The process of preparing items for mailing is a core business process for many small business owners. Whether your company relies on the postal service to ship items to customers or as a primary means of marketing, it’s a fact that finding the most cost effective and convenient means to process mail is something that many small business owners struggle with. Melissa Slavin, Manager of Online Marketing for Pitney Bowes shares her expertise about how postage meters can benefit small business owners with the readers of American Small Business News.

Question: How can a postage meter benefit small business owners?

Answer: A postage meter can save small business owners both time and money. Postage meters will calculate exact postage so there is no guessing or over-stamping. Small businesses that use a postage meter can save up to 20% a year in postage. Postage meters also give small businesses the convenience of not having to drive to the Post Office. By managing mail in the office, employees will have more time to focus on more important things like running the business. They will also be saving money on gas.

Question: Does using a postage meter increase postage costs for small business owners?
Answer: Postage costs the same with a postage meter as it does at the Post Office. A postage meter provides you the convenience of not having to make that trip to buy stamps. In most cases, a meter will save money on postage costs because it calculates exact postage – eliminating over-stamping.

Question: What are the primary advantages of using a postage meter instead of stamps?

Answer: Postage meters provide small businesses with the convenience of handling their mail in the office. Postage can be downloaded online or thru an analog phone line 24/7. It is simple to keep up with the USPS rate changes because the meters will download the correct postage rates instantly. Whether you send a few letters a day or a few hundred, there are several different metering options available to help businesses save time and money. Postage meters can also track postage spending. Spending can be tracked by person or department. Metered mail also looks more professional and may even arrive up to a day earlier than stamped mail.

Question: How can small business owners get a postage meter?

Answer: Small business owners can get a postage meter by going to the Pitney Works website.