THE BRIEF
Fane Valley operate across multiple sectors including agri-food, farm supplies, and animal health products, therefore they have a wide array of communication needs, both digital and physical. Within their finance department specifically, a dedicated credit team of six manage all credit-based communications, from invoices and bills to credit notes and more, ensuring functional financial operations across the business.
In early 2024, it became clear that their existing process for sending these communications needed to change, as the process of printing, stacking and folding was both time-consuming and labour-intensive. With a customer base primarily made up of farmers - many of whom have limited internet access or simply prefer traditional post - reliable direct mail distribution was essential, and adopting a hybrid mail system was seen as the simple solution.
Staff would need a streamlined option that would reduce manual workload and ensure crucial statements and invoices were sent out efficiently. Docmail was quickly identified as the product of choice and was introduced to the internal team in February. At this time, the credit team were already operating under pressure due to unfortunate staffing shortages caused by sickness. The transition also coincided with changes in personnel, further complicating matters.
THE SOLUTION
Before hybrid mail, the credit team’s workflow was very much manual and protracted. Statements had to be produced and manually folded using a folding machine. The documents were then taken to another building, franked, and then posted, taking up a considerable chunk of time which could otherwise be spent prioritising more pressing tasks. The whole process was not only time-consuming but also labour-intensive and physically taxing for the small team.
An innovative, secure, online alternative of producing, managing and sending personalised documents straight to end audiences of all kinds, Docmail puts business owners and stakeholders in control of the communications they send. Acting as a virtual direct mail factory accessible from any laptop or PC with an internet connection, the leading print and post technology can be set up with ease.
Upon being introduced, Docmail quickly became an essential tool. Training was carried out at an early stage, which was useful in helping to overcome initial teething problems. These problems included minor access issues and understanding which options to select within the system settings – which the in-house support team were more than happy to assist with. With Docmail, the team could transition to an automated system that freed up valuable time, allowing them to handle additional workloads.
Alongside routine invoices, statements, and credit notes, Fane Valley were keen to use Docmail for other means, to deliver everything from offer leaflets to sensitive documents like change-of-bank-detail notifications. It was envisioned that system functionality could also allow the credit team to schedule communications in advance, providing flexibility during peak periods or when staff were absent and unable to send mailings on the day.
