Nearly all of my formal communication these days is done by email, while is seems that the word ‘posting’ is almost more synonymous with social networking sites than letters. Nonetheless, snail mail is still with us, and will be for some time yet.
For a business that has to keep in contact with its customers via post, there may now be a cheaper, greener solution to printing and sending out hundreds of letters. It’s called hybrid mail. With the Royal Mail delivering over 80 million items of post everyday and email often seen as a rather detached way of keeping touch, it was inevitable that at some time during the digital revolution, a mix of the two was going to emerge.
In this article I want to look at hybrid mail and see if it’s a feasible way for businesses to reduce their costs and their impact on the environment. Of course, the domestic user can also benefit from hybrid mail, so if you do send a lot of letters then you may also be interested in what follows.
What is hybrid mail?
As its name suggests hybrid mail is mix between traditional mail and email. This type of mail system allows a user to write a letter on their computer and then email it directly to the hybrid mail provider, who will then print out the letter, seal it in a envelope and convey it to the nearest Royal Mail depot for delivery. Because hybrid mail providers have offices spread around the country, when the letter is printed it is already much closer to its recipient. The advantages for the customer are that they do not have to use their own printer, ink or paper and do not have to walk to the post box to drop off their letter, saving both time and money. The advantages for the environment are that the letter does not have to be picked up and then transported to a sorting office where it’s then loaded to be transported on the roads or railway, perhaps halfway around the country. An additional benefit is that the printers at the hybrid mail offices are bulk printers, meaning they use less energy per letter.
It is claimed that using hybrid mail will save the customer around half of what would be spent on sending a letter the traditional way. To send a letter via hybrid mail will typically cost around 25-35 pence, with the delivery taking 2-3 working days (the same as 2nd class postage). When the cost of the stamp, the paper, the electricity and the ink for the printer are taken into account, hybrid mail performs favourably, not to mention that you can send all of your mail without having to leave the comfort of your chair; if you’ve got a laptop, you could even do it from a coffee shop, or even the pub.
The savings to the environment come in the form of less fuel being consumed and less pollution being created to take the letter from the post box, to the sorting office and then on to the local depot – don’t forget, with hybrid mail it goes straight to the local depot. There is a saving in electricity – and associated carbon emissions – because of the energy efficient printers used by the companies. It is claimed that when an independent environmental auditor investigated hybrid mail, it was found to save at least 80% of carbon emissions compared to traditional mail. The environmental benefits really come into their own if the letter has to be sent overseas; in this case the savings in relation to transportation are huge.
Some potential issues with hybrid mail
- Security. Because we don’t seal the envelope and pop it in the post box ourselves, it may be easy to wonder if our mail is really secure. This is a justified concern, but we are assured that the hybrid mail premises are secure and that the printers are the same as those used for bank statements. I guess the rule of thumb here is; if it contains really sensitive information then use your normal method of sending.
- You can’t view the end product. This could be an issue when sending something that has to look perfect, such as a CV to a prospective employer. If you want to make sure that what you’re sending is presented properly then, as above, choose the occasions when you use hybrid mail. Having said this of course, if you are careful when you upload your letter, there’s no reason it shouldn’t arrive as intended.
- Will the letter actually arrive? A valid point, but let’s face it; you can’t even guarantee that with normal mail.
Just to see how the service works, I sent a letter using hybrid mail, and it seemed to work fine. However, there were one or two aspects I didn’t like: I tried two different companies and the first failed instantly when it transpired that they don’t have a platform that supports Apple. Oh dear. This isn’t very forward thinking in a world where Apple computers, iPhones and iPads are all rapidly rising to the top of the heap. My second attempt with a different company proved more fruitful; although the interface wasn’t very intuitive I got there in the end, and I would imagine that if you were a regular user, you would soon get the hang of it. Some pluses I see to the service are that once you have uploaded an address, you have it stored for future use; saving on time consuming address writing. Additionally, you don’t have to rush to the post box to catch the last collection, a simple click on the mouse and you’re done.
A few tips for greener posting
- The first and most obvious tip here is to use email. This will cost you practically nothing and you can rest assured that your letter will be sent across the void within seconds.
- If you use a postal film rental service, consider switching to an online service where you download the films as opposed to having them sent to your address. This will save you numerous trips to the post box too.
- Wherever you can, opt for paperless billing. Not only does this lessen the risk of sensitive information falling into the wrong hands, but it also reduces the number of bills coming through the letterbox, and that’s good for the soul.
- If you want to be really green, send all of your Christmas cards via email this year. I know this sounds (and feels) a little distant, but my mother sent an e-Christmas card to my 5-year-old daughter last year and I’ve never seen her so excited about a Christmas card. It was colourful, animated and played a merry little tune, and she asked to view it a good nine or ten times. Now, isn’t that more meaningful and memorable than a piece of card that just sits on the mantelpiece?
- If you do need to type and print a letter to send yourself, then make sure it is done on recycled paper and environmentally friendly ink
In summary then…
On first use this service would appear to work well, saving time, money, carbon and energy. The letter I sent got to its destination in 3 days and cost me 29p; that’s 3p cheaper than a second class stamp and 12p cheaper than a first class stamp. I didn’t use any paper, envelopes or ink and I was able to send the letter without leaving my chair. Sadly, the franking on the front of the letter gave me no clue as to where the letter was actually sent from so I can’t gauge how many miles of travelling this method of posting saved. Nonetheless, it did save me time and money. Often I wonder why we even have to send snail mail in this digital age, but I understand that sometimes only a letter will do. In these cases I will definitely look to using hybrid mail. Could this spell the end of the post box? I doubt it very much.
