What Is Transactional Printing? The Ultimate Guide

Are you printing billing statements, EOBs, service confirmations, or any other document that contains sensitive information about your customers?

If so, then you’re likely handling transactional printing.

Learn more about what this process is, how it works, and how production workflows keep your client data protected with D4 Solutions’ Ultimate Guide to Transactional Printing.

 

 

What Is Transactional Printing?

Transactional printing refers to the creation and printing of documents containing information about customer transactions.

 

Why Is Compliance in Transactional Print and Mail Important?

We go into more detail about this later in the post, but here’s an abbreviated explanation for this section.

This type of printing covers sensitive information that, in many cases, organizations are legally required to deliver to their customers.

Because of this, more than any other type of printing, transactional workflows must generate and deliver accurate and compliant documents, on time and securely.

 

How Is Data Handled in Transactional Printing?

The documents produced in transactional printing and mailing are customized for each individual consumer.

Print and mail partners achieve this level of personalization with variable data printing, which refers to any printing process that automatically customizes data at scale. Variable data printing allows organizations to, for example, adjust the information shown on a statement or EOB to reflect each customer’s transaction details.

The VDP process is covered more in-depth later on, but to summarize it for now, content such as names, addresses, account numbers, balances, service dates, and disclosures are pulled directly from source systems and assembled dynamically during the document composition process.

 

Examples of Transactional Print Documents

Some examples of materials that commonly make up transactional printing and mailing workflows include:

• Invoices.
• Billing Statements.
• Explanations of Benefits (EOBs).
• Insurance Policies.
• Financial Statements.
• Compliance Notices.
• Service Confirmations.

 

How Is Transactional Printing Different From Commercial Printing?

Commercial print is campaign-based and audience-segmented. Materials are produced based on a calendar that an organization’s internal team decides on. While multiple different document types are created, content isn’t personalized for each individual customer, but rather for different groupings of consumers.

Transactional print operations often must be completed by strict regulatory deadlines, which individual organizations are not free to choose. The content on these documents is individualized for each customer, which is not the case in commercial printing.

A commercial mailer can tolerate minor delays or inaccuracies, while a transactional mailer delivering billing statements cannot. This is why compliant transactional print and mail is so important.

 

 

How Does Transactional Print and Mail Work? A Step-by-Step Breakdown

The transactional print and mail process securely uses customer data to create and deliver personalized documents at scale.

Here’s our 5-step guide to how that process works:

 

Step 1: Data Generation and Extraction

Organizations store customer data in a system of record, which may be a billing platform, ERP, CRM, insurance administration system, EHR, or financial management system, among others.

Whenever a transaction occurs, such as a bill cycle, claim adjudication, account update, or policy change, it is noted in the system of record.

Many kinds of data are extracted from the system, including variable content such as names, addresses, balances, service dates, and account activity. If you’re using an outsource transactional printing provider, this data is transferred securely encrypted, both in transit and at rest.

 

Step 2: Document Composition and Assembly

Once extracted, data is passed into document composition software.

This is where transactional materials are assembled using templates, rules, and logic that determine the document’s layout and content.

Composition systems control:

• Which pages appear for which recipients.
• How variable data is placed within a document.
• When additional disclosures or notices are required.
• How multi-page documents are grouped and sequenced.

 

Step 3: Pre-Print Testing

Transactional print and mail needs to be developed and delivered accurately. Because of this, organizations such as D4 Solutions include pre-print test runs as an integral part of the production process.

At D4, our project management team holds as many in-depth meetings as each client requires, asking the right questions so that production can move seamlessly. Then, before printing takes place, we conduct thorough pre-print test runs, and we don’t move forward until our clients have reviewed and approved them.

 

Step 4: Printing and Inserting

After composition, documents move into high-speed print production.

In compliant transactional print and mail environments, the process takes place in secure facilities with data protection measures, such as restricted access, monitoring, and secure storage, to protect sensitive records.

Documents are then prepared for mailing via cutting, folding, inserting, and envelope matching.

At D4, the insertion stage serves as a validation checkpoint. We embed 2D barcodes on each document, then our inserter scans those barcodes as they enter the envelope, confirming the correct materials are being placed in the correct order. If there are any errors, the files are rejected, and handled by quality control associates.

 

Step 5: Mailing and Delivery

Once prepared, mail is inducted into the postal system and delivered to the customer.

Transactional print and mail workflows often include tracking and reporting during this stage, which helps with the development of audit trails.

 

 

Who Uses Transactional Print and Mail?

Some of the industries where these documents are commonly produced include:

Financial Services

Banks, credit unions, and investment firms use transactional print to deliver time-sensitive financial records that must meet strict regulatory standards. They print account statements, transaction confirmations, and regulatory disclosures, among other documents.

Healthcare

Healthcare organizations rely heavily on HIPAA-compliant transactional print to communicate patient- and payer-specific information. These groups may print Explanations of Benefits (EOBs), patient billing statements, appointment notices, post-visit summaries, and compliance notices.

Utilities

Utility organizations rely on transactional print to support recurring billing and service communications. They develop and deliver monthly bills and statements, usage summaries, service change notifications, and past-due notices.

Government

Government entities use transactional print to deliver legally required communications, such as tax statements and enforcement notices.

 

Variable Data Printing in the Document Production Process

Here, we’ll dive deeper into the elements that make up VDP, and how they apply in transactional print workflows.

Variable data printing is what produces most transactional documents. It’s the process that allows each mailpiece to contain unique customer information drawn directly from a database or system of record.

