Organizations that send transactional and business-critical documents should track their outgoing customer mail to ensure the intended documents reach the mailstream accurately and on time.  However, many do not realize their mail is being tracked improperly. Every day mail is improperly tracked, if at all, organizations are risking noncompliance, data breaches and collateral damage.
 
Noncompliance Risks
Government regulatory bodies such as the CFPB and OCC mandate specific times, dates and content for financial communications. Additionally, they require proof of mailing. Failure to comply or be prepared for audits can result in unforeseen regulatory fees.
 
If your document services vendor is properly tracking your mail, you will be better prepared for compliance audits.  Alternatively, if your document services vendor falls short on mail tracking, you will not able to adequately provide information on if and when a customer receives a document, as well as the content of that document. As a result, you would be putting your business at  risk for fines, legal fees and customer litigation.
 
Data Breaches
According to the Federal Trade Commission, 40% of identity theft victims cited stolen USPS mail as the source of personal information taken. Thieves and scammers take advantage of an organization’s inability to properly track mail over a length of time, taking possession of personal data and mail offers. One of the most common scams mentioned, change-of-address fraud, involves an identity thief asking a financial institution to send a replacement debit or credit card to a “recently changed” address. What happens next? The customer’s account is depleted by the thief, resulting in an unhappy customer and a hard hit to the organization’s bottom line.
 
Benefits of Mail Tracking 
Mail Tracking serves as the audit point for outgoing business-critical documents.

• Increase speed-to-pay
• Identify when documents are sent
• Reduce phone calls to customers about their payments
• Improve customer relationships
• Save time and money on return mail efforts
• Improve cash flow management
• Decrease litigation and attorney fees
• Minimize risk of fraud and identity theft
• Improve supply chain management

The Solution: Follow Every Mailpiece from Insertion to Delivery
Lanvera’s Mail Tracking provides visibility into each business-critical mailing as it enters the mail stream.

• Integrates with the USPS Intelligent Mail® barcode
• Presorts mail and provides full visibility on letters and flat envelopes during their inbound and outbound flow through our processing
• Combines all pertinent data into a single barcode for 100% accuracy
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Interested in learning more about mail tracking? Click here to contact us.

September is National Preparedness Month, and is a great time to review processes and plans in case of an unforeseen disaster. 

Businesses are temporarily closing on the East Coast in preparation for Hurricane Florence and many expect to be without power for many days. Even in the event of a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, business owners are responsible for ensuring their businesses will stay as close to 100 percent as possible. 

Natural disasters can happen anywhere, from tornadoes, to wildfires, and most recently, to hurricanes , disaster planning and recovery is top of mind. Regardless of the natural disaster, it’s crucial for any company to take steps to minimize disruption in services and communications with employees and customers. 

The Disaster Recovery Journal estimates that as many as 80% of all U.S. companies don't have an effective DR plan. This does not bode well for the majority of American business’ systems and data, and ultimately, their future survival. 

Below are three disaster recovery essentials to keep you in business by safeguarding your customer data and communications- and confirming that your business services vendors do the same- during future emergencies:

1. BUSINESS CONTINUITY MANAGEMENT
Business Continuity Management (BCM) is defined as a management process that identifies potential threats to an organization and the impacts to business operations those threats might cause. BCM provides a framework for building organizational resilience with the capability of an effective response that safeguards the interests of its key stakeholders, reputation, brand, and value-creating activities. Although this term is used interchangeably with DR, business continuity addresses more comprehensive planning that focuses on long term or chronic challenges to organizational success. Potential business continuity problems may include the illness or departure of key team members, supply chain breakdowns, catastrophic failures or critical malware infections.

Should a natural disaster or unexpected power outage occur, data must be accessible from a remote backup facility. Data must be comprehensively backed up at a secure location that features total redundancy of all online systems, databases, communications, power, form inventories, and print and mail facilities.

2. DATA SECURITY AND ARCHIVING
Data security, of course, is extremely important at all times. According to the Disaster Recovery Preparedness Council’s Annual Report, 60% of companies that experience mass data loss will shut down within six months of a disaster. 

