What is Metered Mail?

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How To Use Metered Mail To Help You Save Money And Time On Your Business Communication?

Physical mail always emanates a more credible and professional feeling to its recipients. It is why postal mail continues to enjoy specific power and popularity as a communications channel despite the ever-spreading digital dominance in communication.

“Direct mail is perceived as a more trusted, personal form of marketing” – Digital Doughnut.

However, there is no hiding the fact that sending postal mail is often a time-consuming process. But solutions like metered mail can make it easier for your business organization to use postal mail communication.

And despite the extra effort companies must take with postal mail, it is still worth all the trouble. It helps them to make a personal bond with their customers, which has become increasingly complex with online communication channels.

Printed letters efficiently grab the target’s attention and seem professional while doing it. But, despite the many advantages, businesses often struggle to find the correct postage for their mailers. And this is where a solution like metered mail can come in handy for your business.

Below, we discuss what is metered mail, its benefits, and everything else you need to know about it for your business communications. Furthermore, we look at its shortcomings and discuss ways to overcome them.

What is Metered Mail?

Generally, there are two ways for you to send your business letters through the USPS (United States Postal Service).

• Stamped mail
• Metered mail

You are already familiar with the traditional stamped mail where you stick a stamp on the envelope for postage. The metered mail involves using postage meters that allow you to print the postage onto your mailpieces directly.

You can also use the postage meter to print postage onto a meter tape and affix it to your mail. There are several benefits of using metered mail for your business communications. It allows you to save money and the time you spend on sending business mailers for your company.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Below we discuss the advantages of using metered letters for your business correspondence.

Why Should Your Business Use Metered Mail?

As you know, the primary purpose of using metered mail for your business is to let you use a meter to print postage on mailpieces. Besides acting as proof of payment for your mailers, metered letters allow you to simplify your mailing process significantly.

Some of you may not know this, but, Postage Meters are, in all sense, postage printing machines or systems. And the meters have a built-in scale for accurately weighing all the mailers, including postcards and packages.

The weight measurement enables you to remove any guesswork in determining the correct postage for your metered postage. That’s not all. You also get special discounts which you can not usually get at the Post Office retail location or when using stamped envelopes.

If your company sends mailers that weigh 3.5 ounces or less, you can save up to $0.05 per piece! And your First-Class Mail that weighs 1 ounce (or less) costs only $0.50 in postage. Now imagine how much money you can save for bulk mailing campaigns involving thousands of mailers.

Now that you know the monetary benefits of metered mail let’s see what other perks you can get from it.

Avoid Fatigue And Save Valuable Time 

The whole process of sending traditional mail is lowkey fun. Putting the printed material inside the envelope, sealing it, and sticking a stamp to the envelope are all activities that you may enjoy. However, it will not be fun when you can have to keep doing the same thing a thousand times over. Using metered postage allows you to replace the lengthy manual mail operation.

“37% of small businesses consider finding the time to visit the post office the biggest hassle in sending mail” – Pitney Bowes.

You can easily avoid a lengthy and repetitive mailing process with metered mail. As a result, you can prevent employee fatigue and save valuable time. However, it would help if you did not confuse it with a fully automated direct mail process.

While metered mail USPS helps you bypass several manual mail operations, it does not necessarily automate them. However, you can use direct mail automation software like PostGrid to fully automate your mailing process. Advanced solutions like PostGrid enable you to print and mail personalized mailers to your customers.

NextGen Metered Mail

Another significant advantage of using metered postage is that NextGen’s metered mailing solutions use advanced digital technologies. You can even find models compatible with the Android operating systems. Thanks to its convenient functionality and interface, you can easily use the solution with nothing but a smartphone.

Your business organization can select the perfect sending option for every business letter, flat, and parcel you send. As a result, metered mail lets you save money and track your expenses. However, several business organizations continue to use traditional analog meters as they offer reliable capabilities for sending a metered letter.

Here are some benefits of using a digital meter for sending your business correspondence.

