In today's digital age, physical mail has been mostly replaced by email. However, there are still uses of physical mail today, such as sending official and legally binding documents. These cannot be sent electronically due to their sensitive nature and the fact that email can easily be buried in the recipient's inbox or diverted to the spam folder.
To increase security and ensure the mail is received, senders can use Certified Mail®. This is a service provided by the United States Postal Service (USPS) that provides the sender with proof of mailing and verification that their letter has been delivered.
One of the largest senders of Certified Mail® in the US is the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Usually, the IRS sends people Certified Mail® if they have an outstanding tax liability or there are issues with their tax return. It also uses this to contact taxpayers whose identity has been called into question. The government agency sends a staggering amount of Certified Mail® – between 23 million and 28 million pieces each year. With such a large volume of letters, it's incredibly hard to handle due to the vast nature of the federal agency and fragmented mailing units. While Certified Mail® is still the physical delivery of a document, it doesn't mean that the process cannot be improved via technology.
For the past eight years, the IRS has been working with Certified Mailing Solutions, Inc. (CMSI), a secure mailing facility and software development company based in Birmingham, Alabama, to modernize its Certified Mail® processing. Due to the sensitive content of the IRS' mail, it uses CMSI's Hybrid Certified Mail Portal, which gives the IRS the capability to produce its mail in-house, and track and securely receive delivery reports. However, CMSI also offers a full-service option for clients, where it takes charge of printing and mailing the physical documents.
According to CMSI President and CEO William Carter, he conceptualized the company's mail solution around 23 years ago, when he had to send USPS Certified Mail® for his clients. The main problem was the return receipt, also known as the green card. To get the letter into the mail stream, the sender needed to write a 22-digit number in three different places. Just a single mistake in the numbers can invalidate the entire letter, wasting the cost of production and postage. To digitize and simplify the process of sending Certified Mail®, Carter developed a digital Certified Mail® system, with an Electronic Return Receipt (ERR)™ and online tracking.
CMSI's Electronic Tracking & Confirmation (ETC)® gives senders the ability to track and monitor daily information about each individual piece of mail and to know exactly when their mail was delivered. The tracking information is updated several times daily, and senders will be able to receive proof of delivery within 24 hours compared to taking days or even being lost with traditional mailing. Furthermore, CMSI's Electronic Return Receipt™ reports are stored indefinitely in an online portal and kept active for 10 years, compared to just two years at USPS.com.
By helping the IRS modernize its Certified Mail® functions, CMSI helped decrease the cost of sending each letter by approximately $2.53 or more, resulting in taxpayer money savings. Previously, the IRS did not have a centralized way to monitor its Certified Mail® tracking and accounting. CMSI's solution allowed the IRS to see exactly how much it spends, as well as obtain refunds for services not rendered by the USPS. Carter estimates these refunds to be worth around $10 million per year – again a significant saving.
"When people in the US hear the term 'Certified Mail®', the IRS is often the first thing that pops into their mind – they're almost synonymous for the average person," Carter says. "This is the first time in the history of the IRS that they've been able to go after refunds, and we've been the catalyst to help them achieve that. It's been an incredible honor for Certified Mailing Solutions to work for the IRS for the past eight years, providing the highest level of service for the US' most prolific Certified Mail® sender. Over the years, we've provided outstanding Certified Mail® solutions for multiple major organizations, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the US Army, the State of Colorado, and Fiserv. Whether it's for one recipient or for thousands, we can automate your mail system with the appropriate postal forms to be printed, processed, and entered into the USPS mail stream."
