The uncomfortable truth about modern mailrooms: While 60-80% of organizations with centralized mail operations track packages internally, only 5-10% track letter mail. This disparity isn’t based on importance. It’s based on outdated assumptions and technological limitations that no longer exist.
The reality is simple: packages aren’t more important than letter mail—they’ve just traditionally been easier to track. But that’s not the case anymore.
We’ve coined the hashtag #TrackEverything to bring more attention to a simple but powerful idea: your mail center should track all inbound items, not just packages. And to back up this idea, here’s a list of the top ten reasons why tracking everything makes sense.
1. Actual value often exceeds perceived value
In the average mailroom, a $12 box of Post-it notes gets full tracking from dock to desk, while a $10,000 donor check in a plain envelope can disappear without anyone noticing. The shape and size of an item shouldn’t determine its level of accountability. Instead, it’s the potential value of the item’s contents that determines the impact if it were to go missing.
2. Emotional and strategic importance often transcends monetary value
The fact is, a birthday card from a loved one may matter more to a recipient than a box of protein bars from Amazon. Legal notices, contracts, and donor correspondence often represent critical moments, including deadlines, personal impact, or compliance requirements that can’t be easily replaced.
The importance of tracking these kinds of items doesn’t come from their monetary value. The impact of an item like this going missing is much more difficult to predict and can’t be accounted for by a line item in the budget for “lost items.”
3. Risk mitigation logic demands universal standards
We don’t buy insurance only after a fire. We don’t back up files only after a crash. Tracking every item, regardless of size or class, is a proactive measure to protect both senders and recipients. Even if only 1 in 1,000 letters is critical, it justifies tracking them all.
4. Technology gaps have been solved
Traditional tracking solutions were built for packages with barcodes. Since mail pieces usually don’t include a standard barcode, these tracking solutions have resorted to forcing the mailroom operator to print one and apply it to the piece manually. It goes without saying, this is laborious and tedious. Thankfully, there’s now a better way.
With today’s technology, simple image capture enables automatic recipient assignment, virtual mailboxes for recipients, and hardware-agnostic tracking, meaning it can all be done with your standard smartphone, tablet, or computer. Technological limitations no longer prevent mail centers from being able to track everything with ease.
5. Operational efficiency improves with complete visibility
While tracking every item might sound time-consuming initially, it actually saves you time in the long run by reducing effort spent locating misplaced items and responding to recipient inquiries. Complete visibility gives both mailroom staff and recipients real-time knowledge of an item’s location. When your recipients have access to detailed tracking information and receive helpful notifications along the way, the reduction in inquiries can be significant.
6. Enhanced recipient satisfaction through clear communication
When recipients are better informed, they’re also happier. Image-rich notifications that consolidate all received items into a single alert provide perfect clarity. Recipients can see exactly what they’ve received before making the trip to pick it up, reducing follow-up questions and building trust through transparency.
7. Accountability creates reliable chain of custody
Every item passing through your mail center is important, whether it’s critical government correspondence, a student’s care package, or a time-sensitive corporate document. Tracking creates an unbreakable chain of custody, ensuring nothing is misplaced and providing peace of mind for all stakeholders.
8. Competitive advantage through superior service
Organizations that track everything set themselves apart by providing a level of service that recipients don’t expect but immediately appreciate. This approach demonstrates to recipients an attention to detail and a commitment to customer service excellence. Whether you’re a university, property management firm, or corporate business, it’s often the small things like this that attract new members and exceptional talent to your organization.
9. Data-driven decision making
Complete tracking provides valuable analytics about mail and package volumes, delivery patterns, and recipient behavior. This data enables better resource allocation, staffing decisions, and process improvements that would be impossible with partial tracking systems.
10. Future-proofing mail center operations
As mail and package volumes evolve and recipient expectations increase, organizations with comprehensive tracking systems are better positioned to adapt. Tracking everything means digitizing information that would otherwise remain physical and eventually be lost. This lays the foundation for future integrations with other technologies, such as smart lockers, and opens the door to decision making that’s helped by artificial intelligence. By tracking 100% of inbound items, organizations ensure their mail centers are scalable, resilient, and ready to meet the changing demands of both today and tomorrow.
The bottom line
The disparity between package and letter mail tracking isn’t about importance—it’s about outdated assumptions and solved technological challenges. Modern mail center management means treating every item with the same level of care and accountability. The question isn’t whether your organization can afford to track everything—it’s whether you can afford not to.
Organizations like the University of Wisconsin River Falls, Ferrum College, and Pacific University have already made the transition. As one mailroom manager put it, “I can’t imagine running the mailroom without it.”
Ready to modernize your mail operations? Learn how Received Digital’s modern mail center management platform can help your organization track everything—packages and letter mail alike—in a single, comprehensive solution.
