Letter openers

Automated letter openers can do the heavy lifting in companies that deal with large volumes of mail. There are also models available for smaller organizations that are looking to eliminate a menial task from the to-do list. Aside from greatly improving efficiency, opening machines have several benefits for businesses that receive letters.

Before we look into them, let’s briefly run through how they work.

How Letter Openers Work

Before electric letter openers came about, the term referred to a long, slim blade that resembled a dagger. They weren’t much faster than using your fingers, but at least you could get the job done without any papercuts.

Opening machines have helped to speed things up a significant amount. Today’s electronic letter openers can automatically churn through hundreds of letters per minute. This is made possible by a motor that drives a blade across the envelope to immediately open it up. The blades are enclosed to ensure that the machine is safe to use.

Depending on the type of opener, it’s usually possible to insert a certain sized stack of letters for the machine to process on its own. This way, you don’t have to manually insert each envelope. The Martin Yale 1632, for example, is a heavy-duty electric opener that can automatically go through a stack of letters up to 1.75” high.

Benefits for Business

So, are electric letter openers worth the investment? It stands to reason that they certainly are, as a business can benefit from using them in a number of ways. Of course, the mail opening and distribution functions will become far more efficient. When documents like invoices and sales queries come in, they can be processed immediately.

Since staff won’t have to spend as much time opening mail, they can focus on more important tasks that contribute to growth and allow them to use their skills. This makes for a small, but nonetheless impactful way to increase employee satisfaction. Customer satisfaction can also be positively affected as response times for documents go down.

In addition, an opening machine will consistently extract documents without any damage. These benefits can come together to improve cash flow and help operations run smoothly.

Industries for Letter Openers

Considering the advantages, it’s clear that any business that handles mail should invest in a letter opener. This includes offices, mailrooms, and organizations in the quick print industry. Let’s not forget schools and churches.

Electric letter openers aren’t particularly costly, either. Handheld models like the Martin Yale 1624 are highly affordable and capable enough to make a noticeable impact on efficiency. Their 1632 model is another great option. The time and effort saved will quickly outweigh the money spent on the investment.

As you can see, automated letter openers are a great addition to the office space of any company that deals with mail. Given their low cost, it’s really a no-brainer.