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Save money by looking at all aspects of your postal service

It’s easy to send out business post each day without giving it much thought, but organisations should be managing their postal systems even more efficiently in response to recent industry changes. Particularly in the current economic climate, it’s vital to adopt the most efficient and cost-effective solutions for your business.

The opening up of Britain’s mail market has meant the arrival of new postal operators, while volumes of post have declined in recent years.

Industry regulator Ofcom this year allowed the Royal Mail to set its own pricing, lifting restrictions on the cost of stamps and business mail. This move has resulted in significant price rises, which were necessary to retain the UK’s six day postal service.  At the same time, VAT has been imposed on some retail mail services.

This means that if you continue to use the postal system as you have always done, without taking advantage of new money-saving opportunities, your business will end up paying more for the same service.

Firstly, make sure you are franking your mail, even if you are just putting a handful of items into the post each day. This saves you money and time, instantly reducing your mailing costs.

To maximise savings, look at the post as a complete service - from printing, enclosing and addressing to how items are paid for and delivered – and how these different aspects are connected with each other. Don’t stop at outgoing mail. Consider how incoming post is opened and distributed. Is your mailroom being run in the most efficient way possible?

Investing in the right equipment can seriously speed up processes in your post room. Look into things like automatic letter openers and folding machines. The latter not only saves you money by being less labour-intensive, it significantly cuts your postage costs too, as folded A4 letters can be sent in DL or C5 envelopes stopping the need to send as a large letter.

It’s also well worth looking into envelope printing machines and folder inserters, which automatically fold and enclose letters and other paperwork into their envelopes before sealing them.  This is at least 13 times quicker than the most nimble-fingered staff member could do by hand.

Neopost is a leading supplier of mailroom solutions across the UK and globally. Their solutions can save money, boost productivity and help your organisation manage its processes and communicate with existing and potential clients effectively. It is possible to trial one of their franking products for free, or information-packed whitepaper about saving money on business post can be downloaded.

Equally, addressing software ensures all addresses are complete, properly spelt and comply with Royal Mail requirements. This will eliminate duplication and ensure you are not spending money on post which does not reach its recipient.

Finally, with print management software, businesses can save time and money by streamlining mailings. This maximises postal savings by batch printing and sorting print jobs, combining multiple letters to a single address in one envelope and printing barcodes and optical marks on letters. It also creates templates so you won’t have to pay for pre-printed forms and stationery.