As business-critical data continues to grow at an exponential rate, and universal regulations such as HIPAA and the Patriot Act compel organizations to store data longer, archiving is an essential element to a DR plan. For customer data and business-critical communications such as statements, letters and notices, it is recommended that ePresentment is utilized.
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3. MULTI-CHANNEL COMMUNICATION
In the event of a natural disaster, alternate forms of communication are crucial. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, USPS mail service was suspended for weeks across several states. It is important for businesses to reach their customers and deliver business-critical communications, no matter the circumstances. It is recommended that businesses not only incorporate messages on their own websites and ePresentment into their DR plan, but also email, SMS and social media.
 
·Email: Sending emails during emergency situations as a valid method of communication. Email servers are located globally, and it’s unlikely they will all be dead at the same time. But where do you get Internet access if cell phone service is dead? Oftentimes, WiFi service will still be up and running, since the cables used for hard wired Internet operate on different networks than cell phones. For most WiFi, you don’t even need to be in the building to access the service.
·Text: Text messages require far less bandwidth than phone calls, and even when the ominous “all circuits are busy” recording comes on, texts will still work as they operate on a parallel network to cell phones.
·Social Media: Social media is similar to email in that it is hosted on a network of global servers, providing redundancy and fault tolerance. Because your customers are all unique in their social media preferences, the more social media outlets you communicate on, the better.
 
When it comes to your business and natural disasters, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Ensuring your business, as well as your vendors, have strong DR plans will give you and your customers peace of mind in knowing you have them covered.

With the ushering in of a new President of the United States tomorrow, it’s time to reevaluate your current processes and determine if it’s time to inaugurate a new document services vendor.

Ninety percent of companies worldwide reported that outsourcing is an important part of their overall business strategy, according to The Outsourcing Revolution. When the right document services vendor is chosen as an outsourcing partner, a company can benefit from improved efficiency, reduced costs and streamlined operations. Outsourcing document production and delivery to a vendor that does not just duplicate current efforts, but instead understands the importance of process improvements and staying ahead of the technological curve, is vital to an organization’s success.

We realize a change in vendors can seem like a daunting task. Many risk-averse professionals will keep a sub-par vendor around for much longer than they should, fearing the potential time and resources necessary for implementation- regardless of if a new vendor will better align with their strategic needs. But instead of living in a reactionary bubble, what if you had some tools to help you decipher if a new vendor is worth the transition?

If you are looking to inaugurate a new document services vendor, beware of the fact that many vendors may tell you they offer the whole package, but then end up falling short on their promises during and after the implementation process. Here are five questions to ask in the vetting process that will help you uncover the truth in a vendor’s capabilities and ensure a smooth vendor transition:

1. What security certifications/qualifications do they uphold?  In order to avoid data breaches and risk compliance, document services providers should be SSAE 16 and SOC II, Type 2 Certified. For the healthcare industry, HIPAA Compliance is also required.

2. Do they offer a comprehensive solution? Utilizing a single partner for the design, composition and multi-channel delivery of all your documents and communications benefits your organization by ensuring consistency throughout all document channels and formats. A comprehensive, single-vendor solution will help you save time and money by increasing eAdoption rates, reducing call center costs, offering solutions to identify new revenue opportunities, and providing you with large volume discounts.
 
3. Do they have high standards of quality control?  Quality control is of utmost importance in the design, processing and delivery of business-critical documents. A vendor that has multiple checkpoints throughout the document lifecycle including mail scanning, 2D barcodes on each page of every document and unique Intelligent Mail Barcodes (IMB) will ensure each document is sent to the correct recipient at the right time.
 
4. What kind of support will they provide? The most successful document services providers are consultative in their approach and identify ways to solve complex business problems. Look for a vendor that employs only PMP Certified project managers, as well as seasoned client services managers who can lend industry expertise and best practices.
 
5. Do they continually invest in the most updated software and equipment? A good document services vendor will be heavily invested in technology, leading the way in new applications that serve and benefit your customers while creating operational efficiencies.
 
Is it time to inaugurate a new document services vendor?  Contact us today to learn the latest trends and solutions in business-critical data delivery. 
 

