Datamark's Q&A discusses common inefficiencies in mailroom workflows for large organizations, highlighting the need for better use of scanning technologies and the transition from paper to digital processes. The discussion emphasizes the importance of early stakeholder involvement and lean six sigma methodologies for improving efficiency and quality. Future advancements like robotic process automation are expected to enhance workflows by taking over routine tasks, allowing humans to focus on more complex duties.

1. Enterprise Mailroom
Process Improvement
Q&A
DATAMARK, a provider of outsourced business services including mailroom management for large enterprises, caught up with two members of its Business Engineering team for a Q & A about mailroom workflows, document processing technologies and Lean Six Sigma methodologies. Here’s what they had to say:
©2014 DATAMARK, Inc. www.datamark.net
1. What are some common bottlenecks or inefficiencies in the mailroom workflow of large organizations?
Brown: Something very common that we see is organizations that do not take full advantage of scan technology that can greatly reduce costs and shorten conversion time from paper and digital. For example, the use of paper separator sheets is still a common practice, rather than leveraging already present envelopes to delineate the start of each new document during the scan process.
Bailon: Often, inefficiency is traced to a classic conflict: the desire to have the latest digital tools for document processes, and the desire to retain legacy workflows that originated from paper-driven processes. There is a hope that tech can magically solve it all. As business engineers, we know that’s not the case. The magic actually lies in our ability to re-engineer the mailroom process so that it will work well with today’s—and tomorrow’s—technology.
Brown: Any time you can reduce the number of manual touchpointsrequired to process a document, you are enhancing your process triple- fold by improving efficiency, turn-around-time, and quality. With this target in mind, we have successfully worked with multiple clients to create standard forms that integrate dynamic customer- specific data in barcodedformat that can be directly read during the scan process, eliminating the need for manual sorting and indexing.
Bailon: We have success transforming paper-driven processes into a truly digital workflow. We’ve all heard of the “digital mailroom,” and the concept has moved beyond hype to reality, thanks to advances in scanning and OCR technology. Scanning speeds and image quality are much better than a decade ago, and computing power is less expensive yet more powerful, allowing the use of multiple OCR engines at once to improve character and document recognition.
2. What technologies have you found to be truly effective for your clients’ workflows?
Nina Brown
Director of Engineering
Jacob Bailon
Business Engineer

2. Q&A
©2014 DATAMARK, Inc. www.datamark.net
Brown: The quick answer: all of them, and right away at the start of the improvement effort. It is not uncommon to see re-engineering projects that have unraveled due to 11th-hour scope change when involving new stakeholders late in the game. For example, compliance, legal, or security factors may play a hidden role in a given process. Additionally, early stakeholder insight often proves to eliminate the potential of expensive redundancy caused by retrying previously-attempted tactics.
Bailon: Buy-in from the powers-that-be to begin a project is essential. Navigating the road to a successful solution is only possible through genuine communication with process owners, executive-level leadership and individuals assigned to tasks affected by the proposed workflow transformation. Our ability to engineer solutions that work is truly reliant on the close communication established between our customers and our team.
Brown: The great thing about utilizing Lean and Six Sigma methodologies when enhancing a process is the comprehensive visibility that is born, backed by well-documented data. Armed with this detailed data, stakeholders from Executive to Operational levels can make informed decisions about the right way to architect their practices and processes in order to reach goals outlined for their particular organization. At DATAMARK, helping our partners achieve this clarity is our passion.
Bailon: That’s easy: cost savings and cost- avoidance come with improved efficiency and improved quality in the workflow. But what I’ve really enjoyed seeing is how our clients’ own customers react to the improved process, be it mailroom or other function. We see that the customers are delighted by radical improvements in turn-around-time or one-call problem resolution. That’s the wonderful end result of the application of Lean Six Sigma.
Brown: As mentioned earlier, reducing manual touchpointsthrough automation is paramount when the goal is to improve efficiency and/or quality. However, sometimes multiple existing systems, legacy systems, and limited resources are often obstacles to being able to readily implement "fancy" technology. RPA is the bridge across these hurdles, providing configurable systematic interactions between existing systems, eliminating manual touchpointsat a fraction of the cost.
3. Which stakeholders need to be “in the loop” when you are developing an improved workflow?
4. What benefits have your clients realized from the application of Lean Six Sigma to their processes?
5. What impact will next-generation, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) have on processes in large organizations?
Bailon: I think we’re at the cusp of what will be achieved through RPA. Software programs or platforms with the ability to learn, as a human operator would, will surely transform workflows as we know them today. Rote, repeatable tasks will be completed by a software robot continuously, without a need for a break or vacation. Meanwhile, humans will be assigned to higher-value, complex tasks. At this point, we are evaluating RPA and will use it where and when it makes sense to use it in a process.