Every Revenue Recovery agent has heard those magical words: The check is in the mail.
But maybe that isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds.
It’s election time in America, and that means a lot more mail in your mailbox. And when we say a lot more, we mean a lot. According to a report from the Office of the Inspector General, from April 1 through June 30, 2022, there were 10 million more Election Mail pieces delivered than during the same period in 2020.
That’s a lot of extra mail.
Across America, millions of election flyers, pamphlets and letters are being processed daily at United States Postal Service (USPS) sorting facilities. Honestly, this is “junk mail” that many of us don’t even take the time to read before it goes in the recycling, but it might be doing more than taking up room in your bin. It may be slowing down the rest of your mail.
Recently at Americollect, we began noticing our mail payments are not reaching us as fast. Sometimes they are over seven days behind. It’s a significant delay that can impact a patient due date on payment plans and final notices. There could be several reasons for this delay, including treating election mail set at Marketing Mail rates as First Class Mail, the recent plan to shutter hundreds of post offices or other facilities right during election season, or the fact that the USPS is understaffed.
What can you do about all this? Here are a few Ridiculously Nice tips to help you and your staff cope with these issues.
- Ensure you communicate with patient-facing teammates that payments may be delayed. It really could be, “the check is in the mail.”
- Speak with your financial leaders that self-pay payments may run a little slower because of the USPS.
- Patiently wait. 🙂
It isn’t easy dealing with the USPS and slow timelines, but a little patience and communication can go a long way.
Ridiculously Nice Legal Disclaimer
The content provided in this communication (“Content”) is presented for educational and general reference purposes only. Americollect, Inc and/or AmeriEBO LLC either directly or indirectly through speakers, independent contractors, or employees (collectively referred to as “Americollect”) is providing this Content as a courtesy to be used for informational purposes only. The Contents are not intended to serve as legal or other advice. Americollect does not represent or warrant that the Content is accurate, complete, or current for any specific or particular purpose or application. This information is not intended to be a full and exhaustive explanation of the law in any area, nor should it be used to replace the advice of your own legal counsel. By using the Content in any way, whether or not authorized, the user assumes all risk and hereby releases Americollect from any liability associated with the Content.