Postal Service – Thriving in the current economic climate requires a lot. Given the dynamic nature of the business ecosystem, corporations must evaluate all of their departmental processes. And this includes the mailing process as well. New opportunities, new software and tools pave the way for enhanced operational efficiency and savings. One such piece of equipment is the franking machine. The purpose of these tools is to streamline and automate workflows.
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Into the Mail
Sending packages and mails is a low-skill, mundane task. Nonetheless, it is deemed necessary. These packages can include confidential documents, parcels and other types of postage. What’s more, it is a monthly activity that incurs the regular expenditure. Also, the equipment gets upgraded regularly, further paving the way for greater efficiency.
Next, we look at three ways of leveraging new technologies to help the postal service.
High-Tech Data Security
If you are a mail-intensive company having hundreds of thousands of pieces of mail to seal and send, there’s a lot on your plate. Gone are the days of manually folding and inserting. With that said, how can you get efficient and precise? There are several sensitive and high-tech sectors wherein communications cannot, by any measure, end up in wrong envelopes or at the incorrect mailbox. Apart from unintended and erroneous delivery, this can create issues across the board – logistical, customer service, legal and even financial repercussions.
Franking machines of today are technologically-upgraded with the latest software. Also, high-volume machines can fold, insert and sort thousands of mails error-free. In this stead, the traditional manual task of physical sorting of mails is automated. The human resources can then be redirected to more pressing issues entering the mailroom. What’s more, sorting options also interpret multiple layers of file data. This renders flexibility to select names within the mail file for customised messages and inserts.
The blend of high-tech software and hardware not only speeds up the processing but also enhances your cash flow position. In simple words, the faster that you send the invoices, the quicker your payments will be processed and settled.
Accurate and Precise Barcoding
When contemplating enhancing efficiency, another way is incorporating a sophisticated barcode system. Today high-volume equipment folds, inserts and sorts thousands of mail. All that will deem inefficient the barcode system is not up-to-the-mark. In attaining error-free operations, franking machines must integrate with efficient and advanced barcode software. Using the software, you can make automatic inserters more accurate and precise, ensuring document integrity.
What can the Barcode System do for your Business?
A sophisticated barcoding software is tremendously helpful in the following ways:
- Offers better data security
- Ensures the mail reaches the intended recipient
- Renders accurate and precise processing of your documents
- Troubleshoots, identifies and fixes workflow issues while processing
- Provides targeted messaging or inserting via sorting options
Another benefit of barcoding is it qualifies you for postal discounts. In all, it is an excellent software that helps transform mailings into secure document processes. Also, you can leverage test-driven marketing campaigns with ease.
Automation of Inbound Mails
When it comes to mailing, businesses usually think of outbound mailing costs. These typically are printing, folding, inserting and postage. What many tend to overlook is that of receiving and distributing incoming mail.
To take an example, say that a crucial package or document is delivered to your business address. And that it gets lost internally due to a mix-up in manual logging or by unreadable signatures, for instance.
At this phase, there is not much you can do. So, to avoid this, you can opt for software solutions that automatically validate mail receipts for inbound mail and track its journey right up to delivery confirmation. Now this will show the name and signature of the recipient. What’s more, you can check the document status in real-time. This includes where and by who it was collected. And also at what time of the day.
Now that you know the three ways of improving postal services, next up is mailroom services. Below are some systems that you can deploy in the mailroom.
Using Smart Lockers
The mailroom, most often, is buzzing and busy dealing with all kinds of packages, including personal ones. So where and how do you put all the boxes? And what happens when employees do not pick them up right away?
An excellent solution here is to install workplace technology such as smart lockers. These render space savings and mitigate clutter and chaos. All that is needed is a timeline for package collection and a personal unlocking code. Given these, smart lockers practically run themselves. And the best part? Very little staff time is required.
Automated Management of Deliveries
Yet another way of streamlining the mailroom services is through automation. Here, mailroom software comes to the rescue. It makes the traditional labour-driven jobs of cataloguing, sorting, tracking and notifying recipients of their deliveries an efficient feat.
All that is needed is to take a quick picture of the shipping label. Postal Service is the software shall do the rest. Once it enters the system, employees receive an automated email about their packages. After the stipulated time has passed, it sends them a pickup reminder. The management system tracks the entire lifecycle of each box. One knows where it is, from intake to receipt.
Another use of the software is that it can alert staff when the employee in question is on vacation, on leave or has vacated the business premises for good (resignation). What’s more, employees can also set time-sensitive alerts for critical parcels. When picked up, the software records this activity and other crucial details.
What Lies Ahead
The above systems are efficient and secure for mailroom services. There is already talk about using robotics in the manufacturing and medical sciences. So, what about delivery robots? Robots-on-wheels are a common feature in Silicon Valley already for food parcels and delivery. Again, Postal Service all that is required is a unique code. Do you reckon this can be the future of post?
