Mail Services
White Paper
The Era of Specialization:
Squeezing time and money out of your domestic
and international mail delivery.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Individuals responsible for mail and shipping logistics often
find themselves stuck between two dynamic forces. On the
one hand, rising costs for domestic and international delivery
create pressing budget demands. While at the same time,
both customers and management are calling for faster delivery,
improved reporting and higher degrees of personalization
and privacy.
Over the past few years, many companies have taken steps
to upgrade their internal operations, lower costs and strengthen
the flow of communication. And with such high stakes, it’s no
wonder that savvy managers are looking for additional ways
to improve their operations.
Given the complexity of the mailstream, however, there are
certain areas where even the best in-house solution can only
get you so far – where squeezing those extra dollars and days
out of your mailstream requires a degree of specialization
that few companies can afford to build in-house.
This White Paper will examine two such areas: domestic
presort and international mail delivery. In both examples,
you’ll discover the intrinsic value-added characteristics
of a dedicated service firm and how you can leverage these
benefits to your advantage. Plus, we’ll outline the seven factors
you should consider in selecting such a firm, including:
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Nationwide and global networks
Automation technology
Advanced software
Volume-driven savings
Specialized workflow
Proprietary reporting
Postal relationships
In an era where the significance of time and money are
magnified, working with a mailstream specialist is a smart
way to squeeze even more value for your business.
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A FOCUSED APPROACH TO EFFICIENCY
AND SAVINGS
With postage and delivery costs accounting for as much as 70%
of mailstream expenses, specialists in the fields of International
Mail Processing and Domestic Presort can offer new-found
benefits for many mailers. In fact, such service providers can
often improve your bottom line with no up-front investment
of time or money. To determine whether such an approach
is right for your business, you should consider how your current
operations (or current outsourcer) stack up against the seven
key attributes of a top service provider.
Nationwide and global networks ensure
uninterrupted service.
Location is important by itself. Operating facilities near your
mail-producing offices add convenience. And facilities near
major international gateway airports and other USPS bulk
mail centers make it easier to expedite delivery.
In the post-9/11, post-Katrina environment, however,
one of the biggest advantages of a global network may
actually be in terms of business continuity. Having redundant
operations – with excess capacity – provides the disaster
recovery infrastructure needed to keep your mailstream
flowing, regardless of any local or regional events.
Automation increases efficiency, lowers cost.
If you run the same job at the same quantity day after day,
chances are you could maximize speed and productivity
by investing in your own mail processing equipment. If you’re
like many companies, however, your specific needs – and mail
volumes – fluctuate over time. Helping you manage these
fluctuations is one area where a mail specialist can help
decrease your operating expenses.
The right servicing firm can match the right technology to your
unique requirements – regardless of mail volume. Whether
that means sorting at speeds of 36,000 pieces per hour or
scanning with the most accurate multi-line optical character
reader, the right equipment improves mailpiece integrity,
increases productivity and decreases your mail processing costs.
Mail Services
White Paper
Advanced software improves deliverability for less.
Software solutions are being introduced at an increasingly rapid
pace, with each new application providing a lift in deliverability,
speed, address quality or discounts earned.
Proprietary reporting gives you visibility
into the mailstream.
In a world where knowledge is power, piece-level tracking
and online reporting are becoming increasingly essential.
Working with a specialist in this field, you’ll benefit from the
latest barcode functionality, the most accurate move updates
and corrections “on the fly” – services which are often included
as part of a core offering. When you consider that for each
1% increase in coding rates your postage costs may decrease
by 0.28% or more – even small gains add up fast.
With the most advanced solutions, service providers can let
you monitor individual mailpieces through the entire postal
system – or gain advance notice of “global hot spots” and
other potential disruptions. Such insights, combined with
proper spend-management tools, can make it easier for you
to administer your mailstream on a more proactive basis.
Sheer volume provides for otherwise unobtainable
discounts.
In-depth postal know-how put you in the driver’s
seat.
Working with a large, established player in this field
is comforting – and it is also far more economical.
The seventh attribute of a top service provider – and perhaps
one of the most important – is the depth of one’s credibility
with the USPS, International Postal Administrators and other
private and public carriers—as well as a deep understanding
of how they work.
Whether your mail is destined for Poughkeepsie or Peking,
you will pay far less money when your mail is concentrated
in a specific geography. When you work with a specialist
that handles billions of mailpieces, your mail counts are added
together with the mail counts of other leading companies
to achieve discount levels that no single company could achieve
on its own. When you consider that geographic density could
lower postage expenses by 20% or more – without sacrificing
delivery time – the advantages of a high-volume operation
become quite clear.
