A Franking Machine is an Essential Piece of Equipment for a Small Business – Here’s Why
By Space Coast Daily // December 12, 2019
To ensure efficiency, productivity, and profitability, both small and large businesses need a certain set of equipment. These may vary from one industry to another, but a franking machine is one of those essential pieces of equipment needed by small businesses that send outgoing mail regularly.
From helping you cut your mail costs to saving time, advertising, and improving the confidentiality of your mail, having a franking machine can benefit your business in various ways.
To cut a long story short, here’s why a franking machine is an essential piece of equipment for small businesses.
What’s a franking machine anyway, and how does it work?
It would be unfair to assume that every business owner actually knows what a franking machine is. Simply put, it’s a metering device that streamlines the postage process.
It basically does so by eliminating the need to travel all the way to the post office, battle with long queues, and weigh your mail to determine the postage rates.
With a franking machine, you can weigh your mail from your mailroom, affix postage, and just drop it off at the local post box in your own time.
The machine is designed to automatically weigh your mail and calculate postage fees based on the current Royal Mail rates. Modern models usually download the current Mailmark rates online whereas older ones use an installable chip or rate card to update the postage rates.
The guys at www.fpmailing.co.uk/franking-machine/ say that, since not all franking machines are equal, it is important to choose one based on the mailing demands and other needs of your business.
When buying one, some things you’d want to consider may include your mailing volume, the tech features you need, and, of course, a reliable supplier.
So, how exactly is a franking machine important to your startup business?
It Saves on Costs
As a small business, there’s a huge chance one of your core objectives is to cut down on costs while maximizing your profits to allow for expansion. Of course, this should always be done without compromising your service or products.
This is exactly what you get with a franking machine. In addition to getting you discounts from Royal Mail for just using franked mail, sending your mail in bulk attracts even larger discounts. It is cheaper than conventional postage.
A franking machine also allows you to save the money you or your employees would have spent on their way to the post office and back. It also helps avoid fines and penalties for wrong postage while minimizing errors such as overpaying or underpaying for your postage.
Increased Convenience
Nothing is more frustrating than having to queue hours for postage stamps at the Post Office. For a small business, each second counts and even if you have employees running those errands, this is time they could spend on other revenue-generating tasks in the workplace.
Having a franking machine allows you to save precious time that could be utilized in improving productivity in the workplace.
Additionally, you have the convenience of preparing your mail off-hours, weekends, and any other time around the clock. A postage meter also allows easy and faster postage, thus improving efficiency.
An Additional Marketing Tool
By including your company logo, trademark or slogan on your mails’ franked impression, you can use a franking machine as an extra marketing and branding tool for your business.
This is because there’s a high chance the boxes you use will be reused after the mail reaches the intended owner or end up in the hands of other potential customers.
They, in turn, could spread the word if not want to know more about your company. This is a strategy that many successful businesses are using to improve their brand’s exposure and professional image.
Accountability
It goes without saying… that accountability is of the essence to small businesses. Some franking machines also come with a built-in feature for cost accounting. This makes it easy to track every penny spent on postage, thus facilitating easy budget allocation and reconciliation.
Whether you operate from a home office or you have a whole floor in the city occupied by your business, there’s a huge chance you’ll need to send mails regularly to clients, potential investors, associates, contractors, and so forth.
If your business or one of its departments deals with a lot of mail, it should by now be evident just how much it could gain from having a franking machine. And, of course, the benefits go far beyond cutting costs, improving efficiency, adding convenience, marketing, and improving accountability.
All the same, the above are just a few reasons a franking machine is an essential tool for the operations, growth, and success of any small business.
