Three tips regarding the postage increase: How to keep the dispatch of your business mail simple and cost-effective

Berlin, 28.08.2019 – Deutsche Post has recently increased its postage prices for standard letter formats by 10 cents. In contrast to private customers, for companies the postage increase is not a matter of small change, but a significant increase in additional costs. But are these additional costs really inevitable? How is it possible to save money despite new postage regulations, and who offers all the solutions available on the market in a clear, fair and transparent way from a single supplier? In three tips we show how companies can avoid the current increase and we inform about possible discounts - and the available options to manage business mail easily in the future:

1. Benefit from increased infrastructure discount (ISR) with FP franking machines

The infrastructure discount from Deutsche Post has recently increased from three to five percent of the postage price. It can be used by both large and small senders. In addition, the new franking ID associated with the discount provides access to new products and additional services, such as merchandise shipments (“Warenpost”) or the priority letter (“Prio-Brief”).

The merchandise shipment is often used to send smaller items. It is especially popular among e-commerce sellers and eBay Powersellers. At 2.80 euros it is more favourable than a package. The newly introduced additional “Prio” service offers a cost-effective option for those that require a notification when mailings are not delivered. It can be used as a cheap alternative to registered mail.

In order to receive the increased infrastructure discount, mailings must contain the new franking ID. This ensures that a mailing can be clearly identified. All current franking machines from FP have already been converted to the new franking mark and are therefore ISR-compatible. Customers therefore only need to add one of these new machine models to their franking processes in order to be able to use the ISR of five percent. All ISR-relevant mailings must normally be registered via the order management system of DPAG. With the help of the "ISR-Easy" software solution from FP this effort becomes unnecessary. Order placement and confirmation are carried out automatically.

2. Have your mail picked up and get discounts for it

The FP freesort postal service provider can kill two birds with one stone. The daily walk to the post office is no longer necessary: FP freesort collects the mailings directly from the sender and takes care of franking, consolidation and sorting. They will then be delivered by Deutsche Post or a selected delivery service. The only condition: There must be at least 200 letters per day. At the same time, customers can benefit from the partial performance discount from Deutsche Post. Therefore the mailings must be delivered franked and presorted to a post office dispatch centre. With FP freesort's consolidation system, you meet these conditions automatically. You will receive postage discounts in the form of a monthly credit note.

3. Give the printer a break: We transform your data into letters

As an outsourcing partner in the field of communication and document solutions, FP IAB offers many possibilities for multichannel communications both inside and outside the company. The great advantage: This service is also available to companies with less than 200 mailings per day.

Companies can send their correspondence electronically to FP IAB. No matter on which channel customers want to communicate: FP offers individually tailored solutions. “Based on the old postage price of 70 cents, the customer gets his standard letter printed in top colour quality, packaged in neutral envelopes, and sent postage-paid with Deutsche Post – and the minimum unit number for a mailing is one,” says Michael Steinberg, CEO of FP IAB Internet Access GmbH.

FP sends over 100,000 mailings daily for its customers. FP uses an ISO/IED 27001 certified management tool for this shipping method that meets the highest security standards. Through workshops or process analyses, entire communication strings are checked for profitability and efficiency. The highest possible level of security in data processing is guaranteed, amongst others, by high standards (e.g. ISO 27001).

Business customers neither have to worry about their mail nor postage and thus save time and money. Both small and large shipment volumes of the companies are taken care of. Because FP offers solutions for everyone from a single supplier.