What are the must-have devices in most offices? The likes of printers and copiers most likely spring to mind when you hear that question, but many other potential devices often go overlooked but may add value and utility to any workspace.
The postage meter is one such device. Perfect for businesses that handle and send a large amount of mail on a daily or weekly basis, postage meters bring numerous benefits to the table. In this guide, we’ll explore those benefits and help you answer the question “Does my business need a postage meter?”
The Basics: An Overview of Postage Meters
An office postage meter or machine is a device for weighing, paying for, and printing postage for your business mailing needs. It can help you with everything from preparing individual envelopes to accurately weighing them, working out the exact amount you need to pay (without any risk of overspending), and printing directly onto envelopes or other materials.
In short, it helps you with almost all of your day-to-day post-related processes. What’s more, many of the top-tier postage meters on the market these days bring other advanced features to the table, like:
- Automatically sorting your envelopes
- Sealing envelopes and stacking them
- Wireless connectivity with office computers
- Built-in tape dispensers
- Customizable envelope branding
The Value of a Postage Meter
So, why would you want a postage meter? It’s simple – these nifty devices can deliver huge benefits to your business in areas such as productivity, efficiency, and even team morale.
Usually, for example, in offices without postage meters, the onus is on workers to prepare each bit of mail, piece by piece. They have to do things like weighing the mail, writing addresses or printing address stickers, taking mail to the local post office, paying for it all separately, and so on. That takes time and effort, and it also takes workers away from their desks.
USPS handles literally billions of pieces of mail yearly, and workers often have to spend time waiting in line before they can get their pieces paid for and sent on their way.
When you have a postage meter, however, all of the above is much simpler. In fact, the best meters do most of the hard work for you. It’s simply a matter of feeding in the envelopes and necessary information, and the meter handles the rest. That way, workers don’t have to waste nearly as much time – instead, they can get back to their desks and carry on with more important matters.
That should, logically, result in more productivity for the office on the whole, which should, in turn, lead to more revenue and profit. Workers will also be happier doing more interesting tasks than waiting around at the local post office. Plus, you eliminate some of the risk of human error during the mail preparation process, which leads to issues like overpayment or letters not ending up where they should.
Does Your Business Need One?
That’s the value of postage meters covered, but you might still wonder if your business actually needs one, or if you may be able to get by using more traditional mailing methods. Well, here are some situations where it makes sense to invest in one.
You’re Investing in Physical Mail Marketing
These days, there’s so much talk about digital marketing methods, like social media marketing and SEO content, but more traditional marketing methods are sometimes overlooked. However, there is still much value to be found in mail marketing.
In fact, 50% of people say they actually want to get more physical mail from the brands they like. So, if you’re eager to profit from that and start some letter or leaflet campaigns, it makes sense to have your own in-house mailing equipment.
You Send Lots of Mail Each Day/Week/Month
This one is quite obvious. If you send large amounts of mail, then it’s logical for you to invest in the equipment you need to prepare, pay for, and send it in a more efficient way. Otherwise, you’re needlessly wasting time, energy, and other resources on a big aspect of your business.
If you’re only a small company sending a few dozen letters a week, a postage meter might not be for you. But for larger and more established brands, sending hundreds or thousands of pieces of mail weekly, a postage meter is almost a necessity.
Your Business Is Growing and Reaching a Bigger Audience
Surveys of business leaders show that growth is often their top concern. As your company grows, it’s likely that your potential audience of customers or clients will also grow, along with your marketing campaigns, your network of partners and suppliers, and so on.
All of that may also equate to greater amounts of mail sent out each week and more work for whichever workers have to prep and pay for that mail. Getting a postage meter before your business begins to grow can help you cope with that growth a little more easily.
You Have Concerns About Cost, Productivity, Morale, or All Three
Lastly, you may benefit from a postage meter, along with other key pieces of office equipment, if you’ve got concerns about your company’s existing levels of productivity, morale, or expenditure. A postage meter won’t have dramatic impacts on those levels, but it will benefit them.
It can help ease the burden on workers, for example, freeing them up to focus on more important and engaging tasks. It should also help you optimize your mail-related spending.
Invest in Postage Solutions Today
If having reviewed the benefits listed above, you feel that a postage meter might be the right fit for your company, Golden Gate Office Solutions can help. We’ve assisted many companies in and around San Francisco in finding the ideal office equipment for their needs, and we’d be happy to do the same for you. Get in touch with the Golden Gate Office Solutions team today to find out more.
