It’s a digital world – a world of emails and instantaneous communication. Yet, for all of the technological advancements, plenty of businesses, big and small, still rely on physical, traditional mail for communicating with partners, marketing to customers, and delivering important or sensitive information.

If your business runs the same way, a postage meter might be a logical and cost-effective investment. This guide looks at what postage meters are, the benefits they bring, and some key signs your business could use one.

What Is a Postage Meter?

A postage meter is arguably the most important piece of business mailing equipment you can buy today. It’s a machine that essentially brings the postal service into your office, letting you weigh, print, and pay for your business postage quickly, easily, and conveniently.

With one of these devices to hand, you can simply:

  1. Prepare a piece of mail.
  2. Weigh it on the postage meter.
  3. Pick the class or type of mail you want to send.
  4. Pay for it and print it there and then.

It’s that simple, and many of the best postage meter models come with many other features to make your life even easier, like automatic enveloper sorting, sealing, and stacking, built-in tape dispensers, customizable imprints on every envelope (so you can print your brand name or logo, for example) and intuitive touchscreen interfaces.

The Benefits of These Machines

A postage meter can be an invaluable addition to an office, delivering:

  • Convenience: No more long trips to and from the local post office, no more waiting in line to post your business mail – with a postage meter, you can do it all from the office.
  • Efficiency: It’s much more efficient to print and pay for all your postage in bulk and on-demand, rather than needing to make multiple separate trips.
  • Cost Savings: Having a postage meter improves productivity and saves money, as you avoid overspending on postage and wasting time and manpower on mailing tasks.
  • Flexibility: As touched on above, the better postage meters are highly flexible and functional, with lots of nifty features that let you have more control over how you mail.
  • Accuracy: These machines don’t make mistakes. They accurately weigh every bit of mail you send so you pay the right price every time.

Signs Your Business Could Use a Postage Meter

Now that you know what postage meters are all about, it’s time to determine if your business needs one. Here are some clear signs that a postage meter might make for a logical and sound investment.

You Send a Lot of Physical Mail (Especially Packages)

USPS handles over 100 billion pieces of mail a year. A large part of that is business mail, and if you’re a regular customer of the postal service, sending lots of letters and especially packages per year to vendors, customers, partners, and so on, it makes a lot of sense to have a postage meter.

Without one, you’re going to spend lots of time and take some of your team members away from their desks to have them send mail manually, going back and forth on lengthy journeys to your local post office. But with a meter, you’ll be able to meet your mailing needs much more easily.

Mail Marketing Works Well in Your Industry

It’s estimated that 70% of people respond positively to direct mail marketing, and over 50% actually want to receive more physical mail from the brands they like. In short, even in today’s world of influencer marketing and social media marketing, sending promotional materials via the mail still works in a lot of industries.

If you operate in one of those industries and want to put more focus and energy into direct mail marketing, you’ll need the gear to do so. A postage meter is crucial for running effective and efficient mail campaigns and getting maximum value out of them.

Employees Waste a Lot of Time on Mail-Related Tasks

Another obvious sign that your business would be better off with a postage meter is if you’ve got workers who are simply spending ages getting mail ready, putting letters into envelopes, weighing them, printing and applying postage manually, and so on.

All of that doesn’t just take time, it also runs the risk of impacting employee morale – a lot of workers get bored of doing the same tedious tasks over and over and may have much more to contribute to your business in more crucial areas. Having a postage meter frees them up to become more productive.

Your Business Is Getting Bigger

Growth. It’s the No. 1 aim for a lot of businesses. However, growth is often stymied when businesses fail to invest in the tools and resources they need to support it. As your brand gets bigger, for example, you’ll likely need to send more mail, and your existing mailing methods may no longer suffice.

So, if your brand is getting a bit bigger, with more growth on the horizon, be proactive. Investing in a postage meter early on should help you cope as your mailing demands increase. You can continue to send out letters at the same rate, if not even faster, to avoid unwanted problems and delays.

You’ve Been Overspending on Mail

Budget management matters at all business levels and sizes, from the smallest startups to the largest and most well-established enterprises. And you might be surprised when you review your spending reports to see just how much money goes into sending mail.

If it seems like an excessive amount, you might be overspending because of manual, outdated processes. Your business might end up paying more than they need, for example, not to mention the money you’re losing when workers are away from their desks waiting in line at the post office and not getting work done. Yes, a postage meter will cost money initially, but it could save you a lot in the long run.

Solve Your Business’ Mailing Problems With a Meter

So, if you recognize your business in any of the scenarios outlined above, it might be the right time to invest in a postage meter. Kelly Office Solutions can help. We offer a fully IMI-compliant postage meter product range to help firms in Winston-Salem, Charlotte, and Greensboro. Get in touch with the team today to learn more.