How Return to Sender Affects Your Bottom Line
Just about every business that sends direct mail will occasionally - or even frequently - get some of it back marked "return to sender." Although undeliverable mail is a common problem, it's a costly one that businesses should try to avoid. Here's what you need to know about it.
Why Undeliverable Mail Costs Money
Undeliverable mail costs your business money in a few different ways. First, the money you spent on initial printing and posting has gone to waste. You need to spend the money again if you want the mail to reach your target audience. Those costs add up, as it turns out businesses can spend up to $ 25 for each piece of returned mail.
But the cost of materials and shipping is not all you have to consider. There is also the extra time it takes for the mail to get to the recipient once it's returned. If the recipients are expecting the mail and it takes weeks instead of days - or never even gets to them at all - you have customers who are upset.
Either way, your business loses money on every piece of undeliverable mail.
How To Avoid This Issue
Undeliverable mail is not an uncommon problem, as about 1.4 billion pieces of mail fell into this category in 2015 alone. One of the most common causes of undeliverable mail is that the address is hard to read or simply incorrect, sometimes because the person moved. In other cases, the mail does not have the correct postage.
Such problems can be avoided by ensuring all data your business has is accurate and up-to-date. Luckily, there are apps and software that can collect and organize data to increase accuracy and reduce the frequency of undeliverable mail.
Of course, you can also leave this job to professionals who have years of experience helping businesses get their mail to the intended recipients. If you want to reduce the frequency of undeliverable mail, come to myMailHouse for help today. We understand the need to get your mail to the right people as quickly as possible, and we're committed to doing just that.
