Council mail operations with digital automation

Newcastle City Council implemented Aceni – Datagraphic’s hybrid mail solution for bulk and ad-hoc mail to improve the Council’s mail operations as part of its digital transformation strategy.

Previously, the Council printed mail internally. Mail was printed and dispatched effectively, but with limited insight or control over mailing patterns and costs. By implementing Aceni, the Council achieved significant cost savings, greater operational efficiency, and improved data insights.

The challenge

The original set-up for Newcastle City Council’s mail operations was an in-house print facility. The team printed, bagged and handed council mail to Royal Mail with minimal automation. Whilst functional, the manual system didn’t provide transparency for the procurement team – a challenge often felt by local authorities.

The old method could not provide:

Information on what each department was spending and where it was over budget, in some cases.
Details of the class of postage used or the frequency of mail sent.
Insight into what different departments were sending to residents.
Analysis on how to reduce operational mailing costs corporately.

Solution

To address these concerns, the Council selected Aceni, which aligned with key procurement and IT priorities, including:

Seamless integration with existing IT systems: Aceni works with existing IT infrastructure to ensure secure user authentication and streamlined workflows.
Automation and digital options: Automated mail reduces manual intervention and provides a fallback mechanism for undelivered digital messages.
Compliance and security: Built-in audit trails and tracking ensure teams can comply with legal and regulatory requirements.

Through the procurement process, the Council identified that the Aceni solution could meet the visibility and operational efficiency requirements. The Datagraphic team delivered the platform within six weeks, thanks to proven expertise in working with public sector organisations.

Datagraphic also provided extra support to tackle cultural resistance from council users, including:

Video guides and FAQs.
Interactive training sessions via Teams.
Ongoing customer support to ensure smooth adoption.
This hands-on approach reassured staff and facilitated an easier transition to the new system.

Key benefits

Better tracking and visibility: Users can see what is printed and handed over to give the team greater confidence in what is being distributed to residents.
Cost control: Users can access detailed information about where the budget is spent.
Improved legal and compliance: The audit trail feature tracks mail to provide evidence of when mail has been produced, e.g. in legal cases.
Seamless collaboration: Datagraphic provides strong support to the Council, with monthly meetings and engagement across various levels of the organisation.
Sustainability and green procurement: The Aceni solution embeds tools that offer future digital-first communication, reduced paper waste and carbon-neutral mail.
Community investment: As part of the service contract with the council, Datagraphic pledged to deliver social value within the local community. This partnership has delivered a number of initiatives, including funding a breakfast club at a city centre school.

Future plans

Following the successful implementation of Aceni, Newcastle City Council is now looking for further ways to innovate its digital transformation efforts.

Newcastle City Council is exploring digital mail delivery via text message and a secure digital envelope as a cost-effective alternative to traditional mail. Users have a fail-safe mechanism that follows undelivered digital messages with a printed letter.

Conclusion

By partnering with public sector specialist Datagraphic and implementing Aceni, the council has successfully modernised its mail operations. The team at Newcastle now has valuable insights into spending and operates more efficiently.

This case study highlights the importance of digital transformation in public sector operations, showcasing how strategic technology adoption can drive significant benefits.