What 200+ Community Banks Taught Us About Digital Documents, Communication & True Vendor Partnerships

Community banks face relentless pressure: rising postage costs, evolving customer expectations, core conversions, mergers, and the constant demand to deliver a seamless experience across every channel. In a recent episode of Bound by Banking, Gretchen Renaud, Vice President of Customer Success & Strategic Partnerships at PrintMail, shared hard-won lessons from working with more than 200 community banks—and the results of serving hundreds more over the years.

If you work in operations, digital banking, or vendor management at a community bank, this conversation is worth your time. We’ve embedded the full interview below so you can hear Gretchen’s insights firsthand.

The Biggest Missed Digital Opportunity

One of the strongest points Gretchen makes early in the discussion is how many institutions still limit electronic delivery to checking statements. Loan documents, mortgage paperwork, tax forms, and other critical notices often remain stuck in the print-and-mail world.

That creates an inconsistent customer experience. Younger account holders expect self-service access to everything. At the same time, every paper document carries real cost—postage alone runs roughly 70 cents per piece, not counting printing, handling, and the labor of managing returns.

PrintMail’s ePresentment platform integrates directly with online banking portals so banks can offer a full suite of documents digitally. Customers get instant access. Banks reduce postage, improve adoption rates, and free internal teams from repetitive work. The opportunity is sitting in plain sight for any institution still treating “eStatements” as a checking-account-only feature.

How Successful Banks Navigate Big Change

Mergers, acquisitions, and core conversions (FIS, Fiserv, Jack Henry, and others) are high-stakes moments. Gretchen emphasizes that the banks that handle these transitions best treat their vendors as true partners rather than transactional suppliers.

Early, transparent communication makes the difference. When a bank shares upcoming plans in regular business reviews, vendors can surface potential issues, suggest better customer notification strategies, and help build excitement through digital channels instead of last-minute paper notices. The result is smoother conversions and fewer customer complaints.

Shared Challenges and Peer Solutions

After working with hundreds of financial institutions, one pattern stands out: most community banks wrestle with the same operational headaches. Return mail is a classic example. Undeliverable statements and notices generate unnecessary expense and compliance questions.

PrintMail’s secure destruction service addresses this directly. The postal service securely destroys undeliverable mail and provides digital records, helping banks control costs while meeting regulatory expectations. Gretchen notes that peer examples often help overcome internal hesitation—when one bank sees how another solved the same problem, adoption becomes easier.

Building Relationships That Actually Matter

Strong vendor partnerships don’t happen by accident. They require executive-level dialogue, transparency when problems arise, and consistent interaction. Vendors who sit in on regular business reviews can bring benchmarking data, product roadmaps, and practical insights drawn from other banks facing similar situations.

The banks that get the most value treat their print, mail, and electronic document partners as extensions of their own teams. That mindset turns a service contract into a strategic advantage.

Ready to Put These Lessons to Work?

Gretchen’s conversation on Bound by Banking is packed with practical takeaways for any community bank looking to modernize document delivery, control costs, and strengthen vendor relationships. Watch the full interview above, then reach out to the PrintMail team.

We help more than 200 financial institutions nationwide with statement processing, electronic presentment, tax form delivery, and various compliance communications—all backed by SOC 2 certification, industry-leading accuracy, and dedicated client managers who treat your business like their own.

Whether you’re exploring broader electronic document options, preparing for a core conversion, or simply tired of rising postage bills, we’d love to talk. Schedule a conversation or request a cost analysis today and discover how the same lessons Gretchen shared can work for your institution.