Member Communication On a Budget

Symitar South West Users Group

June 4, 2009

•Quantity •Postage•Materials•Process

Cost Saving Opportunities

Review:• Duplicate files• Merging and combining• Is the document needed

Quantity

Bigger Issue Than You Might Think

Recent 90 day period:• 2 out of 3 XDI Clients• Over 400 duplicate files

Quantity: Duplicate Files

In-house • Develop controls

Outsourced• Develop controls• Ask vendor

Quantity: Duplicate Files

Any given day, 1 in 5 Members who are mailed notices, receive multiple notices.

Quantity: Merging & Combining

Merge:• Multiple notices into one

document• Better for Credit Union and

Member

Combine:• Multiple documents into the

same envelope

Quantity: Merging & Combining

• Regulatory requirement• Member service• Selectively create documents

Quantity: Document Needed?

Send if:• Fee• Amount > $X.xx• Specific transaction type

Quantity: Selectively Create Docs

Consider how to reduce mailpiece:

• Weight• Postage rate

Consider how to improve address:

• Quality• Hygiene

Postage

• Merge multiple notices into one document

• Reduce sheet count – duplex print

• Weight and number of inserts (stuffers)

• Better utilize cost

Postage: Weight

First-Class postage is purchased in one-ounce increments.

USPS scales weigh in increments of 1,000th of an ounce.

A mailpiece weighing 1.001 ounces is charged at the 2 ounce rate.

Postage: Get What You Pay For

Get the best rate – how?• Outsource – not all equal• If in-house – use Presort Bureau

• Negotiate• Ask what you can do for a

better postage rate

Postage: Rate

What’s a good postage rate?• Volume• Your Member make-up• How processed• Outsourcers vary• Consider the fees

Postage: Rate

Members move . . . job is never done

• Make it easy for Members to notify you

• Multi-channel • Use USPS notifications

Postage: Address Quality & Hygiene

Use USPS notifications• Suppress sending mail until

new address is confirmed• Send address change

confirmations

Postage: Address Quality & Hygiene

Best Practice• Mail the confirmation to old and

new addresses

Important – do NOT include new address with notification to old address!

Postage: Address Change Confirmation

•Forms/paper•Envelopes•Disclosures & Reconciliation

Materials

• Consider plain paper• Duplex print• Check your Batch setting – put

more data on a page• Lines per inch• Lines per page• Abbreviate headings after 1st

page• Create statements from DOF

Materials: Forms/Paper

Concatenate transactionsWithout concatenation

With concatenation

Materials: Forms/Paper

Costs are considerable• $0.035 to $0.08 per statement• Additional postage – hundreds

even thousands of dollars

Materials: Disclosure & Reconciliation

How are disclosures & reconciliation included:

• Preprints• Inserts (stuffer)• Laser Print (partial or full page)• Combination

Materials: Disclosure & Reconciliation

Consider what is included:• Minimize disclosures• Reconciliation?

• Selectively provide with statement

• External of statement

Materials: Disclosure & Reconciliation

•Outsource it•Re-engineer it•“e ” it

Process

•Better postage rates•Fewer mailpieces•Improved documents•Faster & more efficient

Process: Outsource

How to evaluate partner:• Consider TOTAL cost

• Important to include postage & materials

• Setup costs• Change costs

• Value-added

Process: Outsource

What can you do:• Don’t pay full rate for postage• Merge & combine documents• Suppress when possible

Process: Re-engineer

DifferenceseStatements:• Expected• Informational

eNotices:• Unexpected• Sometimes actionable

Process: eDocuments

Consider how you will:• Compose eDocuments• Notify Member of eDocument to

view• eMail• SMS (Text Message)

• Convey important/actionable eDocument to Member

Process: eDocuments

Important/actionable documents Consider how you will:

• Know if not viewed• Follow-up if needed

Process: eDocuments

eMail Address Hygiene:• Important factor in successful

Member relationship• Capture new eMail address at

time of Member login• Send USPS mail• Un-enroll

Process: eDocuments

Thank You!