6 Ways KUBRA iMail Stands Out From Your Typical Print and Mail Solution

Companies that take the business of keeping their customers happy seriously have at least one thing in common–they’re all investing in digital channels. As you no doubt know, consumer preferences and habits are constantly evolving, which challenges businesses to offer their customers the latest ways to pay and communicate. To do this, businesses are turning to digital channels to help meet the demand for convenient and easy-to-use payment and notification solutions. Traditional channels, like print and mail, have also been forced to adapt. KUBRA has long recognized the need to continually transform our solutions to ensure they have a place in today’s digital world, including our print and mail platform.

6 Unique Features of KUBRA’s Print and Mail Solution

Here are six KUBRA iMail™ tools that are sure to meet current customer expectations and make your print and mail jobs a breeze. 

1. Proofing Management

Minimize errors by using iMail to review important documents in detail before they’re delivered to your customers. Its sophisticated proofing engine allows you to build system filters that can source specific documents based on predefined criteria. Despite the granular nature of this process, it does not impact production timelines. During the review queue, documents can be released, purged, or held for additional revisions. The "Prep" environment lets you create test runs, which gives you the ability to view sample documents, run balancing routines, process reconciliation reports, adjust last-minute messaging and insert campaigns, and generate audit reports before print jobs.

Here’s an example of how to put iMail’s versatile proofing engine to work. One utility uses this feature to review any residential bill over $1,000 since most residential bills don’t exceed this amount. This allows the company to review the invoice to ensure that the bill looks accurate before delivering it to the customer.

2. Secure Email Delivery

iMail isn't just for print services. You can conveniently and securely deliver the same documents you’re sending by traditional mail right to your customers’ inboxes via email with a PDF version of the document attached. Offering this option to your customers is key, especially when you consider that in 2023, 64% of customers have stated that they prefer to receive statements by email. Experts predict that the global market for Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment will grow to 30.7 billion bills by 2027 from an estimated 18.2 billion bills in 2020. iMail supports industry standard email protocols such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC and allows you to password protect your documents. Secure email delivery is even available for non-enrolled electronic payments.

3. SMS Text Message Notifications

82% of people say they open every text message they receive and  9 out of 10 consumers state they would like to communicate with businesses through text messaging. If you’re looking to increase engagement with your customers, you don’t have to look any further than SMS text messaging. With iMail, you benefit from the ability to send a notification via SMS text message to customers as an output of a job. There’s also the functionality to send an SMS notification in conjunction with a Dynamic URL to deliver documents. You can control who receives an SMS text message through the Special Handling Manager, including creating traditional accounts-based lists or using data to develop target-based lists. The capability to set parameters around the time of day your customers receive text messages helps minimize them being disturbed during off-hours. Plus all of your messages are customizable using Document or Standard templates.

4. Message Management

Get the most out of the documents you send by building detailed on-document messaging programs. Through the use of customizable target groups, document regions, and message prioritization, you’re able to specify which message will be displayed to which group of customers as well as the campaign duration. You don’t have to be a graphic designer either to create striking messages using images and a variety of fonts. The Message Manager uses specific real estate on the document called Regions to place your messages. These fixed regions define the height and width of an area on the document that you can place a message in.

5. USPS Tracking

Keeping an eye on your documents has never been easier. iMail has mail piece tracking and reporting applications so you can enhance the effectiveness of your document production process while enjoying real-time scan information and reporting. Specifically, iMail allows you to track real-time outbound and inbound mail piece movement, enabling improved lockbox operations and predictive cash flow, postage savings, enhanced customer service, and improved marketing campaign optimization.

6. Onserts/Inserts/eSerts Composition

An onsert serves the same purpose as an insert; however, instead of being featured inside the bill envelope, it’s printed on the bill. With iMail, you can create as many onserts you would like for a campaign, and you even have the option of using a full page. iMail also helps you reduce printing costs by allowing you to combine different size onserts on a single page, maximizing available space. 

eSerts send the same information as inserts, but digitally. This ensures that a customer who is receiving their bill digitally is not missing the inserts that they would have received with a physical bill. 

A Modern Approach to Traditional Print and Mail

Despite the uptake of digital options, many customers aren’t ready to give up their paper statements. In fact, a considerable 42% still prefer to receive paper bills, according to KUBRA’s 2023 Utility Consumer Billing and Payments Report. There are a multitude of reasons why, including 35% find them easier to read, 28% like the reminder to pay, and 21% are worried about missing a digital bill. 

The front end of this delivery channel may not be digital, but it doesn’t mean the back-end tools can’t be digitized or cutting edge. KUBRA understands that paper bills aren’t going away. This is why we’ve been innovating our print and mail solution for over 20 years and will continue to leverage the latest t

Learn more about how KUBRA iMail can support your print and mail initiatives while streamlining the process with modern tools.

This blog post was originally published in November 2021, and has been updated with new content and fresher data.