Specialized workflows add speed and security.
While saving money is important, it is not the only variable
to consider. Experienced managers have uncovered best-practice
processes that can improve mailpiece quality, decrease the
incidence of return mail and manage “in home” delivery dates
with speed and precision.
Having on-site postal quality inspections – before you mail
is inducted into the postal service – is one advantage. The
ability to coordinate and drop-ship containers closer to the
end-point is another. And for many mailers, enhancements
to quality and security are essential. When considering
alternatives, you should inquire about MPTQM Certification
(Mail Processing Total Quality Management), Six Sigma
processes and overall information security.
This credibility, whether expressed as USPS partnerships,
Postal Qualified Wholesalers or Global Networks, go far
beyond “who you know”. They impact what you can do.
Imagine, for example, that your outgoing mail has a space
reserved on the next outbound flight (even before it leaves
the shop). Perhaps you want to gain an understanding of
new postal technologies before they come to market. Or
need someone to advocate your cause during a postal policy
discussion. Or require that your mail have the “look and feel”
of a local country. With the right service provider, you can
achieve all that and more.
PITNEY BOWES: YOUR CHOICE FOR
WORLDCLASS MAIL SSERVICES
When it comes to International Mail Processing and Domestic
Presort, no one provides more value than Pitney Bowes.
With 34 operating centers in the U.S. alone, Pitney Bowes Mail
Services adds efficiency, quality and savings to over 20 billion
mailpieces a year. With the most sophisticated security and
mailpiece integrity processes in place, it’s no wonder that more
of the world’s leading corporations and service bureaus rely
on Pitney Bowes.
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Understanding the value of experience and expertise, Pitney
Bowes adds an added layer of specialization by handling
mail through two distinct operations: Pitney Bowes IMEX
and Pitney Bowes PSI.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERTISE
Pitney Bowes IMEX delivers any instrument, to any market,
at anytime.
With an unrivaled track record in global mail preparation,
Pitney Bowes IMEX offers enhanced international mail
processing capabilities that can meet virtually any need.
Three strategically located processing centers provide IMEX
clients with a secure gateway to the international mailstream.
Through the proprietary PostTracSM management system,
clients can monitor and track jobs through the entire process.
Services include:
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International Mail Consolidation
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International Publication Services
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Worldwide Direct Entry
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In-market Direct Mail Distribution
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Freight and Courier Services
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Fulfillment Services
To find out more, call 1-800-521-0080 or visit www.imex.pb.com.
With a national network that includes over 30 operating
facilities, Pitney Bowes PSI has become the nation’s most
trusted resource for critical mail processing. PSI clients
enjoy advanced on-line reporting, total quality management
and even free mail pick up. Core services include:
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First-Class Presort
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Standard Mail Presort
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Move Update Services
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Piece-level Tracking and Delivery Confirmation
To find out more, call 1-800-660-6501 or visit
www.psigroupinc.com.
CONCLUSION
We live in an era of specialization – and whether it’s a relief
pitcher in baseball, a trained pastry chef or a cardiothoracic
surgeon—we can appreciate that level of heightened
performance in our everyday lives.
So too it is in the mailstream, where performance is measured
in terms of quality, speed, security, reliability and cost-savings.
In fields such as International Mail Processing and Domestic
Presort, a dedicated service firm can be the difference between
good and great – with insights on ways to squeeze more time
and money out of mail delivery, while generating added value
for your business.
DOMESTIC PRESORT LEADERSHIP
Pitney Bowes PSI creates an environment where every penny
counts.
Every year, Pitney Bowes PSI helps companies save millions
of dollars on postage—with no effort and no investments.
Their unique approach to mail presort services, which includes
high-speed automation, intelligent workflow and high-volume
discounts, has enabled PSI to create the largest workshare
partnership arrangement with the USPS. The end result: postal
discounts that no single mailer could achieve independently.
Pitney Bowes Inc.
1 Elmcroft Road
Stamford, CT 06926-0700
For more information about our products and
services, please log onto our web site: www.pb.com
Pitney Bowes and the Pitney Bowes Process Bar
are registered trademarks of Pitney Bowes.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
©2007 Pitney Bowes Inc. • All Rights Reserved
An Equal Opportunity Employer. • Printed in U.S.A. • WPP1022/0307PB
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