Keeping Up With the Digital Times: The Growth of Digital Mail

Keeping Up With the Digital Times: The Growth of Digital Mail

In an era earmarked by rapidly advancing technology and the ubiquitous digitization of information, ensuring the digital storage and accessibility of information becomes a near imperative in keeping up with the times. As we try navigating the new work landscape where more companies are moving to a hybrid or remote work style, we are encountering major changes in office workflows, highlighting the challenges of physical documentation and mail. In response to these unique changes, IST Management’s Digital Mail solution offers a means of combating the inefficiencies of physical mail and documents, making sure employees still have access to what they need rapidly whether in the office or on the road. 

The Humble Beginnings

The beginnings of digital mail systems were conceived with the emergence of digital communication routes during the advent of personal computers and widespread internet access back in the 1990s. As technology evolved, the needs of businesses and individuals grew to demand more from digital services. The rise in popularity of e-mail, alongside the global standardization of online communication, laid the groundwork for the evolution of digital mail as a solution to traditional physical mailrooms. Amid an increasingly digital-first world, digital mail continues to evolve and adapt to modern demands and technological innovation, so businesses have a viable means to future-proof their mail operations. 

Embracing A More Digital Approach 

The concept of digital mail involves the conversion of hard mail to a digitally transportable copy that allows for more flexibility in its accessibility. A more digitally focused workflow helps in a myriad of ways to reduce issues like: 

• Delays in processing and delivering mail for employees who may be traveling, working remotely, or more 
• Creating a backlog of physical documentation can create clutter and, ultimately, become costly with storage and/or destruction fees 
• Negatively impacting the environment from carbon emissions and paper consumption 

While digital mail systems also help bypass the requirement of needing to be physically present to receive mail, there are several other benefits that can help a business from the sharing of documents with a wider group to having all important information stored digitally, not to mention the sustainability benefits of reducing paper. In workplace environments that retain a large remote or hybrid scope, digital mail works as a means to stay connected where it may otherwise be difficult. IST’s quick responsiveness to the new remote and/or hybrid workforces have helped clients effectively meet demands for alternative mail solutions, creating a shift in operations that coincided with realizing a multitude of benefits including: 

• Increased support for departmental workflows 
• Minimized cost impacts by utilizing existing infrastructure 
• Enhanced speed of delivery with expanded receiving hours 
• Reduction in overall costs and an increase in market competitiveness 
• Maximal document integrity and security 
• Increased productivity with immediate task engagement 

Though the implementation of digital mail can encounter its own unique challenges, IST’s DocStor counters these with preemptive action on integration and training to better manage the end user experience. These systems are further enhanced by IST’s flexibility in adhering to the retention policies and specific needs of a business or organization. 

Security Concerns and IST’s Solutions 

One of the leading concerns clients may have about digitizing their physical mail stems from questions surrounding security and ensuring any documentation is safeguarded. By incorporating IST’s digital mail solutions with our proprietary DocStor software, users are able to receive a digital version of their mail via a web-based system, allowing users to access their mail from anywhere in the world. DorStor’s system is routinely updated and maintained to withstand new cyber threats to give clients peace of mind, knowing their data is secure. 

Once the mail is received in the mailroom and scanned into DocStor, an email is sent to the end-user with instructions on how to access that document. These files are locked behind password-protected software that users cannot access without proper permission. Additionally, companies can set unique requirements and criteria for certain types of mail to be delivered to more than one individual, should documents be routinely shared. This can lower the delays associated with trying to share documents among departments around and reduce waste is making multiple copies of the same file. Even if a document needs to be shared in a one-off situation, the new recipient will still require a temporary password to access the information. Security is of the utmost importance to IST and IST clients, so we ensure all data is only accessible to those who the mail is directed to or have permissions established based on departmental requirements. 

A Shift in Modern Trends and Workflows 

In recent years, many industries have faced a sort of digital transformation. Businesses underwent significant changes that were primarily driven by shifts in work culture, consumer behavior, and technological advancements. This widespread pivot towards digitization invited a higher acknowledgement for the need of virtual services such as virtual mailboxes and forwarding services, which ultimately helped jumpstart the rapid development of solutions to a more digitally inclined and flexible work environment. The ongoing adoption and optimization of digital alternatives to traditional mail have so far consequently sparked a surge in the implementation of system overhauls, spanning services such as e-billing, digital signatures, and cloud storage, making for more flexible streams of correspondence. Because of this, existing systems that rely heavily on hard mail can experience significant delays in workflows and interruptions when unprepared for the shift into a digital market. 

These changes in consumer demands and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) signify that the evolution of digital mail is far from over, with AI poised to drive the next wave of transformations as working trends inevitably evolve. As workplace trends shift, IST’s customizable Digital Mail solution remains the flexible and proactive option for adapting to widespread digital transformations in a dynamic market.