Technology is constantly changing and updating old systems, especially in the mail industry. With all the possibilities out there and the number of changes, it is hard to keep track of what is a useful addition and how it can be used to aid your company. In an effort to find out what is happening with postage meters and bases, we asked several leading manufacturers: What are the latest technological developments in postal meters and bases? And, what should mail center managers do to prepare for the future? The answers give a variety of insights, offering you a solid foundation on which to base your purchasing decisions.
Ernst Holzmann FP Mailing Solutions
Today's postage meter technology is the result of an unprecedented collaboration between the Postal Service and postage meter manufacturers, as well as security experts and software engineers. It still churns out postage for over a million large and small businesses every day, but it operates with a brain.
For a postage meter manufacturer like FP Mailing Solutions, creating a high-tech, digitally secure meter required a $7 million investment in the latest encryption technology, communications software and a secure infrastructure to handle the private and public key aspects of the technology. It also required deep cooperation with the U.S. Postal Service. In addition, the IBIP offered a platform that maximized security for postal funds. Because the indicia code is unique to a postage meter, loading and managing postal funds via electronic communication can be extra secure and tracked more specifically.
With the latest technology, advanced meters have become even more popular as a convenient way to pay for postage and track costs. Digital technology has made postage meters smaller and more convenient. The new digital models are often simpler in design and have a small footprint, appealing to small business customers since the meter doesn't take up much space and is more affordable.
High-resolution digital printing and the two-dimensional Data Matrix barcode are fundamental to the Intelligent Mail platform and the USPS objectives for new value-added services. In particular, digital printing technology can enable the ability to put a tracking barcode on the mailpiece. Perhaps the time will come when a business will be able to track each invoice or customer letter individually to ensure its arrival.
The use of digital signatures and the infrastructure to support PKI creates the highest level of online security for postal funds transactions as well. While online downloads of postage have become commonplace, eliminating trips to the post office to load a meter, the use of digital signatures and PKI technology instantly enables secure transfer of · postal funds from business accounts to postal meters with online verification to the USPS.
Applying strategic thought changes to the mail center and treating it as a critical function, much like the IT department, will help management create a knowledge-based center that safely and efficiently handles anything from the company's invoices to its marketing campaigns and beyond. This will in turn lead to a better number of benefits including:
1. Staffing/Succession Planning Because all staff are adequately trained, any member of the staff can easily step in and run the mail center if the manager or other members leave the company.
2. Employee Turnover An inclusive management style and education of all the staff promotes team building, encourages employee feedback, creates a challenging environment and results in increased employee satisfaction.
3. Return on Investment If given the manpower to do so, a mail center manager can improve efficiencies, focus on strategic projects and enhance the overall functioning of the mail center, which solidifies ROI.
4. Securing Proprietary Information The mail center manages the same type of proprietary information that the IT area does but in paper form. Critical information such as business contracts, client databases and sensitive corporate information flows through the mail center and will be secured when managed in-house.
5. Physical Site Security Many tools are now available to protect the corporation from attacks through the mail stream. Armed with these new tools, the mail center manager is more capable of handling all of the incoming and outgoing mail, administering the security aspect within the department.
Michael Keenan Hasler, Inc.
The mailing industry is quickly redefining the "mail center" by focusing on turning what has traditionally been a cost center into a profit center. By integrating solutions such as folder/inserters and accounting capabilities, mail centers will save both time and money and will be able to account for its expenditures throughout the organization.
Expect to see mail centers begin to better utilize the services of the USPS, some options include Signature and Delivery Confirmation. Mailing professionals are beginning to realize that it's not just about getting the mail out but showing how and when it is going out and received.
The more efficient you are, the more you will begin to recognize other areas of improvement. There are three specific ways in which new technology will give mail centers the opportunity to increase efficiency:
1. Mailing Systems Hasler will be introducing several new mailing systems that will expand the mail center's effectiveness by making processing more efficient through speed, systems integration, cost savings and mailpiece tracking.
2. Regulations The USPS has already begun using a scanning system that utilizes datametrics to track mailpieces and make them more efficient. And they have mandated that mail centers still using older rotary systems without Information Based Indicia (IBI) technology must upgrade to digital operation by 2008. Because the USPS has become more efficient, mailers are obliged to implement the technology that will enable them to do the same at the customer level. IBI technology will provide improved postage security and enhanced postage meter functions and services.
