Image by: Chunumunu, ©2017 Getty Images

For the past six or seven years, there has been much talk about digital mailboxes but few published examples of enterprises using them. During a recent request for proposal (RFP) process, three of the leading providers in the financial and transactional print services space presented digital mailboxes as part of their solutions. Sitting through these presentations made me question whether it is the service providers—who have invested significant dollars in the solution—pushing digital mailboxes onto the market or if it is the consumers who are asking for it. At what rate are enterprises adopting digital mailbox technologies?

What Exactly Is a Digital Mailbox?

Though we have not seen one formalized definition, a digital mailbox merges digital and paper mail into an entirely online environment. It is a secure solution for receiving and storing important transaction-based digital mail (e.g., statements and invoices). A digital mailbox user does not need to go through the arduous process of sharing credentials or finding documents; they can receive and store important communications in one location and access these documents no matter where they are or what device they use.

It's a given that consumers are clearly changing how they like to receive and review information, and we know enterprises are scrambling to tailor their solutions to address these various behaviors in all the ways they communicate with their customers. The main question and premise of this poll (please see right-hand side) is whether there is a need for digital mailboxes as part of the overall customer relationship strategy?

We’d like to hear more about your perspective on the demand for digital mailboxes services. Please fill out the brief survey in the right-hand column. We will provide a summation and our thoughts on this emerging trend in a future article.

I look forward to seeing you at the DOCUMENT Strategy Forum, May 1-3, 2017 in Chicago!

Lisa Meath is a Director at ISG with Enterprise Print Advisory Services. She works with organizations to determine the strategy that best meets their long-term objectives for print, communications, document management, and e-delivery requirements. Follow ISG on Twitter @ISG_News or email her at lisa.meath@isg-one.com.
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