In order to understand the future of mail, one needs to first
understand the future of the document. The word "document" immediately conjures up an image of a written, printed format. That
image is too narrow in today's multi-codal communications
world,
which includes information that can be provided
printed
on paper but also in numerous forms on a computer display
or in
text messages, or other formats on a wireless smart phone.
At
last year's DOCUMENT Strategy Forum in Chicago, Craig Le
Clair
of Forrester Research illustrated that companies develop
three
types of documents:
- Structured
documents - identical or nearly identical
documents
that are sent to a large number of recipients
at the
same time
- On-demand
documents - documents that are created
in a
way that allows the recipient to receive the document
on
their own schedule
- Interactive
documents - documents that use personalized
information
to create a document designed for one person
A
fourth type of document, called TransPromo, represents an interaction
between
structured and interactive documents. These
documents
reflect the ability of new digital printers to develop
personalized
documents but print them as if they were a structured
document.
As such, they neither fit the structured or interactive
category
but fall somewhat in between.
Mailed
documents are primarily structured documents and, to a
lesser
extent, interactive documents. In both types of documents
and
the TransPromo documents that fall in between, the sender
determines
the schedule that the recipient receives the document.
The
recent declines in mail volumes and shifts in mail mix
reflect
the growth of on-demand documents and a shift from structured and interactive
mailed documents to their electronic
alternative,
email.
Shift
from Structured to On-demand Documents
The
documents that have shifted rapidly in this direction include
financial
payments and printed news and opinion, price lists and
big-book
catalogs. Travel and college brochures and catalogs are
other
examples of structured documents that have been replaced
with
websites that allow the recipient of the message to view
information
that once was printed.
Shift
from Interactive to On-demand Documents
The
entire process of distributing specific prices to specific customers
has
changed so that much of this is produced. The use of web
forms
allows customers to do the paperwork on their own schedules;
before,
this required printing in an office. Just think of how
different
the process is of opening a bank or brokerage account or
making
changes to the account. While a bank officer can combine
personal
information into the loan documents in the branch off of
the
bank's computer, individuals can now do it on their own schedule
without
requiring the bank employee to act as an intermediary.
Shift
from Mailed Interactive to Emailed Interactive
This
is the shift of personalized documents from printed to electronic
form.
Business correspondence reflects this change. Also,
collaboratively
produced documents that once were sent as hard
copy
to other writers by mail or Express are now sent as file attachments
that
all parties can edit electronically, allowing the original
author
to make changes faster than ever before. Email also
allows
writers to use structured electronic documents, whether
in the
form of PDF files that cannot be altered by the recipients or
in
formats that are less restrictive.
Shift
from Mailed Structured to Emailed Structured
Emailed
structured documents are mass mailings from one sender
to
many recipients. These documents include: notices of bills
and
statements; e-newsletters; notices of new web content that is available for
viewing; advertisements from vendors from whom
the recipient has
allowed to receive email; and pernicious spam
promoting
get-rich-quick schemes or spreading viruses.
In many ways,
structured email is nothing more than an electronic
glossy envelope.
The real content is either an attachment or on a site
which can be
accessed by clicking on a link within the message.
The one problem
that senders have with emailed interactive and
structured
documents is that the recipient treats the messages,
attachments and
links in a similar fashion to on-demand web content.
The more email
that the recipient gets, the more likely that a
particular message
will be ignored until after the sender would like
the email viewed.
The sender wants the recipient to look at the
attachment or
click on the link and take the appropriate action. For
example, companies
that email bills want the link clicked so that
the bill is viewed
and paid. Advertisers want the advertisement
clicked so that
the advertisement is read and a sale is made.
Senders of
electronic documents have found that mail can help increase
the value of the
documents that they have shifted to electronic
formats. Mail sent
in conjunction with emails increases the
sales that the
email generates. Websites that offer a full catalog of
products, describe
a college, provide information on resorts or the
schedule of a
theater or outside venue will more likely be accessed if
potential
customers receive mail enticing them to look. The combination
of mail with email
and website content is receiving the greatest
attention among
advertisers, but those sending bills and statements
may find that
combining postcards with email bills may increase the
speed that
customers pay.
The mail sent from
now on will be different. Many mailers will
find that
electronic delivery is sufficient without supplementary
encouragement of
mail. For these senders, mail will become a
legacy delivery
method available only to existing customers who
have not chosen to
switch to electronic delivery or to those new
customers that
request it. This is the expected direction of transactional
mail, which
represents over half of First Class volumes.
Those customers
that still use printed mail will use formats that
are smaller and
lighter, generating less postage per piece. The
proportion of
letters, flats and cards will shift as customers experiment
with formats that
minimize their paper, printing and postage
costs. J.C. Penney
has announced that this fall, it will send its
last big book.
They are not abandoning mail but instead will send
smaller specialty
catalogs tailored to the interests of the recipient,
directing them to
the website for both a wider selection of options
and the order
process. Also, Eddie Bauer has replaced some of its
catalogs with
postcards that direct the recipient to the website to
see all of the
deals available.
In the next six
months, various parties will propose business models
for the Postal
Service. The viability of these models will depend
on whether they
will allow the USPS to adjust fast enough to decisions
senders make
regarding how they will produce and send
documents and the
impact that this will have on mail volumes,
Postal Service
revenues and the operating networks necessary to
sell, collect,
transport, sort and deliver mail.
Alan Robinson is
President at Direct Communications Group.
Email him at
alan.robinson@directcomgroup.com