Today, our country decides not only the next four years of leadership, but potentially the next quarter-century of influence in the United States of America. The next President will have the job of Commander in Chief and inherit over $19 trillion worth of U.S. debt under their term, and will also be responsible for electing up to four Supreme Court Justices.
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As if we have not had enough to be concerned about this entire election season, voter and election fraud allegations are  a big concern for many states, including Arizona, California, Texas, Ohio, and Florida, to name a few. At least three Texas counties received complaints from voters claiming that when they electronically voted straight-ticket during early voting, their votes were “flipped” to the opposing candidate. With these allegations fresh on voters’ minds, many are asking themselves: “Will my ballot results truly reflect the boxes I check?”
Did you know that there is a way to verify the truth in election results? According to Black Box Voting, you can request copies of ballot images under the Freedom of Information Act to ensure both paper and electronic votes are valid. You can read all about it here.

As someone who likely works for an organization that sends mass quantities of business-critical information, you may be asking yourself, “Why is Lanvera talking about verifying voter ballots?” We are glad you asked! With constant regulatory pressures and potential security breaches threatening your organization’s bottom line and reputation, it is critical to verify that each print and digital document ends up in the right hands, at the right time and with the right information.

1. Document Images: Much like modern voting systems that capture individual images of each vote, Lanvera’s ePresentment platform allows you to store digital versions of the printed document. This provides customers with electronic access to all documents and also allows you to prove that each customer received their documents on time, the content therein and when they were sent. 

2. Document Integrity: With today’s ballot technology, you are able to download a set of ballot images and verify, though a unique identifier, the electronic images have not been tampered with. Lanvera offers similar technological applications by utilizing Datamatrix barcodes on each page of every document keeping all document pages together and ensuring quality.  Embedded in the Datamatrix barcode are important information relative to the document sequence and page count. Furthermore, each mail piece is identified with the unique Postal Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB).  Upon receipt into the USPS, this IMB is scanned and serves as proof of induction into the Postal Service mailstream. From that point, Lanvera can electronically track every document through the postal service delivery chain. Just as ballot verification technology offers the ability to identify ballots after they have been cast, Lanvera’s solution provides the ability to identify documents after they enter the mailstream. This allows you to see when a document is mailed, which address it was sent to and when it arrives at its intended location.

​Whatever the election outcome is, know your organization and customers’ rights in verifying composition and delivery of business-critical information. Interested in learning more about how Lanvera can help you maintain compliance and data security? Click here to contact us.

In 2014, ninety percent of companies said that outsourcing is an important part of their overall business strategy, according to the author of The Outsourcing Revolution, Michael Corbett. When the right document services provider is chosen as an outsourcing partner, a company can benefit from improved efficiency, reduced costs and streamlined operations, allowing them to focus on their core competencies. Outsourcing document production and delivery to a vendor that does not just duplicate current efforts, but instead understands the importance of process improvements and staying ahead of the technological curve, is vital to an organization’s success.

Click here to access our latest White paper, Successful Document Outsourcing: Pitfalls to Avoid and Questions to Ask in Choosing a Document Services Vendor, and gain insight into the following:

-Vendor Due Diligence and Red Flags
-Cost vs. Price
-Pitfalls with In-house Solutions
-Steps to Outsourcing Success

​Imagine you walk into the office one day and are greeted with chaos- coworkers running around frantically, the phones ringing incessantly. You ask what all the commotion is about, and a colleague turns to you and says: “Our document services provider has sent two members’ personal statements to our ENTIRE LIST OF CUSTOMERS!” As you take a moment to let that sink in, you call your vendor and demand they get to the bottom of this irreversible mistake. The vendor representative on the other end of the phone apologizes profusely, promises LifeLock for the two affected members and swears that this mistake will never happen again.
 
Fast forward a couple of months. You experience déjà vu as you enter a scene much like the one you did not too long ago. Again, you ask what all the commotion is about, and a colleague turns to you and says: “Our document services provider has sent a business’ statement to OUR ENTIRE LIST OF CUSTOMERS!”

Unfortunately, we have heard this exact horror story, along with many others, about other document services providers’ lack of quality control and standard security checkpoints, resulting in unforeseen costs incurred through data breaches and customer dissatisfaction.
 
