Name: International Mailing Systems Ltd
Address: 77 Milford Road, Reading, RG1 8LG, GB
Telephone: 0118 982 0988

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Do I need a franking machine?

Oct 22, 2019

Do I need a franking machine?

Every business of any size needs to ask themselves the question – do I need a franking machine?

It is a popular misconception that franking machines are only suitable for businesses that send thousands of letters a week. It’s simply not true. In fact, even companies that post as few as ten letters a week could potentially save hundreds of pounds every year as a result of switching from stamps to franking.

And the more letters or parcels you send, the greater the saving. If you’re sending hundreds of letters a week, you can expect to save thousands of pounds per year, simply by installing a franking machine in your mail room.

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But cost cutting is only one of the many reasons you should consider switching to franked mail. A franking machine can also help you to streamline your mailing process, make it easier to track your post, and allow you to easily present a professional image to your customers and prospects.

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So, whether you send 500 letters a year or 1,000 letters a day, here are four reasons why you should be using a franking machine…

Discounted rates: To encourage more businesses to use franking machines, Royal Mail offers significant postage discounts to companies that frank their mail. Because of this, franked mail is always cheaper than standard postage, whether you are sending a small letter or a large parcel.

In recent years, the discounts offered by Royal Mail on franked postage have increased significantly. Modern Mailmark machines offer considerable discounts on every piece of mail sent – from 10p for a small letter, up to £1 for a 20kg parcel. Over the course of a week, month, or year, this can add up to significant savings.
Never over- or underpay: Both over- and under-paying on postage can cause major headaches for businesses. Over-paying (or over stamping) occurs when senders are unsure of the exact weight of a piece of mail, or don’t have the exact denomination of stamps to cover the correct postage, so you over stamp the letter or parcel to ensure if reaches its intended recipient. Any additional postage is simply wasted money.

Under stamping – as the name suggests – is the opposite problem. While under stamping won’t cost your business money, it can cause considerable inconvenience for you customers. If you send mail with insufficient postage, the recipient will receive a Royal Mail delivery card asking them to go to their nearest delivery centre to pay the excess postage and receive their item.

A franking machine can help you over come both of these problems. Simply weight your letter or parcel and your franking machine will print the precise postage needed to send it – no wasted money and no disgruntled customers.
Save time: A franking machine can help you to save money in a number of ways. Not only is the process of franking mail less laborious than manually peeling and affixing stamps, but it also removes the need to visit – and queue – at the post office.

In many ways, owning a franking machine is a lot like having your very own post office in your mailroom. You simply weigh your mail, frank your mail, place it in the post bag and arrange a collection – all without having to leave the office. The process is so fast that some machines can frank up to 180 items per minute.

Plus, as franking machines can be topped up online in minutes, 24/7, 365 days a year, you’ll never run out of stamps or have to delay postage even when the post office is closed.
Present a professional image: Franked mail can be customised for your business – either displaying your company name, logo, or a promotional message. This can be changed to include promotions or seasonal messages. Got a new product or latest deal that you want your customers to hear about? What better way to get it out there than to print it on every bit of post that leaves the building.

As well as presenting a more professional image to anyone who receives your mail, this is a great way to promote your brand and your services.

There’s another way franked mail can help improve the professionalism of your business too. Set your franking machine to automatically print a return address on all post and you can ensure your mailing list is always accurate and up to date.

What’s more, with Mailmark franking machines, you can track your post every step of the way, so you’ll never be in the dark about when – or if – a piece of mail has reached its intended recipient.

Want to find out more about franking?

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At IMS, we’re the franking experts. Want to find out if your business could benefit from a franking machine? Ask us!

Either fill out the form on our contact page, or get in touch via the Live Chat pop up in the bottom right of your screen.

Alternatively, call us on 0118 982 0988 or email info@ims-franking.co.uk.

If you have an questions about franking, just leave us a message on the form below:

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