Let's start this blog with a simple story about Mark, an accounts payable department manager in charge of growing company's financial responsibilities. As the company expands, so does the volume of outgoing checks & communication that Mark and his team have to send out regularly.
Mark’s team used to be able to handle the mailing process with ease – folding, inserting, and sending would usually only take them about an hour. But, as his company takes on new clients and vendors, the once easy task has ballooned into a time-consuming 2 to 3 hours of their workday, sometimes more.
The increasing amount of outgoing mail like checks & invoices started to become a challenge for Mark's AP team. Even though mail inserting is simple, repetition and tediousness can always turn routine tasks into labor-intensive marathons. Processing mail by hand takes approximately 12 seconds to fold, insert and seal, or 300 envelopes an hour. This can really stack up if mail volumes are high.
As the team spent hours manually folding and inserting checks into envelopes, they found ways to make it fun for themselves.
Each inserting & folding session became a pizza party. Yes -- it made this boring task bearable, but it brought more distractions and side conversations, which led to an increase in mailing errors.
And what happens when errors happen? Fines increase. Some checks were being sent to the wrong clients, which violated customer privacy, and was costing the company money. Mark was taking the heat for it from the higher-ups.
Not only were the errors increasing, but the 2-3 hours spent inserting turned into 3 -4 hour events, and the team’s core responsibilities started to take a back seat.
Mark wants his team to stay productive, but the mailing of checks is an important part of their department. How else would they get it done?
Mark decided to find a better way. Instead of hiring more staff, he did his research. Mark searched and found a folder inserter machine made by Pitney Bowes. These automated machines were everything Mark was looking for: a machine that could simply automate the process of folding and inserting documents into envelopes, simplifying his team's workflow and putting them back on track.
Pitney Bowes is a leading provider in the mailing and postage industry, innovating mailing solutions for over 100 years with equipment like folder inserter machines, postage meters, automatic letter openers, shipping software and more. As an official Pitney Bowes business partner, TROY offers any type of mailing equipment needed to create a full end-to-end solution, from check printing to sending.
The Pitney Bowes Relay® folder inserter machine folds, inserts, and seals envelopes for you, taking all of the manual work out of the process. Depending on the model, a Relay folder inserter can process up to 5,400 pieces of mail per hour, saving you valuable time and money while gaining the peace of mind that your communications are assembled accurately and mailed on time.
Not only does the Relay® folder inserter machine automate the physical folding and inserting of checks and other communications, but it's complete with Relay Integrity software that allows users to gain visibility into the folding and inserting process so errors don't slip by. With this software, you can add 2D barcodes that the Relay Inserter then reads to assemble variable page mail into the correct envelopes, ensuring private client information is always secure and going to the right recipient.
After Mark was able to convince his company to buy the Relay Inserter for his team to use, he noticed his team improving on 5 core levels.
Time spent on manual folding and inserting was cut down with the Relay® folder inserter at the office. What used to be a 3-4 hour daily grind was now reduced to a fraction of the time, freeing up Mark and his team to refocus on essential strategic endeavors.
The relay folder Inserter breathed new life into the AP team's productivity. The once tedious and repetitive task of folding and inserting became a streamlined, automated process, allowing Mark's team to get back to the tasks that mattered.
The precision of the Relay® folder inserter machine got rid of the risk of errors in the folding and inserting process. Mark could now rest assured that her team's outgoing communications maintained the high standards necessary for financial documentation.
As the company continued to grow, the Relay® folder inserter machine seamlessly adapted to increasing mail volumes. Its scalable design ensured that Sally's team could handle the expanding workload without sacrificing efficiency.
Beyond the immediate time savings, the Relay® folder inserter brought about significant cost reductions. The investment proved to be not just a technological upgrade but a strategic move toward long-term financial efficiency.
Maybe you're like Mark, struggling to keep up with sending out payments, paper checks, invoices, and more under a reasonable timeframe. You don't even have to work in AP to be struggling with manual mail processes - HR, payroll, or mailroom managers deal with these issues all the time.
By alleviating the burden of manual folding and inserting, the Pitney Bowes Relay folder inserter can empower your team to reclaim their time, refocus on strategic tasks, and navigate the company's growth with enhanced efficiency.
Download our brochure to see even more of our Pitney Bowes mail offerings