Outsourcing document production and delivery should allow your business to reach the correct customer at the right time, achieve cost savings and streamline processes - all while managing risk.
​
If you are looking to change document services providers, beware of the fact that many vendors may tell you they offer the whole package, but then end up falling short on their promises after implementation. Here are five questions to ask in the vetting processes that will help you uncover the truth in a vendor's offerings and capabilities:

1. What security certifications/qualifications do they uphold?  In order to avoid data breaches, document services providers should be SSAE 16 and SOC II, Type 2 Certified. For the healthcare industry, HIPAA Compliance is also required.

2. Do they offer a comprehensive solution? Utilizing a single partner for the design, composition and multi-channel delivery of all your documents and communications benefits your organization by ensuring consistency throughout all document channels and formats. A comprehensive, single-vendor solution can help you save time and money by increasing eAdoption rates, reducing call center costs, offering solutions to identify new revenue opportunities, and providing you with large volume discounts.
 
3. Do they have high standards of quality control?  Quality control is of utmost importance in the design, processing and delivery of business-critical documents. A vendor that has multiple checkpoints throughout the document lifecycle including mail scanning, 2D barcodes on each page of every document and unique Intelligent Mail Barcodes (IMB) will ensure each document is sent to the correct recipient at the right time.
 
4. What kind of support will they provide? The most successful document services providers are consultative in their approach and identify ways to solve complex business problems. Look for a vendor that employs only PMP Certified project managers, as well as seasoned client services managers who can lend industry expertise and best practices.
 
5. Do they continually invest in the most updated software and equipment? A good document services vendor will not only have the latest print equipment, but will also heavily invest in ongoing technological applications in an effort to strategically align with your business objectives.
 
Choose the right strategic partner, and you have found the keys to success in business-critical communications!
 
Interested in learning how Lanvera can help you achieve best-in-class customer communications that streamline processes, increase your bottom line and mitigate risk? Click here to contact us.

If you haven’t heard of the “Pokémon GO” phenomenon, you may want to come out from beneath your rock (that may also be a poke-stop)! All joking aside, the Pokémon Company International, Nintendo CO Ltd, and Niantic Inc. creation that was released earlier this month is an augmented reality application to inhabit a popular game of the millennial generation’s childhood.

While many people have been taken to Facebook and Twitter to praise the application’s encouragement of physical activity (in order to advance in the game, you have to make your way to different physical locations to catch Pokémon, enter tournaments, etc.), others are concerned with the potential security flaws the app poses. For instance, many criminals have already exploited the game’s mechanics to lure unsuspecting victims and carry out armed robberies.

Another potential security flaw may result in data breaches. Senator Al Franken, D-Minn., posted an open letter to the CEO of Niantic Tuesday asking for more information, citing that he was concerned the game-maker may be unnecessarily collecting, using and sharing a wide range of users’ personal information without their appropriate consent. Privacy concerns were raised due to the fact that the app asked for “full access permission” to users’ Google accounts when logging on through that service through their Apple’s iOS platform.

Sen. Franken’s concerns are warranted due to the fact that the app has been downloaded about 7.5 million times so far, and will continue to grow in popularity. For businesses that handle customer-critical data, it is crucial to keep an eye on this application, as well as others that can potentially compromise your customers’ data.

​Here are some quick tips on how to quickly and effectively communicate updates as they unfold:

1. Designate important messaging areas on your ePresentment and Home Banking platforms in order to communicate data breaches, security updates and tips to avoid scammers.
2. Ensure brand consistency across all delivery channels so that customers do not click on something that does not match your brand.
3. Utilize customer-facing documents such as statements and letters to provide instructions on how to handle suspicious activity/data compromise.
4. Communicate prevention methods in the onboarding process.
   
   

To learn more on how to effectively handle data safety compromise, click here.

