A few years ago, when Canada Post announced a reduction in service, fewer physical mailboxes and a price increase all at the same time, I wondered aloud if our grandchildren would even know what the delivery of physical mail meant? The recent announcement of a pending postal strike this summer involving 50,000 postal workers only reinforces the vulnerability of this century-old service and highlights yet another benefit of electronic communications: 24/7 availability.

While I don’t envision a paperless society, our company does espouse less paper by encouraging our clients to reduce their print-centric communications through e-migration strategies, or the adoption of electronic communication channels over traditional print/mail distribution. The business case is so compelling, say nothing of the environmental benefits and growing consumer preference for digital. With adoption of electronic communications still so low amongst consumers (under 10% in most cases), there is a tremendous opportunity to move the needle upwards of 30-40% through e-migration. Each percentage point can represent 100’s of thousands of dollars in cost savings from less printing and postage expense, so most financial institutions are starting to take notice.

The fact that electronic communications are essentially uninterrupted – granted, servers have to occasionally be rebooted and disaster recovery sites expanded – may be the greatest benefit of electronic communications and ultimately, responsible for the demise of the postal system. Neither strike, nor rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail, will prevent your email delivery.

Tags: Industry