It Is Faster And More Flexible

Compared to a traditional analog meter, a digital connection can transmit data up to a thousand times faster. A digital link for metered mail enables you to transfer 100 megabytes of data per second!

However, connecting the digital meters with Wi-Fi or Local Area Networks would be best to ensure continuous connectivity. Furthermore, combining the meter via wireless and switch offices enables you to move the meter freely with you.

Simple And Precise Rate Changes

Suppose a business does not have a digital meter. In that case, it would have to accurately factor in the new rates into their postage every time there is an update. As you can imagine, it would make sending metered mail significantly more time-consuming.

You will need to spend excessive time establishing a connection with an analog meter before you can begin transferring data. Furthermore, with a digital meter, it is relatively easy to download and installs new rates as a digital system is always connected. Hence, sending your meter mail is significantly faster with digital meters.

Enhanced Counting  

Tracking your business’s spending on metered postage is significantly more accessible using digital meters. It allows you to track your business expenditure on postage, which goes down to a product level. Additionally, you can measure or view which time of the year your postage expense goes up or down.

Reliable And Future-Proof Connections

Suppose you use an analog meter for sending your metered mail. Do you know what happens when you are still trying to credit your meter when the analog line is disconnected? It opens up a can of worms you don’t want out and open, leading to significant delays and a lapse in productivity.

And that’s not all. The copper analog network has a high maintenance cost and is often vulnerable to service outages. Hence, it is likely that you will have a difficult time finding a service provider to provide/support analog connections in the future. But with a digital meter for sending your metered mail, you don’t have to worry about something like that happening.

Generate Additional Savings

As you may know, an analog-connected meter needs you to provide a dedicated phone line. For most business organizations, this means incremental cost. And the worst part is that initially, it often goes unnoticed. And the worst part is that it is already too late when a business realizes this.

It is not difficult to find business organizations already paying for broadband. Hence, with a digital meter connection, the organization has practically no additional expenses to worry about. And you don’t need an analog line for sending your metered mail.

Metered Mail Vs. Stamped Mail: What Is The Difference Between Stamped And Metered Mail?

One of the hottest topics for debate regarding business mail communication is metered mail vs. stamped mail. Several business organizations are already using metered mailing for their bulk mailing needs.

As we discussed earlier, processing metered mail includes weighing the mailer with a weighing scale. Due to this accurate weighing, business organizations can effectively print necessary postage onto mailing envelopes. Now, it should be easy to understand why business organizations consider meter mailing more reliable than traditional stamped mail.

With metered mail, the meter calculates the exact postage amount for each mailer after accurately measuring the envelope’s weight. Hence, the postage rate is accurate and has minimal scope for error compared to stamped mail, where the process is manual.

It means there is no risk of your company needlessly paying excess charges on mail postage. More importantly, using metered postage eliminates the risk of not providing enough postage that it never reaches its destination.

Moving on to the postage rate, you get a reduced rate for metered mail. As a result, sending each business mail to your company becomes slightly cheaper. But, if you are sending bulk mail for your company, the overall savings for sending business mailers are considerably high.

How Can You Get A Postage Meter For Your Business?

There are numerous regulations in place by the USPS to ensure no misuse of meter mail. We will discuss these regulations next. As you can guess, the restrictions apply to who can lease a postage meter and from whom you can lease it.

You can only lease a postage meter and not buy one. And when it comes to postage meters, many consider Pitney Bowes, the leader. After all, they have over a hundred years of experience in the field. However, that’s not your only option. Currently, there are five approved providers from whom you can lease a postage meter for sending metered mail, and they are

• Pitney Bowes
• Data-Pac Mailing Systems Corp
• FP Mailing Solutions
• Quadient (formerly Neopost)
• Hasler Inc.

Any one of the providers you see above can help you install and set up the meter for your business organization. Of course, you would have to pay the necessary leasing and servicing fees. It also means that the cost of setting up a postage meter for sending metered mail can vary depending on the provider.

