How do organisations reduce manual effort in outbound mail preparation?
Automate key preparation steps before production, without disrupting what already works.
Manual mail preparation vs Quadient Impress
Factor | Manual preparation | Quadient Impress |
|---|---|---|
File validation | Performed by hand, after the file is built | Automated at the preparation stage, before production |
Job sequencing | Manually grouped and ordered before the machine | Sequenced automatically based on defined rules |
Exception handling | Identified late, often after a print or postage error | Flagged early, with the context needed to resolve quickly |
Audit trail | Reconstructed manually if requested | Created automatically as a by-product of normal operation |
Hardware requirement | Existing folder inserters and franking machines | Same existing hardware, no replacement required |
Typical time per item | Varies by operator and volume | 1 minute 50 seconds saved per item, per Nottinghamshire County Council deployment data |
Key terms explained
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Impress platform
Process, send, and manage outbound documents from anywhere.
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Impress Automate
Add integrity barcodes and improve document preparation before inserting.
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Impress Distribute
Manage outbound communications across print and digital channels with centralized visibility and control.
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Folder inserters
Explore Quadient folder inserters for small, mid-volume, and production mailing environments.
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Postage meters and mailing systems
Finish prepared mail with accurate weighing, postage, and cost control.
Learn moreFrequesntly asked questions
The most effective approach is to automate the preparation steps that happen before documents reach the production machine.
This includes automated file grouping and sequencing, data validation at the preparation stage, and structured exception handling. Nottinghamshire County Council, which sends approximately 750,000 letters per year, saved an average of 1 minute 50 seconds per mail item after automating preparation with Quadient Impress.
When these steps are automated, the production machine receives work that is already in the right state and manual intervention is only required for genuine exceptions rather than routine processing.
Manual effort in mail preparation typically comes from four sources:
Files arriving in different formats that require individual attention before processing
Jobs that need manual grouping and sequencing before going to the machine
Last-minute changes that require someone to intervene and correct the job,
Status checks that depend on asking the right person rather than a shared system.
Each of these is manageable individually but compounds significantly at volume.
Yes. Mail preparation automation software such as Quadient Impress sits alongside existing hardware including folder inserters and franking machines.
It automates the digital preparation steps that happen before documents reach the machine. The machine continues to operate as designed. The automation removes the manual coordination effort that surrounds it without requiring capital investment in new hardware.
Nottinghamshire County Council, which sends approximately 750,000 letters per year, saved an average of 1 minute 50 seconds per mail item after automating their preparation process with Quadient Impress.
Across their annual volume, this amounted to tens of thousands of hours returned to the organisation. They also achieved postage savings of over £200,000 in the first 18 months through more efficient postage use and mail consolidation enabled by the platform.
A folder inserter is hardware that physically folds, inserts, and seals documents into envelopes. A mail automation platform such as Quadient Impress is software that manages the preparation of those documents before they reach the machine: formatting, grouping, sequencing, and validating. Both are typically used together.
The folder inserter handles physical production. The platform handles digital preparation and removes the manual effort that would otherwise sit between those two stages.
Automated preparation moves accuracy assurance earlier in the process. Validation happens before documents reach production, which means errors surface at the point where they are cheapest and easiest to resolve. Audit trails are created automatically as work moves through the system, making it possible to demonstrate that the right communication was sent to the right recipient at the right time.
Quadient's broader CCM platform, Inspire, supports this same audit and version control approach for regulated industries including financial services, healthcare, insurance, and public sector organisations.
Organisations sending high volumes of outbound communications benefit most, particularly those with a mix of transactional documents such as invoices, statements, and regulatory notices.
Local government, financial services, healthcare, utilities, and insurance organisations typically see the greatest impact due to volume, compliance requirements, and the complexity of their document types. Smaller organisations with highly variable or time-sensitive mailing requirements also benefit from the consistency and reliability that structured automation provides.
Quadient Impress focuses specifically on outbound mail preparation and delivery automation, working alongside existing mailroom hardware.
Quadient Inspire is a broader customer communication management platform covering the creation, personalisation, approval, and delivery of communications across print and digital channels, including regulated content such as statements and policy documents.
Organisations with high-volume physical mail typically start with Impress and may extend into Inspire as their communication needs broaden beyond preparation into full content and channel management.