With another record postage increase behind us, coupled with decreasing discounts, companies are looking for ways to lower their mail and shipping costs. As the world of mailing becomes more expensive and complex, and your resources are being stretched to the brink, it may be time to consider bringing on a mail logistics company.
But how do you know when it’s the right time? The size of your organization doesn’t matter, but the size of your challenges does. Ask yourself these questions to see if you should consider options.
Are You Overloaded?
If you can’t remember the last time you’ve taken a vacation or finished a day on time, then it might be time to consider bringing on some help. As a shipping coordinator, mail or traffic manager, or part of the operations team you face a lot of chaos, and chances are your responsibilities are a lot more than just quoting and scheduling mail drops and shipments. Maybe your company has grown and/or the volume of mail you send has. Perhaps your mailings have simply become more complex, or more likely you’ve been asked to take on more tasks. And while it may not be feasible to add to your internal staff, adding an experienced vendor might be just the thing to bring back some order.
A mail logistics company can lighten your load by taking what used to be hours of work and turning it into a quick email or phone call. Reports on mailing results or tracking can be pulled up in seconds. A mail logistics company can take hours of work off your plate and give you tools to do your job better and easier.
Do You Need Better Service?
Mail is complex. And with the lessening discounts, it’s becoming even more so. But budgets rarely rise to meet the loss of those discounts, so finding affordable solutions is still paramount.
A mail logistics company is focused solely on mail and shipping, making them experts on just that, and good ones have forged connections and relationships (read=discounts!) with multiple carriers that you simply don’t have the time to accomplish. When you hire a mail logistics company, you gain access to all these connections and all the knowledge they have — who has the best rates for the services you need, which points of entry and routes make sense, which carriers and routes have had problems, who’s most reliable, and who’s got the best rates.
Your logistics company will be your on-call shipping expert, tireless negotiator, and around-the-clock tracker and problem fixer.
Do You Want to Save Money?
With those lessening discounts, some managers will be tempted to simply dump their next mailing at the local post office. We’ve seen this before and it doesn’t work out well for anyone. You lose all control of your delivery dates, there’s no tracking, everything is more expensive, and ultimately slower as the postal system becomes clogged with pieces to be sorted and distributed nationwide.
As mentioned above, logistics companies foster strong relationships with freight companies, negotiating rates far better than a single shipper ever could. Add to that their knowledge of the US Postal and private carrier systems, and they can deliver your pieces more efficiently and more cost-effectively.
Do You Struggle in Several Areas?
If you ship more than a pallet of mail, you could likely benefit from a mail logistics company. A logistics company will lighten your workload, give you a greater level of service and overall visibility and control over your mailings, all while ensuring you’re getting the best price available. If you find you’re struggling with one or all of these areas, it’s probably time to test a mail logistics company with your next mailing. You may find it’s the best thing you’ve done all year.
Curious as to how a mail planning and logistics services could help you save while also making your mailings more efficient and effective? Contact us today for a free, no-obligation assessment.
