What Are The Causes Of Undeliverable Mail And How To Solve Them?
Recently during a demo, we had an interesting conversation with one of our clients. The client was a leading real estate company and wanted to try implementing a direct mail campaign to promote their services. The company opted to direct mail manually and noticed an incredibly high rate of undeliverable mail. They reached out to us with an exciting request.
They wanted our advice on choosing ‘The’ Best postal mail tool for their direct mail campaign. But that is not the exciting part. The company was looking for a special kind of mail mailing platform.
One that has, as they tried putting it, “the Superman of postal mail.” – one that could fly, or move mountains with his laser beams to deliver their mail.
Yes, the company was looking for powerful postal mail that could deliver their message, no matter what the cost. Unfortunately, we had to explain why even a superhero could not help them avoid undeliverable mail without valid addresses.
However, PostGrid‘s advanced direct mail solutions come close to the relentless hero who reaches their goal at all costs. PostGrid is much like that hero, but with a slight twist. Instead of the ability to fly or shoot laser beams, we offer a particular set of features and added capabilities to streamline your mailing process. We have perfected this solution over the years to minimize undeliverable mail for businesses.
Like the time we helped one of our clients, a property management company sought our help for sending crucial documents. The client was looking for a seamless mailing process for sending critical rental agreements, billing notices, etc.
Luckily for the client, PostGrid’s advanced capabilities allow seamless integration with major CRM solutions like HubSpot, Salesforce, and more. As a result, we could quickly integrate our print and mail solution into the client’s CRM and automate their mailing process completely. Thanks to our API integration, our client was able to ensure practically zero undeliverable mail rate for their business.
When Does Canada Post Consider Your Letter As Undeliverable Mail?
According to Statista, Canada post delivered 6.76 billion units in 2021 and another 6.25 billion mail pieces in 2020. However, every post you send through Canada Post is not always deliverable. Even if we consider a 1% error rate, it would still mean that there are 675,00,000 undeliverable mail in 2021 alone!
So, how sure are you that your business mailer has reached its destination now? Well, maybe this can help put your mind at ease.
Below is a list of reasons or situations under which Canada Post can consider your post as undeliverable mail.
Incomplete or Invalid Address
The most common reason behind undeliverable mail is, of course, incomplete or invalid addresses. An address is often incomplete or invalid because of a manual error. You can avoid set mistakes on your business mailers by using an automated direct mail solution for copying your address to the mailer.
Non-Existent Address
Using a non-existent address can also cause the number of undelivered mail to increase. Suppose your business’s address database consists of several non-existent addresses. It could mean two things. One is that the customers intentionally entered the wrong address. The other reason could be a faulty data entry process.
Either way, you can fix it using an address verification tool like PostGrid. SERP-certified software solutions like PostGrid can validate your addresses against Canada Post’s official address database. It is one of the most efficient ways to minimize your business’s undeliverable mail.
Address Change Without Mail Forwarding
Another common reason behind undeliverable mail is people moving to a new address without opting for the Mail Forwarding service. Like Ryan Gosling in The Notebook writes all those love letters, all your love goes unanswered by your target audience if they never receive it.
Addressee Refuses To Accept The Mail
Even if you validate the deliverability of your addresses, it is still possible that the addressee refuses to accept your mailer. In that case, Canada Post sends the mailer back to you if it has a return address. If it does not have a return address or both parties refuse to accept the mailer, it becomes undeliverable mail.
Addressee Refuses To Pay Postage
Sometimes, the addressee may refuse to pay the necessary postage due charges. So, eCommerce and other companies that let their customers pay due postage charges directly to the USPS should be aware of this.
The addressee has all the right to refuse payment for the postage they receive. Sadly, there is not much you can do about the situation as it depends entirely on the addressee. However, you can send confirmation messages so the customer can expect your mailer and hopefully accept it.
Prohibited Items
One crucial mistake that can result in undeliverable mail for your business is sending prohibited items via Canada Post. Maybe you were trying to send something unique as part of direct mail campaign like a matchbox. It would be best if you made sure that any additional item you want to ship via mail is permissible by the postal service provider.
Loose Item In The Mail
Having loose items inside the envelope can also lead to undeliverable mail for your business. Canada Post uses a high-speed machine for sorting mail, and any open items in the mail could damage the device or the sorting process.
Empty Wrapper/Carton
If the mail item you are sending is an empty wrapper or carton, Canada Post classifies it as undeliverable mail. Although chances of this happening are unlikely, a manual error could lead to this problem costing you time, effort, and money.
What Happens To Your Undeliverable Mail?
Canada Post sends all their undeliverable letters to their respective return addresses. And the mail with no return address eventually gets destroyed or recycled over time. It is always advisable to add a return address to your business mailers because at least you know which addresses are undeliverable.
Had Ryan Gosling had the same sense when he sent all those letters to his girlfriend, we probably could have wrapped up that movie by half-time. But that would only ruin a good movie. On the other hand, your business does not need that kind of suspense. You must know when any of your contacts have undeliverable mail.
Here are some reasons why Canada Post may send back your business mailer to the return address.
- Non-existent receiver
- Insufficient receiver address on the mailer
- Address change of the recipient without a mail forwarding address
- Addressee refuses to accept your mailer
- Insufficient postage on the envelope
Four possible outcomes to your business’s undeliverable mail after Canada Post opens them exist. And this outcome is entirely dependent on the contents of your business mailer and its value. The following table explains what happens to your undelivered letters after Canada Post opens them.
| Content/Value Of The Mailer | Action From Canada Post |
| Worthless (has no apparent value) | Canada Post destroys or recycles the mailer. |
| Merchandise With Value | Canada Post sends the mailer to the sender or addressee (if there is a forwarding address). If forwarding/returning is not possible, Canada Post either disposes of or sells the contents of your undeliverable mail. |
| Cash | Canada Post deposits the money to their credit account. It can also convert the cash to Postal Money Order and send it to the sender or addressee (if there is a forwarding address) |
| Contents Prohibited By Law | Canada Post either disposes of it or hands it over to relevant policing agencies. |
What To Do If Your Business Letter Is An Undeliverable Mail?
Here is what you can do if Canada Post classifies your mailer as undeliverable.
- Contact Canada Post if you believe that it returned your business mailer is inaccurate and report the issue.
- Look up the postal code of the mail address using Canada Post’s Find a Postal Code tool.
- Use the tracking number of the mail (if it has one) to find when Canada Post delivered/returned your business mail.
- Use an automated solution like PostGrid to print verified and standardized addresses for your business mailers.
How To Minimize Undeliverable Mail Using PostGrid’s Print And Mail Automation Tool?
Using an automated print and mail solution like PostGrid is the best way for your business to minimize undeliverable mail. Here is how PostGrid helps reduce the number of undelivered letters for your business.
- Standardized address format to facilitate easy and fast mail sorting
- Print names and addresses directly from your CRM, ensuring zero manual errors
- Quality printing and enhanced readability of addresses
- Easy personalization of mailers using templates
- Easy and accurate bulk mailing capabilities
