Every business wants to decrease costs in any way. While some things are easier to cut, some are more fixed. Many companies may have that assumption about postal rates. However, reducing postage costs is possible with the optimization of processes.
If you currently process your print and mail internally or use a third party, you may see postage expenses increasing. Here are the ways we’re able to optimize to save our customers money.
Address Hygiene
Accurate addresses are critical for postal cost reduction. Wrong or duplicate addresses add up to waste. We use address scrubbing technology which merges our proprietary technology with the USPS Intelligent Mail® barcode (IMb). The technology identifies and intercepts anything inaccurate or incomplete. As a result, you save on postage and improve the accuracy of delivery.
Presorting Discounts
USPS manages and sorts large volumes of mail every day. They have incentives if you make it easier for them by presorting by zip code. They have to do less labor, so they discount the rate. We provide that benefit to all our customers.
IMb Offers Lower Automation Rates
The IMb is a 65-bar Postal Service™ for sorting and tracking letters. Mailers can use a single one to participate in multiple programs from USPS. By using it, we can secure a lower automation rate.
Commingling Groups Like Mail for Savings
Commingling involves combining and organizing mailing by zip codes to qualify for volume and other postal discounts. Since we produce large quantities of mailings every day that have zip code overlap, we can use this tactic to reduce postage and delivery costs.
USPS Postage Promotions
USPS offers postage promotions every year. We regularly monitor these to ensure we take advantage of these deals. Here are some examples:
- Earned Value Reply Mail Promotion: This offer is a credit for eligible businesses who use IMbs on their Business Reply Mail® (BRM), Courtesy Reply Mail™ (CRM), and Share Mail® pieces and register their Mailer ID. You receive a credit for every scan during the promotional period. Currently, it’s $0.02.
- Personalized Color Promotion Discount: By using color, dynamic print, and personalization on statements and letters, USPS will reward you. It enhances the communication for the end-user, and the current discount is 2% off.
Electronic Return Mail
Return mail equals wasted postage. While address scrubbing eliminates much of this, you’ll still receive return mail. However, it’s possible to manage this electronically and update the address database. A digital file of Change of Address (COA) and Undeliverable as Addressed (UAA) is created in this process. We match that to our tracking database and can then manage revisions in real-time when possible, saving money on postage from incorrect addresses.
Standardization of Mail Sizes
The size and shape of a letter impact its cost to send. It’s a good idea to standardize this. Most transactional mail is a #10 envelope, but sometimes they are larger, depending on the contents. We work with our customers to ensure they get the best price while also maintaining the integrity of their mailings.
Paper Stock Weight
The weight of the paper you print on also contributes to postal fees. There was an increase in maximum weight for automation letters to 3.5 ounces, which offers more flexibility. We use a white paper factory method for printing, so our stock is always within this range, guaranteeing the best rate.
High-Volume Capabilities Deliver Savings
If you’re managing your own in-plant, your volume is likely decreasing. That’s not the case for transactional printers. Our volume remains steady and rising, so we can qualify for discounts related to volume.
Reduce Postage Costs and Much More with PCI Group
The best way to reduce postage costs is to partner with us. We leverage technology and standard processes that provide us with the best postage rates. We pass those savings on to our customers. In addition to saving on postage, working with us drives so many other savings, too. Explore what those are and learn more about outsourcing with us today.