The following article was written by our Communications & Marketing Manager, Callie Hickman, for  CUInsight and CBInsight:

One of my family members recently experienced debit card fraud where a scammer stole her card information and went on a $5,000 shopping spree in the span of an hour and a half. How the scammer got a hold of her information is unknown, but she quickly contacted her credit union to notify them so the necessary steps could be taken to prevent the scammer from making additional purchases on her account. Her credit union incurred the loss, increasing her loyalty to the brand. Meanwhile, her credit union’s bottom line took a $5,000 hit…but it could have been even more had the fraud not been detected within 1.5 hours of use.


According to Cardhub.com, credit and debit card fraud resulted in $16.31 billion worth of losses in the U.S. in 2014. Card issuers and merchants incurred 62% and 38% of those losses- the issuer losses occurring mostly at the point of sale from counterfeit cards and the merchant losses occurring mostly on card-not-present transactions.


While many credit unions are now switching to EMV chip cards, cybercriminals are getting more creative and continue to scam consumers at an alarming rate. That said, here are some proactive ways to combat debit and credit card fraud... CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) reports that it will be finalizing its second round of mortgage servicing rules in July. The changes will provide specifics on:

• How default loan transfers are handled and how borrowers are treated in the process
• Requirements for services to send periodic statements and early intervention notices to some borrowers in bankruptcy
• Processes for successors of interest, or any person who inherits a mortgage or property from the original owner
• Loss mitigation regulations after the Making Home Affordable program expires at year-end

To read more about these changes, visit National Mortgage News.
The compliance conundrum is ever present- especially in the mortgage servicing space. Mortgage servicers are expected to adapt to ever changing regulations, forcing them to focus more time, resources and energy on maintaining compliance. If you are a servicer with decreasing loan profit margins and want to learn new ways to net more profit per loan while maintaining regulatory standards, call the Lanvera team at (972) 488-6400 or visit www.lanvera.com. 

 According to Dealogic, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in 2015 reached an all-time high with a volume of $4.9 trillion. Companies merge and are acquired for many reasons, including product/service line expansion, consolidation for lower administrative costs, increased profits and even eliminating competition.
Credit unions value reliable document outsourcing vendors that help them reach and exceed their stated goals such as member engagement and retention. Those goals are jeopardized when an acquisition occurs. Below are some ideas to be aware of in the event your statement outsourcing vendor is in the middle of an acquisition:
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Mix of Competencies
The idea of an expanded products and services offering is enticing, however, it can easily backfire. Say, for example, a direct marketing company acquires your statement processing vendor. The acquirer may continue to support and expand your document vendor’s products and services, but they may also extract pieces of the original product and discard key tools that have helped your credit union streamline efficiencies. Also, while marketing through business-critical statements can help drive revenue, the acquiring company’s competencies do not include the industry expertise necessary to identify ways of maximizing customer communications through member documents.

Lack of Investment in the Future
As a result of your vendor’s efforts to expand upon their products and services offering, they may be shifting focus away from investing in future tools to streamline efficiencies and improve upon the member experience. While this may not have an immediate effect on your statements, it can impact your credit union’s bottom line long-term by putting it behind the curve on meeting member expectations.

Data Compromise
According to Credit Union Journal, 67% of banks report that they are targets of significant cyber attacks daily or weekly. Therefore, third party vendor management is of utmost importance in preventing data compromise. This is especially crucial for your statement processing vendor, as they not only have access to all member data straight from your core, but are also responsible for composing and delivering this data. If data falls into the wrong hands because of a roadblock in your vendor’s acquisition, it will ultimately fall back on your institution and affect compliance, resulting in  fees. 
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Customer Service Falls
Most vendors tout customer service, and yes, many statement processing vendors do excel in this category. However, if a vendor is in the middle of an acquisition, customer service may suffer due to the focus shifting to operational reductions, removing attention from the existing customers’ immediate needs. As a result, you as the customer experience inadequate communications and lack of transparency. It is important to feel comfortable in knowing your questions and escalations will be resolved in a timely manner before the production and delivery of your customer documents.

Wrapping it Up
When choosing a third-party vendor, it is important to do your research. Ask them what their financials look like and if they have any plans of acquisition. While this isn’t 100% foolproof, it can better prepare you to find the right statement processing partner.
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Interested in learning more about third party vendor management and how to choose the right statement processing vendor? Click here.