Are Your Customers Opening Your Invoices?

Email is sort of like leaving a note on someone's desk. But what if somebody comes along and dumps a pile of papers on top of your note?

That's how it is with the invoices you send electronically:

Nearly 54% of the entire planet is currently using email—over three and a half billion people internationally. On an average day, 293 billion emails are sent (lifewire.com).

So, you're not the only frog in the pond.

Be a Bigger Frog in a Smaller Pond

By comparison, ''only'' 182 million pieces of first class mail are sent daily via USPS. And just as smart business managers decide which employee they trust to handle a critical project, or which vendor to choose for a procurement essential to growth, they must choose what to email or send by US mail.

So before you click the Send button in your email, ask yourself:

''Is this going to end up in a sea of hundreds of other messages going to their inbox?'' The immediate nature of an email is great when quick decisions are needed as a routine part of communications. But if your message includes an important document like an invoice or statement, consider the consequences if it is opened by the wrong recipient, rejected by the receiving server, or caught in a spam filter.

How frustrating is it to follow up and get...

Oh, Sorry, I Must Have Missed Your Message!

Email messages are generally less personal and often deemed less important than letters sent through the USPS. Impersonal and disposable emails mean that users do not feel an obligation to reply to each message. People tend to focus their attention on only the most relevant emails, and delete any unnecessary message (sometimes by mistake).

Personalized letters and invoices sent through the post office often have a higher perceived value. One email received in the sea of 293 billion plus could lead to a recipient missing or ignoring the message completely. A traditional envelope can be a way to stand out from the crowd and get a message or invoice noticed.

But Email Has Its Place

Quick messages needing a fast response—shoot off an email. If you don't get a reply in a timely manner, you can always pick up the phone. Sending an important document or invoice? I'll go with USPS every time. But for those of your clients who request that their sensitive documents be sent via email, there is DocuLink.

Here’s how it works:

Instead of sending the document as an attachment, with DocuLink you’re sending a secure link. When the email recipient clicks on it, the link opens the document in a secure portal. You’ll get a report so that you know the links that were opened and when. You decide from there whether to resend the email, have DocuSend mail it via USPS or leave it as unread so you can take action on it later.

In the meantime, see our post on the security of e-mail vs. the US Mail. That's a real-eye opener.