Furthermore, USPS regulations require the provider to conduct inspections on a specific schedule. The regulation also applies to you (the customer) as you must comply with these scheduled inspections. Additionally, all machines must use standard fluorescent ink for printing the metered letters.

When picking the postage meter, you should ensure the printer can keep up with your mailing requirements. However, the more straightforward approach would still be outsourcing your mailing operation entirely to a direct mail service provider like PostGrid. That way, you don’t have to worry about not meeting your mail requirements or worry about random inspections.

What Type Of Post Can You Send Using Metered Mail?

One common question businesses have about metered mail is what type of post you can send using a postage meter. You can use a postage meter to apply postage to the following type of posts.

• First-Class Mail
• First-Class Package Service Retail
• First-Class Package Service Commercial
• Priority Mail (including Flat Rates)
• Priority Mail Express  (including Flat Rates)
• Media Mail and Library Mail
• USPS Retail Ground
• International Mail
• Presorted First-Class Mail Services
• Presorted USPS Marketing Mail (including Nonprofit)

The only odd case of metered mail here is the packages because you have to fix the postage using adhesive tape. It is also worth noting that you can not send periodical mail, such as magazines, using the postage meter.

Does Metered Mail Let You Pay For Extra Services?

We know that metered mail lets you access almost every postal service from USPS, including Priority Mail.

But what about USPS extra services such as USPS tracking and Certified Mail?

Does a postage meter allow you to access these additional services from USPS?

Yes, you can access extra services from USPS using a postage meter. However, you may still have to complete the necessary forms and submit them to the post office. If you don’t do so, you can not know whether you will receive the services you opt for and pay for your meter mail.

For instance, opting for a Registered Mail service requires you to submit the letter/parcel to a Post Office clerk. The same condition also applies to presorted mailings, which are often a part of business communications. So, even though metered mail offers a lot of conveniences, it has its limitations too.

We often explain this to our clients. And at this point, they usually start to understand the difference between a fully-automated and metered mail. Our experts explain the difference between using PostGrid’s direct mail automation tool and a postage meter.

“Using a postage meter for sending business or bulk mail is adequate when yours is a relatively small business. But for medium and large-size business communication, merely automating postage application is not enough. With PostGrid’s system, all you need is a letter template. You can automate the mailing process, including personalization, ultimately saving you time and money.”

Bulk Mail Regulations For Metered Mail

Regarding bulk mailing, there are different sets of rules for using metered mail. In the case of bulk mail, the operator needs to apply for permits using form 3615 or ‘Mailing Permit Application and Customer Profile.’

As per USPS regulations, you can only use the postage meter for adding a specific amount of postage for each bulk mailing process. And if there is any difference in postage, you have to pay that difference at the USPS post office.

The result is that you can’t just drop bulk mail into a mailbox. Besides this, you also have to fill and submit a ‘postage affixed’ postal statement to the USPS post office. You can submit this statement with the bulk mail and ensure the correct mailer tariff.

Postage Drop-Off Rules For Metered Mail

You can often drop off the metered mail directly into a USPS collection box. And suppose we had to get technical about it. In that case, USPS regulation states that you can drop your mailers only at “designated locations by the postmaster of the licensing Post Office.”

However, USPS does offer some flexibility to this condition by allowing drop-off of the metered mail at other locations if the USPS authorizes it. You should also know that you have to take the mail directly to the post office if you are using a discounted mail class. It includes bulk mail and presorted First-Class mail.

USPS requires you to take discounted mail to the post office to verify you added the necessary postage to the mail. Furthermore, you must deposit the mail into a collection box the same day it gets stamped. If you fail to deposit the mailer in the collection box on the same day, you can correct the date for your metered mail. However, you can only do this once.

For correcting a date, you must print a new label with the new date for postage after setting the postage as zero. Make sure you affix the new tag next to the original stamp and not on top. Similarly, it would be best to place another label next to the original in case the original metered postage is insufficient.

