The letter of the law: helping law firms overcome shipping and receiving challenges

Typical law firms handle a daily deluge of inbound and outbound packages and mail, much of it highly sensitive. The movement of this information from law firm to client and back is a significant piece of the business of law. But it's often hard for mail center staff to determine ways to efficiently and accurately ship, receive, track and deliver it all.

Take certified mail as one example. Every day, law firms send out sensitive documents — including mortgage information and financial documents, divorce forms and important case information — requiring client signatures. This leaves mail center staff with the challenge of not only sending all of these items, but of billing the right costs to the right client. There’s also the responsibility of keeping track of all the return receipt green cards that are returned to the firm once a client has signed for the letter. If one of these cards is misplaced or lost, the law firm may be unable to prove that it ever sent this information to the client.

Incoming mail and shipments represent a second challenge to a busy mail center staff. Flats, parcels and packages containing critical case information — typically original information that cannot be duplicated — regularly come into law offices. Knowing when critical mail was received and who signed for it is imperative to the firm. When a busy lawyer or paralegal calls the mail center to see if an expected piece of information has arrived, or who in the firm has it, the last thing he or she wants to hear is "We don't know." Law firm mail centers need to get the right package into the recipient's hands as quickly as possible, and capture total chain of custody throughout its journey inside the firm once it reaches the recipient. Similar processes are needed for receiving and logging client checks. Lost checks can lead to embarrassment for the firm, potentially even to lost clients.

But law firm processes for handling incoming packages and mail don't always align with best practices. This is especially true at smaller firms, where a receptionist or temporary employee may handle incoming mail, cobbling together their own methods for receipt, logging and in-office delivery. These causal processes can lead to lost or misplaced packages and critical mail, and cause trouble for lawyers who can't access documents entrusted to their care.

Automated receiving processes improve efficiency, visibility

Parcel management solutions from Pitney Bowes can help law firms more efficiently and cost-effectively send, receive deliver, and track packages, flats, and mail. These solutions include the PitneyShip^® Pro and PitneyTrack^® Inbound, inbound parcel receiving and tracking software and ParcelPoint™ Smart Lockers.

PitneyShip Pro: helps firms determine cost-saving alternatives by displaying current rates and services from a variety of carriers so that law firms can more easily choose cost-effective shipping services that meet delivery-date targets. Law firms can even reduce costs with the use of just one carrier. Door-to-door tracking is included. For United States Postal Service^® certified mail, electronic Return Receipts (eRRs) replace hand-written “green cards” previously used to confirm delivery receipt and date. These eRRs save mailing staff the time spent filing, storing, and organizing cards while also cutting costs. Since these e-receipts are stored on the law firm's server, they can be viewed by everyone in the firm working on the associated case — even if those people work in different offices. PitneyShip Pro software also improves the process of charging back shipping expenses to the client by completely automating it. It validates client mailing information, then automates the assignment of mailing and shipping charges to the appropriate client matter number.

PitneyTrack Inbound — this cloud-based service software solution — helps law firms streamline and manage the entire lifecycle of inbound documents and packages. PitneyTrack automates these processes to dramatically reduce the errors that arise from manual package intake and delivery processes. With a simple scan of a barcode, package information can be captured in the software while barcodes can be generated to track important mail and documents that move throughout your organization. This process establishes a full chain of custody, so you’ll know what came in, when, who it was for and when it was delivered to the final recipient. The software can even automatically notify recipients when items have arrived and are en route to their desks.

ParcelPoint Smart Lockers - Take inbound mail and package management a step further with our ParcelPoint^TM Smart Lockers. Designed and built to provide a safe, secure, package and mail pickup experience. When your staff is unable to be in the office during mail room operating hours, they will be able to retrieve their important documents and packages from the lockers with 24/7 accessibility and convenience. And the whole process is documented, with a seamless integration with PitneyTrack Inbound and a secure access with unique barcodes and PINs, signature confirmation and even photo capture, the entire process is safe, secure and tracked.

Built on our first of its kind Shipping 360^TM platform, our tracking software and smart lockers become an integrated, easy-to-use solution providing you full, end-to-end visibility and confidence that every package and mail piece moving across your organization will be delivered safely and securely.

As a result of working with Pitney Bowes, law firms can:

• Improve visibility and gain total chain of custody for inbound packages
• Streamline manual accounting practices
• Reduce shipping costs
• Eliminate manual USPS Return Receipts
• Limit the number of packages or accountable mail lost or misdirected within the firm

With nearly 100 years of shipping, receiving, and mailing experience, Pitney Bowes is qualified to help law firms improve processes for sending and receiving sensitive documents. Take the time to learn more about PitneyShip Pro, PitneyTrack Inbound and ParcelPoint Smart Lockers.