 

Elements of VDP in Transactional Print and Mail

Transactional print relies on variable data printing, which is completed via a combination of templates, business rules, and data mapping.

Templates define the layout, branding, and static content of a document. For example, a template for a healthcare Explanation of Benefits (EOB) might include the provider logo, header, standard instructions, and placeholders for patient name, claim number, service dates, and amounts. During document composition, relevant data is pulled from the system of record and inserted into a template.

Business rules determine what content should appear for each recipient and under what conditions. An example is a rule that states, “Include late-fee notice only if payment is past due.” These guidelines are applied as data is processed and assembled during document composition.

Data mapping is the process of matching each piece of data from a database to its correct place in a document template. This could include, for instance, mapping a field in a system called Client_First_Name to the placeholder <<FirstName>> in a statement template, with formatting to capitalize the first letter of the name. This process is what puts information pulled from systems of record into the correct fields, in the correct format, on every transactional document.

In summary, during the variable data printing process, business rules are applied to data pulled from a system, and the data mapping process puts the right information in the right place on a document template.

 

 

Compliant Transactional Printing and Mailing Explained

Regulatory compliance goes hand-in-hand with transactional print, being a key part of most workflows in this sector.

Failure to safeguard the sensitive information contained in these mailpieces can lead to regulatory violations, fines, and decreased consumer trust.

 

What Are the Compliance Requirements for Transactional Print and Mail Workflows?

These 5 safeguards are key parts of any process that properly safeguards consumer mailpieces:

Access Controls

These are measures that prohibit unauthorized personnel from accessing sensitive data and production systems. Example protocols include multi-factor authentication and role-based controls.

Audit Trails and Documentation

Every step of a compliant transactional print and mail process, from data extraction to final mailing, must be logged. This provides accountability, supports regulatory audits, and allows organizations to track document history in case of disputes.

Secure Data Handling

Sensitive information must be transferred securely and encrypted both in transit and at rest.

Controlled Production Environments

Secure transactional print and mail should be carried out in badge-restricted print facilities with camera monitoring and secure document storage.

Validation and Quality Checks

Pre-print test runs and piece-level verification create workflows that match every document to the correct envelope and the correct recipient.

 

In-House vs Outsourcing Print and Mail

Choosing whether to handle transactional print in-house or with an outsource provider is a decision that should be carefully considered.

Possible advantages of in-house operations include having more direct control over production and having immediate access to staff and equipment.

However, in-house printing also introduces challenges. Firms need to put a significant upfront capital investment into presses and software. They need to pay for maintenance and materials costs. They need to hire and train new staff, or take current staff away from time spent fulfilling their roles.

These monetary and employee productivity costs can add up.

One of the benefits of working with an outsourced transactional print services vendor is that it shifts production, mailing, and compliance controls to a specialized provider. These partners are equipped to handle high-volume regulated communications. They know how to obtain postal discounts and how to conduct compliant printing and mailing operations in a highly efficient way.

Outsourcing transactional print and mail operations saves you the setup and maintenance costs of in-house models, and allows you to recover internal employee productivity by shifting team members away from printing tasks and towards responsibilities aligned with their job descriptions.

 

D4 Solutions: Your Transactional Print and Mail Partner

If you’re looking for an outsource transactional print vendor that handles sensitive documents securely and efficiently, D4 Solutions is the right partner for you.

Our project management team’s dedication to asking the right questions and collaborating with you, along with our thorough pre-print test runs, give our processes a 99.99% operational accuracy rate.

Our HIPAA and SOC 2 Type II audited transactional print and mail workflows get your documents printed securely, accurately, and on time.

Reach out now to see how we can optimize your operations.

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions: Transactional Printing and Mailing

What is transactional printing?

Transactional printing is the creation and delivery of personalized documents that communicate information about customer transactions, accounts, or services.

What are some examples of transactional printing?

Examples of documents commonly produced in transactional printing workflows include account statements and invoices, Explanations of Benefits (EOBs) in healthcare, insurance policies and claims correspondence, and regulatory notices from government agencies.

Why is compliant transactional print and mail important?

Compliance in this sector ensures that sensitive personal, financial, and health information is handled securely and delivered accurately. Non-compliance can result in regulatory fines, legal exposure, and loss of customer trust.

What security controls are used in this process?

Secure transactional print operations include access-controlled production facilities, encrypted data transfer and storage, monitoring of print and mail processes, and detailed audit trails.

What are the advantages of outsourcing transactional printing?

Outsourced providers have specialized infrastructure and staff with expertise in regulatory requirements and high-volume variable data printing and mailing operations. Working with an external vendor also eliminates the costs associated with managing printing in-house, such as purchasing equipment, maintaining machinery, and hiring or reallocating staff away from core business functions.

Why should I change my transactional print and mail vendor?

Updating your vendor can improve operational efficiency, security, and compliance. Although switching your vendor can be a difficult process, the right provider, such as D4 Solutions, will work with you to make it as smooth as possible. Make sure to vet any potential partners for a track record of print and mail experience, the ability to meet your deadlines, and completion of a HIPAA and SOC 2 Type II audit.

Who should I partner with for transactional printing and mailing services?

If you’re looking for a new outsource transactional printing and mailing vendor, D4 Solutions is the right choice for you. Across 45 years of experience, we’ve gained strong expertise in printing for clients in highly-regulated industries. Our HIPAA and SOC 2 Type II audited workflows have a 99.99% operational accuracy rate. Reach out now to see how we can help your organization.