Computershare launches digital postal mail service

O’Connor says the new service is Computershare’s response to its customer requests for ‘a more cost-effective and efficient way to communicate with our holders.’

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Computershare, a global leader in transfer agency and share registration, employee equity plans, proxy solicitation and stakeholder communications, is rolling out a new digital postal mail service to all of its nearly 7,000 clients over the next six to eight weeks.

Digital postal mail is a web-based postal delivery and archiving system that can replace physical mail and provide added benefits to issuers and their shareholders. The system not only allows corporate secretaries and investor relations officers to better manage communications between the direct registered owners of their companies, but has broader applications as well. ‘This is beyond electronic communications,’ says Bernie O’Connor, president of Computershare Communications Services. ‘This is a secure way to access all of your mail digitally, allowing consumers to archive and transact in a new and easy manner.’

O’Connor says the new service is Computershare’s response to its customer requests for ‘a more cost-effective and efficient way to communicate with our holders.’ Once the digital mailbox for a consumer household address is verified, the service can deliver electronic versions of paper documents — free of charge. Proxy statements, reinvestment statements and other shareholder communications can be delivered electronically. There is no initial cost to the issuer or the beneficial owner to begin using the digital postal mail service, which is provided by Zumbox, a provider of cloud computing services.  

‘The only time that digital communication process begins to cost anything is when the shareowner clicks on a button on the interactive website where they are viewing their mail indicating they want to discontinue paper,’ O’Connor explains. ‘When they do that, we stop sending the reinvestment statement via the United States Postal Service – we only send it down the digital channel and the issuer starts paying for the service for their direct registered owner.’

O’Connor says costs for the service vary depending on the type of communication being sent, but most companies will see a 50 percent savings over the US postal service. The service cuts down the time it takes to deliver paper documents to end-users and it eliminates the cost of paper as well. With postal rates set to increase again next year, the savings will potentially be even greater.

‘Ultimately this is a service offering that enables us to grow our business and it enables our customers to decrease expenses associated with their business,’ says O’Connor.