How Hybrid Mail Is Transforming Communications in Social Housing

Driving Efficiency, Accessibility and Better Tenant Engagement with Clarity Connect

The social housing sector is under increasing pressure to deliver secure, compliant and cost-effective communications, while simultaneously improving tenant engagement and modernising operational processes.

Housing associations and local authorities must balance digital transformation with inclusivity, ensuring that critical correspondence reaches every resident, regardless of digital access or additional support needs.

Hybrid mail provides a powerful solution. By combining digital document creation with automated print and postal fulfilment, a hybrid mail system such as Clarity Connect by Integrity Communications Group is helping social housing providers improve efficiency, reduce costs and enhance service delivery.

A recent upgrade by Aster Housing highlights the tangible benefits hybrid mail can deliver at scale.

The Challenge: Managing High-Volume Housing Communications at Scale

Aster Housing is a major provider of affordable homes across the South of England, responsible for delivering large volumes of business-critical tenant correspondence, including:

• Approximately 2,000 letters per day
• Annual rent reviews and service charge statements
• Statutory and regulatory notices
• Campaign and ad hoc communications

For over a decade, Aster relied on Integrity’s hybrid mail services to manage this output reliably and securely. In 2025, the organisation took the next step in its digital transformation journey by upgrading to Clarity Connect, Integrity’s next-generation hybrid mail platform.

The objective was clear: improve usability, scalability and security, while maintaining service continuity and regulatory compliance.

Seamless Integration with Housing Management Systems

One of the biggest barriers to digital transformation in the housing sector is system fragmentation. Many organisations operate multiple housing management platforms, finance systems and document repositories, creating inefficiencies and data silos.

Clarity Connect addresses this challenge through built-in API integration capabilities, enabling seamless connectivity with leading housing management systems and enterprise applications.

Key integration benefits include:

• Automated transfer of correspondence data directly from housing management systems
• Removal of manual file uploads and rekeying of information
• Reduced risk of human error
• Faster processing of high-volume tenant communications
• Improved audit trails and data consistency

By embedding hybrid mail directly into existing workflows, Clarity Connect becomes an extension of the housing management ecosystem, allowing teams to trigger print and postal communications directly from their core systems with minimal manual intervention.

This API-first approach supports true end-to-end automation and creates a scalable foundation for future digital transformation initiatives.

The Solution: Clarity Connect Hybrid Mail for Housing Associations

Clarity Connect was rolled out to more than 1,000 Aster users using secure Single Sign-On (SSO), allowing seamless access with minimal disruption to existing workflows.

Key platform enhancements included:

• A modern, intuitive user interface for faster document submission
• Improved document management and real-time tracking
• Automated routing to high-speed digital print and fulfilment lines
• Postage optimisation through Downstream Access (DSA) discounts
• Enterprise-grade security and auditability

Staff can now generate and submit correspondence directly from their desktops, eliminating the need for in-house printing, envelope handling and manual postal processes.

Improving Accessibility in Tenant Communications

Accessibility is becoming an increasingly important priority across the housing sector. Ensuring that all tenants can easily read and understand critical communications is essential for compliance, inclusion and engagement.

Clarity Connect supports a range of accessibility-focused output options, including:

• Large print formats for tenants with visual impairments
• Visually impaired paper options are designed to improve readability and contrast
• Consistent formatting to support accessibility standards

These features enable housing providers to deliver essential correspondence in formats that better meet the diverse needs of their tenant base, helping to reduce barriers to understanding and improving engagement with key information such as rent notices, service updates and regulatory communications.

The Results: Efficiency Gains and Better Use of Staff Time

Since upgrading to Clarity Connect, Aster Housing has achieved measurable operational improvements:

• Faster processing of tenant correspondence
• Continued cost savings through postage optimisation
• Secure deployment across more than 1,000 staff users
• Improved functionality without sacrificing reliability
• Increased resilience during peak mailing periods

Crucially, automation has freed internal teams from manual print and fulfilment tasks, allowing staff to focus more time on frontline services, tenant support and engagement initiatives.

Annie Allkins, Correspondence Lead at Aster Housing, commented:

How Hybrid Mail Supports Digital Transformation

As housing providers face tighter budgets, rising regulatory demands and growing tenant expectations, operational efficiency is no longer optional; it is essential.

Hybrid mailing plays a strategic role in enabling this shift.

Driving Operational Efficiency

Automating print and postal workflows reduces internal handling, eliminates bottlenecks and shortens turnaround times, particularly for high-volume communications such as annual statements and compliance notices.

Enabling Staff to Focus on Tenant Engagement

By removing administrative burdens, housing teams can redirect their efforts toward tenant engagement, support services, and community-focused initiatives that improve satisfaction and outcomes.

Supporting Digital Transformation Without Digital Exclusion

While digital-first strategies are expanding, many tenants still depend on physical mail. Hybrid mail bridges this gap, modernising back-office processes while ensuring no resident is excluded from essential communications.

Improving Compliance and Governance

Secure production environments, audit trails and consistent output standards help housing providers meet regulatory obligations with confidence.

Supporting Smarter Housing Communications with Integrity

With Clarity Connect, Aster Housing is now positioned to manage tenant communications with greater agility, accessibility and operational efficiency, building on a trusted partnership spanning more than a decade.

At Integrity Communications Group, we work with over eighty housing associations, local authorities and public sector organisations across the UK to deliver secure, scalable hybrid mail solutions that drive measurable performance improvements.

If your organisation is looking to modernise tenant communications, reduce operational overheads and improve accessibility, our team would be happy to help, so contact us today if you’ve been looking for quality hybrid mail providers.