase intent. A survey of 200 CMOs, Marketing Directors, and Heads of Marketing at companies with more than 250 employees revealed that 80% had already installed a marketing automation solution.

Marketing automation is now also driving print efficiencies. A service such as Hybrid Mail combines digital capabilities with the proven value of physical mail. Applying it to customer communications delivers cost savings and releases resource to focus on other business priorities.

What’s Hybrid Mail?

Hybrid Mail enables businesses to deliver flexible and cost-effective communications. It automates the mailing process and lets users generate letters on a desktop or laptop – removing the time and resource spent on print and postage.

For businesses that want to streamline and improve the efficiency of their mailing process, Hybrid Mail offers a perfect solution. It allows for significant cost reductions while helping to maximise productivity.

Royal Mail Hybrid Mail

Royal Mail Hybrid Mail is one such online mailing tool. It is a fast and cost-effective digital mail solution for creating, printing and sending important business mail communications, such as bills, invoices, service updates and appointments.

• Users simply create business letters in Microsoft Word – from anywhere at anytime
• The correspondence is saved as a PDF and uploaded to a secure portal – along with the address data
• Royal Mail prints, encloses, addresses and delivers the items
• There are no setup fees and no minimum volumes

Automating the print and posting process saves time, resources, material, energy and fuel – and cuts up to 46%* off the cost of traditional mail while enhancing a business’ carbon-cutting credentials.

Who can benefit from Royal Mail Hybrid Mail?

Any organisation regularly sending business communications or transactional direct mail such as bills, invoices, statements, customer updates and appointments will benefit from achieving enhanced efficiencies and reduced costs.

• Large or small businesses of any type including but not limited to:
  • Telecoms or utilities providers
  • Government departments
  • Local authorities
  • Healthcare organisations
  • Charities

Why use Royal Mail Hybrid Mail?

The benefits

Royal Mail Hybrid Mail is a smart solution for businesses looking to make the most of their mailings, with the process helping to save valuable time and money. Users can develop the content on their desktop or laptop at no extra cost, while the centralised production facility, where the mail’s printed and delivered by Royal Mail, gives customers security and confidentiality.  Users are also given complete control of proofing, paper stock, postage options and free reporting.

• Instant savings Streamline mailing processes can cut up to 46%* off the cost of traditional Business Mail by saving time and money on in-house print, stationery, storage and envelop enclosing.
• All-inclusive Prices include print, stationery and mailing costs. There are no setup fees or minimum volumes.
• Anywhere, anytime You can create customer communications wherever you need to reach them – from home or office, on the road, or abroad. Simply write and upload in a few quick clicks.
• Quick and simple No special software is required. Simply create your branded mail on the easy-to-use Hybrid hub and Royal Mail will print and safely deliver your customer communications.
• Effortless There’s no need for physical printing and posting. Effortlessly manage your mail and choose from flexible UK and international options.
• Peace of mind Royal Mail Hybrid Mail uses the highest strength 256-bit RSA encryption.
• Brand consistency Simply upload the templates across your full suite of products for all employees to access and use.
• Sustainable Materials used are accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification.
• Free reporting Stay in control and keep a record of what you’ve sent.

What are the cost savings?

“Even if Royal Mail Hybrid Mail was cost neutral, the efficiency savings alone make it worth doing,” says Graham Gault, the ICT General Manager at NHS Dumfries and Galloway.

This scaling back of the time and resource required to manage mailings, combined with an all-inclusive price that saves up to 46%* on the cost of traditional mail, makes Royal Mail Hybrid Mail a particularly powerful and efficient way to manage mail.

Traditional account mail vs Royal Mail Hybrid Mail

¹Indicative costs for illustrative purposes

²Including printing, signing, inserting, filling in a sales order, sorting into trays and taking to a delivery office

Customers already enjoying streamlined benefits

Hybrid Mail is already helping organisations to realise the benefits of a digital mail solution.

Adrian Trevor, Procurement Manager at Western Isles Hospital in Scotland, says: “The Hybrid Mail API allows you to realise the full efficiency benefits. You just print to Hybrid and move on to the next task.”

Royal Mail Hybrid Mail can help organisations meet their all-important sustainability targets, too – our centralised process means your mailings are managed and dispatched from one location to anywhere in the world.

“They’re covering energy and renewables, waste, transport, etc. – so, it’s two thumbs up from me,” says Markus Hiemann, NHS National Services Scotland’s Sustainability Lead.

Mail adds value

Delivering customer mailings as part of your communications mix can provide additional value to your business or organisation that you may not have realised.  Research shows that mail is a trusted and valued channel that can drive high levels of engagement and consumer action. 

• 87% of consumers rate messages delivered by mail as believable, compared to 48% for email⁵
• 70% of people said mail, rather than email, gives them a better impression of the company that sent it and 70% said that is makes them feel more valued⁶
• 99% of Business Mail is engaged with in some way, e.g. opened, read, shared, discussed⁵
• 37% of Business Mail drives commercial actions like going online, making a purchase or going in-store, so it’s more than just functional – it works harder for businesses⁵

Hospital appointments, bills, invoices, contracts and service updates are vital items of mail that add value – keeping customers updated and organisations operating.
 

Looking to find out more?

If you are interested in streamlining your mailing processes and would like to know more about how Hybrid mail could benefit your business or organisation, speak to one of our experts on 0800 756 1045 or see here for more information.