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Avoid mailing surcharges – frank your mail correctly every time

Tips • 31st Jul, 18 • 0 Comments

 

Franking your mail is cost-effective and a franking machine provides you with your own mini postal station, so you want it to be a productive investment and time-efficient. That’s why it is important to educate employees how to use it effectively and make sure that the right information is used to reduce the risk of incurring a surcharge. Follow our simple steps to maintain productivity in the workplace and you’ll frank your postage right every time!

 

Save the handwriting for the content inside

Firstly, print your addresses to make sure that your franking machine can read them correctly every time. Handwritten addresses can be unclear and unreadable, which causes a number of issues for sorting machines and for the post man when attempting to deliver your mail.

 

Rethink that oversized envelope – addresses must be visible

Ensure that the envelope that you are using fits properly and is the correct size for your communication. The address may slip below the window making it unreadable for machines and the sorting office to find the address. Also by using the envelope which is the right size for a small letter, you’ll save on postage costs.

 

Double-check the weight, size and destination

Before franking your items, locate the Royal Mail pricing wallcharts available here and double-check that the size, and weight are correct for the destination that you are sending your mail to. Eg. Royal Mail class an item less than 100g as a large letter if the length is longer than 24cm.

 

However, you can skip this step altogether with a franking machine that provides dynamic weighing, so you needn’t find the prices and weigh products manually. Our franking machines can provide smart-tech automation to calculate size and weight for you as well as provide an accurate and appropriate classification for you, so you needn’t worry about surcharges.

 

Be aware of international mail

Avoid franking international mail as inland mail – easy to miss and surcharges are applicable, so be careful! Use coloured, labelled trays to sort your mail, one for international and one for UK destinations (if you send a large number of parcels and letters). You could even separate further for size and weight.

 

Remember when you post to the Republic of Ireland you will need to use an international product. Letters and parcels posted to the Republic of Ireland and other international destinations should be franked using International Tracked and not a UK-only product like 1st Class.

 

For more information on the postage requirements for Royal Mail deliveries as well more advice on how to reduce the risk of surcharges, visit Royal Mail’s website and check out our recent blog on international postage and how best to manage it. Finally, if you’d like help to find the right postal or printing solution for your business with a no obligation quote, simply call our friendly, knowledgeable team at FP Mailing L&C on 01925 820 638 or complete our contact form here; we’ll be happy to help.

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