How to Make your Business Postal Procedure More Effective

Running a business is expensive. From overheads like employee wages and equipment costs to renting premises, there’s a lot of money involved in the everyday flow of things. And, as every business knows, the more you can reduce your outgoings, the better.

As a result, it’s important to be aware of how to make your working practices as cost- and time-efficient as possible. Take your postal procedure, for example. Although it may comprise a relatively small part of your business’ activities, are you confident that your process is the most effective out there?

For instance, do you send out large volumes of mail – 1,000 items or more – on a daily basis? If the answer is yes, then you can potentially save up to 17.5 percent on your postal services. In fact, Royal Mail will automatically give your business money off its standard UK mail costs, when you follow the mailing procedure known as Cleanmail Advance.

Basically, the system requires you to prepare any mail you send out in a way that’s compatible with Royal Mail’s automated technology. In doing so, you are helping out with their mailing procedures, which entitles you to receive a price reduction. Not only that, but once you have set Cleanmail Advance up, you will also save your business precious time.

So, what do you need to do, in order to be eligible for the discount?

Firstly, you must ensure that all letters fall into the correct dimensions. According to Royal Mail, a letter is defined as weighing 100g or less, with a minimum size of 145mm x 110mm or a maximum of 240mm x 165mm. In terms of thickness, the minimum is 0.25mm and the maximum is 5mm.

All mail must also have a license number printed onto it, which will normally be applied when your machine franks a letter. It is a 12 alpha character code – there are separate ones for first and second class — and can be obtained from Royal Mail.

So that the Royal Mail machines can accurately read the post, all addresses must also be printed out and positioned in a defined area of the envelope. Additionally, there must be certain areas that do not have any markings, since these are required for Royal Mail barcodes.

The final step is to place your mail into either a Cleanmail Advance 1 or Cleanmail Advance 2 tray. These are provided by Royal Mail and will help them to quickly sort your post. Therefore, it’s important here to ensure all letters are placed upside down and facing the front of the tray.

Most businesses, regardless of their size, employ the use of postal services. And, if your company is sending out large volumes of mail, it makes sense to make sure you are up-to-date with the latest procedures. Therefore, why not check out Cleanmail Advance to see if your business could save money on its mailing costs?

Adam Singleton writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.