If you fail to deposit the metered mail in the collection box a second time, you will have to apply new postage to your mail.

Common Problems Or Challenges Of Using Metered Mail For Your Business

Metered mail USPS offers several excellent benefits for your business communication. However, like any other system using a postage meter for mailing is not a perfect solution. Below are some common problems or challenges you may face when using a postage meter for your business mailers.

Stale Meter Date

As you know, every meter stamp on a metered mail must bear the current date. What happens if your mailer does not hold its current or correct date? In the absence of an accurate date on the mailer, the meter stamp is considered “stale.”

Hence, it is essential to update the meter date every day, and you must meter the mail with the actual date of mailing. Similarly, your metered letters must bear the exact date of deposit (or the following scheduled collection) if you deposit after the day’s last organized group.

And sometimes, your metered mail may have stale meter dates but have the correct postage. In that case, you can run the mail piece through again and print the valid date with $0.00 postage. You can run this correction on the envelope’s reverse side. But for metered mail flats and parcels, the correction should be made right next to the existing stamp.

Printing Postage On The Back Of The Letter

Sometimes you may accidentally print the postage on the back of the letter instead of the front. If that happens, do not attempt to mail the incorrect item or print it on the front side of the same envelope. Instead, print a new metered mailing envelope and apply for a refund.

Partial Printing Of Metered Postage

If you notice that only a portion of the postage is printed on your metered letters, do not attempt to mail them. Instead, you should print a new meter stamp and apply for a refund.

Adding Too Much Metered Postage

Another common problem with metered mail is that you may accidentally add excess postage to a mailpiece. Mailing such postage would mean that the extra postage you applied to the mailer goes to waste, and there is no refund. To get a refund, you must print a new meter stamp with the correct information and then apply for a refund.

Adding Too Little Metered Postage

Just like adding too much postage, you may also add too much postage. You may sometime add too little postage to your meter mail. In that case, you can create a new stamp for the difference in postage.

You must print the additional postage on the back for letters. Similarly, you must add a new meter strip for flats and parcels on the front. However, you must ensure that you do not include a date on the new meter stamp.

Adding Incorrect Date On The Meter

It is not uncommon for businesses to print the wrong or incorrect date on their metered postage. If that happens, you must create a new meter stamp of $0.00 with the correct date. You must then print the postage accurately depending on the type of mailer you are sending.

How To Overcome The Challenges In Metered Mail?

As you can see from the above section, there are several risks or scopes for error when you use a postage meter. While some automation is involved in metered mail, most of it remains manual and susceptible to mistakes.

A business organization has the best odds of bypassing the issues associated when it replaces metered mail with an automated solution. Advanced direct mail automation tools like PostGrid provides a more holistic approach that eliminates the risk of manual errors.

PostGrid’s direct mail fulfillment solution enables you to save valuable time and money for your business organization. Even personalizing your business mailers is significantly easier using PostGrid. You can use PostGrid’s agile CRM integration for easy personalization.

As a result, you can send all types of business correspondence via direct mail, such as

• Bills and invoices
• Collection letters
• Brochures
• Postcards
• Checks
• Statements
• And more.

Conclusion

Using metered mail is small-scale businesses that want to get some pressure off their postal mail communication. It saves your company time and effort and ensures accurate postage for your business mailers.

However, metered letters are not always ideal, especially for mid to large-sized businesses. Metered mailing indeed allows you to eliminate several time-consuming manual processes. However, it does not offer full automation for your business mailing process.

Your best bet is to invest in direct mail automation software like PostGrid. It enables you to fully automate your business mailing process eliminating the risk of any manual error. And since it is an outsourcing solution, you don’t have to worry about leasing a postage meter for metered letters.

It is also worth noting that full mailing automation includes affixing accurate postage for your mailers. And if that’s impressive enough, PostGrid also offers advanced analytics and tracking capabilities. You can use it to keep track of your mailing operations and optimize your expenses.

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