3. New Products Hasler is addressing more specific market demands at every level. No matter the volume, there is a solution out there. Whether a company processes just a few letters a day or thousands every hour, we can offer choices to do it even better.
With a host of opportunities to streamline operations through new technology, as well as USPS-mandated upgrades, there are two clear ways that mail centers can prepare for the future: First, it needs to upgrade to digital technology and find the system that most closely fits its specific needs. Combine that system with software solutions or a folder/inserter and a mail center can streamline its own processes such as external accounting for chargebacks and budget tracking. Through the use of these tools, mail centers are learning to redefine themselves as profit centers.
Second, operators need to be aware of the mailing solutions the USPS has already implemented to save them time and money. You need to track efficiency internally, while understanding and utilizing the services USPS has put into place. Currently, many services such as Delivery Confirmation are underutilized. It's one thing to do [internal] accounting but it's another to have [external] accountability. The two must go hand-in-hand to be efficient.
Chris Giles, Neopost
Postage meter technology is changing at an amazing rate. Currently, two things drive most changes in postage meter and base technology new postal regulations combined with the needs and expectations of an evolving market.
One shift we've seen over the last three to four years is a transition from letter press meters to digital meters. This has been mandated by new USPS regulations, which are controlled under the IBI program that was enacted in 1997. These new meters introduced a new level of security, based around the printed indicia; every indicium has a digital signature that can be validated and authenticated. Additionally, the move to digital meters introduced non-contact printing, which allows for the indicia to be printed on a variety of mail sizes and thicknesses. As a result, non-contact printing provides a cost-effective solution for the end-user by ensuring every indicium is crisp and clear.
Another security feature that we're seeing today in many of our meters is a built-in tamper response mechanism a sort of "kill switch." If the machine's security boundary, in many cases a strong metal case, is compromised by somebody trying to tamper with or "attack" the system, the machine will disable itself and will no longer print postage. The "Tamper Response System" provides operational benefits by eliminating the need for on-site inspections; these systems are inspected remotely via the phone line. This feature brings a new level of convenience to the end user, who no longer has to bring their meters to the post office for inspection.
Many of the improvements we've made to our products are directed by market need and customer expectations. For example, with the level of online information available today, our customers expect to have instant access to information and transaction management. Currently, our mailing systems connect to allow for postage payment transactions. In the future, our machines' capabilities will encompass everything from accessing a world of customer information and usage data to requesting service visits online. We want our customers to be able to go to a single interface and get everything they need, taking away the complexity of mailing and presenting a simple solution.
With the evolution of postage meter technology, how can mail center operators prepare for the future? The real challenge these managers face is how to gain an accurate understanding of the mail center's workflow. They need to be able to analyze mail volume down to the granular level the amount of total packages, the amount of flats, standard vs. mixed format mail, etc. This has a huge impact on determining the systems needed to ensure that the mail center is a profit center and not a cost center.
Kevin S. Weiss, Pitney Bowes
Postage metering technology has advanced significantly in the last couple of years and Pitney Bowes is an important part of the process. With new digital technology, mailers of all sizes now have access to a wide range of valuable services and benefits that reduce costs and increase the impact of their mail.
With IntelliLink, Pitney Bowes' proprietary digital network architecture, and the DM Series mailing systems, mailers can leverage tracking services from the U.S. Postal Service, like Delivery Confirmation, Signature Confirmation and Certified Mail, from their mailing systems. Mailers can now utilize cost-effective options and receive the same valuable tracking information that used to be available exclusively from express carriers. Pitney Bowes customers can also receive these services at a discount through digital mailings.
Businesses of all sizes can access the benefits of IntelliLink with four new DM Series systems designed for small- to mid-sized businesses. For larger enterprises, collecting and using the information around their mail flows represents an opportunity to increase efficiency, reduce costs and maximize return on investment. With new digital metering technology, businesses can link mailing systems across an enterprise to track information about mail flows, including employee productivity, equipment reliability and productivity, carrier expense and postage costs.
Mailers should be aware of the USPS transition plan for secure metering technology. The migration schedule mandates that non-enhanced letterpress meters need to be out of service by December 2006. The other part of the plan calls for all the enhanced letterpress meters to be out of service as of December 2008. With this in mind the entire range of Pitney Bowes DM Series mailing systems powered by IntelliLink meets these requirements today.
Pitney Bowes believes that mailers should seize this great opportunity to leverage the new technologies and services available to help them better run their mail centers and grow their businesses.