The Gateway To Your Company

Your mail center is the gateway to your company, employees, and customers. Recent events have demonstrated the critical need for mail security. While most people are focusing on incoming mail, your outgoing mail must also be protected to reassure your customers that the mail they receive from you can be trusted.

Government agencies are working to safeguard the mail, but they can only go so far. To better protect the safety of your employees, business and customers, we recommend that you perform a comprehensive mail center audit, followed by actions to improve security.

All mail centers are different. Any actions you take will depend on many factors, including:

• Where the mail center is situated in the building
• How many people work there
• How many people the mail center serves
• The volume and type of mail the center processes.

Ultimately, deciding on the appropriate security measures for your mail center is a complex task. It's easy to overestimate or underestimate the necessity for certain procedures and technologies. For outsourcing mail centers onsite or office, you may wish to contact Pitney Bowes Management Services at 1-888-245-PBMS to assist you. We will begin by auditing your current security status and then making an assessment of your needs.

For immediate steps to help you secure your mail center, see the sections below:

People - Who Handles Your Mail?

To maintain a safe mail center environment, mail center employees must be capable of dealing with all aspects of mail security. They are the gatekeepers of incoming mail, but they are also privy to confidential information about the company and private information about employees, including credit card numbers and other financial and personal details.

To ensure the highest standards for mail center employees, you should conduct legally compliant background checks of prospective and current mail center employees that include:

• Criminal background checks
• Drug screens
• Previous employment history and reference checks.

Remember that for certain reports, screenings and employment actions, authorizations in writing from the employee and advance notifications to the employee are legally required.

Processes - Steps to Security

Suggested steps every company can take:

Basic Mailroom Protocol

• Appoint one person to oversee the mail and mailroom operations and limit and monitor access by all others.
• Be alert to and report attempts at unauthorized access.

Item Tracking and Accounting

• Accept packages only for listed employees and only from authorized mail delivery personnel with identification.
• Create a detailed audit trail for each piece of mail that captures each point of transfer.
• Make special provisions for the safekeeping of valuable incoming items, especially temporarily undeliverable packages.
• Keep outgoing mail in a separate, secure area until pick-up.

Securing the Postage Meter

• Limit the postage meter to authorized users who are responsible for its proper use.
• Institute accountability for postage usage.

Training and Retraining
To maintain a constant state of alertness, conduct refresher training of employees at least annually. For example, Pitney Bowes Management Services provides both initial workforce training and periodic updates on procedures, including a refresher on suspicious letter/parcel identification that includes a security training video.

Additional Security Precautions to Consider
Certain businesses may require special precautions, such as access control systems with card readers, intrusion alarm systems, surveillance cameras, or x-ray screening.

Limit Risk
Having the right people for the job and applying the right procedures can significantly limit mail security risks. If a crisis does occur, you'll be prepared and more able to solve it quickly.