Royal Mail and Parcelforce post tariffs are increasing from 27 March
Following the rise in postal tariffs, Pitney Bowes is advising small businesses to review how the changes will impact them.
From 27 March, new Royal Mail and Parcelforce postal tariffs will mean first and second class stamps will rise by a penny, taking first class stamps to 65p and second class stamps to 56p.
The Federation of Small Businesses reports that 99.3% of the 5.4 million private sector businesses in the UK are small businesses.
‘This latest increase in postage costs is a wake-up call to small businesses to review how they manage their communication costs,’ explained Ryan Higginson, vice president and UK/ROI Country Leader, at Pitney Bowes. ‘The growth in the volume of parcels inevitably has an impact on postage costs, which can be challenging for a small business to keep up with.’
Pitney Bowes is advising SMEs follow a five-step plan to improve their shipping and mailing and making sure that they are benefiting from the latest digital innovations that now also offer advanced tracking solutions and guaranteed security:
Step 1: Gain a clear view of your data – what you send, to whom, how much it costs and which carriers you use
Step 2: If you’re shipping parcels, shop around – a multicarrier system can help you simplify your shipping operations and enable you to select the best carrier for every package.
Step 3: Identify where you can make savings – digital meters, or franking machines, provide a significant savings on postage stamps.
Step 4: See what’s out there – from cloud-based platforms to Wi-Fi enabled meters, there’s been a mail revolution, so make sure you’re up to speed on your options.
Step 5: Growth plan – make sure the technology you’re selecting is futureproof and accelerates your growth, instead of hindering it.
