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Spr i ng 2012 | p2p Magaz i ne |
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www.binfo.co.uk
“Mail plays a vital part in businesses’
customer communications,” says
Phil Hutchison, Tactical Marketing
Director, Pitney Bowes (www.
pitneybowes.co.uk). “As stamp prices
continue to rise, mailing technology
i.e. franking machines, can not only
save businesses money on basic postal
costs, but can also transform a time
consuming function into an easy,
efficient process.”
Investing in mailroom technology can
free staff to focus on business-critical
tasks and ultimately, on growing the
business. Organisations can also use
their franking machine to make everyday
communications look more professional
and, with the addition of branding
messages and promotional slogans, help
develop and grow customer relationships.
“As the costs of stamps continue to
rise year on year, the savings for franking
machine users have also increased,” adds
Hutchison. “Following last year’s postal
rate change in April, franking technology
users can now benefit from an 8p discount
per letter off second class post and 7p
93%
of first class mail must
arrive the next day and
98.5%
of second class mail must arrive
within three days of posting.
Mail volumes are expected to
continue to decline globally by
between
25%
and
40%
in the
next five years as businesses and
residential customers make increasing
use of online services and email.
off First Class mail. Additionally, users can
save 20p on every 1st class large letter,
and 14p on every second class equivalent.”
Although the future pricing landscape
is currently unclear, Neopost Head of
Marketing Programmes Antony Paul says
that SMEs can begin navigating towards
savings today. Here he outlines a number
of steps that can be taken to ease the
financial pressures of the mailing budget
at a time when every penny counts.
“Make sure that mail complies with
Royal Mail Pricing in Proportion criteria.
Royal Mail pricing is dependent on the
size, thickness and weight of the item, so
postage for a standard letter can be up to
40% cheaper than a large letter.
“Monitor spending and control costs
– free online account management
provided with every Neopost franking
machine, makes it easy to monitor costs
and analyse spend. Improve the quality of
address files to also reduce costs. Simple
on-site or online solutions are available
to check your address data, reducing the
waste of returned mail and qualifying you
for Royal Mail discounts of 16 to 23.5%
with CleanMail Advance.
“Optimise and manage mail content
before printing it. By combining mailings
to the same recipient you can reduce
the number of mail pieces and by adding
Royal Mail barcodes and pre-sorting
electronically, qualify for even greater
postage discounts.” www.neopost.co.uk
Chris Hayes, General Manager at
mailing solutions specialist Frama (www.
frama.co.uk) says that with a price
increase imminent, there’s never been
a better time to invest in a franking
machine. Here, he outlines seven
reasons why:
Stamps cost more. First class
stamps have increased in price
by 70% since 2003 and second
class stamp prices have risen by
almost 90% in the same period.
You can save money on every first
and second class letter you send
through a franking machine.
So why pay more?
You can run out of stamps at
inopportune moments. Franking
machines can be loaded with
sufficient credit for normal usage
and more added if there is an
abnormal mail volume outgoing,
so you will never run out.
Stamps have to be applied by hand.
Your franking machine means no
more sticking by hand. You can
even add a feeder and whiz your
mail through in no time at all.
Don’t pay more than you need to,
rather than adding an extra stamp
just to make sure you’ve applied
the correct postage – weigh the
item and use the size guide and
you will never over or under price
again.
You can never be completely
certain your letter was delivered
at all. Your franked impression
will include your return address,
this means that Royal Mail
have to return your letter if it is
undelivered.
No more trips to the Post Office
or store – re-credit your franking
machine 24/7 from the comfort of
your office.
Stamped mail items can’t promote
your brand. Create a professional
impression and use your frank to
promote your company logo.
Save money on
basic postal costs
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