PB’s Mark Shearer On Postage Meter Revolution

Pitney Bowes’ release of the SendPro C-Series postage meter/multi-carrier shipping solution is the latest incarnation of the postage meter, which now incorporates shipping with FedEx and UPS. MAIL Magazine interviewed Mark Shearer, EVP and President, Pitney Bowes Global SMB Solutions (pictured left) on the postage meter revolution.

MAIL: The postage meter is transformed into a multi-sending management system with the new SendPro C-Series. How are shipping and mailing trends driving these changes?

SHEARER: Businesses are using more of their total postage spend on shipping. Most small businesses in the US use a combination of FedEx, UPS and USPS for their shipping needs, but have a hard time keeping up with the rates and shipping services options. The SendPro C-Series greatly simplifies the shipping process, making it easy to select the right option, and yield substantial expense savings as a result. Of course, it also continues to handle our clients’ core mailing needs in a seamless all-in-one solution.

MAIL: Companies that fail to adapt these new technologies are losing out on cost-savings and efficiencies. What is at stake for them not embracing these changes?

SHEARER: The latest Pitney Bowes Parcel Shipping Index, an annual report that measures both volume and spend for business-to-business, business-to-consumer, consumer-to-business and consumer consigned shipments with weight up to 31.5 kg (70 lbs.), revealed that parcel shipping grew in the US by 8.2 percent in 2016. While shipping volumes are on the rise, so is complexity, with growing multi-carrier usage, increasing fees and surcharges, new carrier services and dimensional rating.

Businesses of all types and sizes need a unified platform that takes the guesswork out of office sending and helps them select the ideal sending option for everything they send, while also reducing the cost and meeting changing customer expectations. If business owners fail to embrace new technologies, they risk incurring additional costs and not meeting the needs and wants of their customers.

MAIL: In the past the SendPro capabilities were reserved for larger mailers. SendPro C-Series now empowers smaller mailers. What will be their immediate benefit in moving to this technology?

SHEARER: The SendPro C-Series is a digital multi-carrier platform that enables offices of all sizes to easily select the ideal sending option for every parcel, letter and flat they send. It also provides full tracking and delivers savings across carriers, which can be as much as 39 percent off some USPS retail shipping rates. The device helps small businesses optimize their parcel shipping operations to maximize efficiency and deliver the best possible customer experience.

Additionally, all models are based on an integrated Google Android operating system, making this an open platform capable of running any combination of thousands of Android applications designed to help the running of their business. Ultimately, small business owners are now able to better compete with larger companies in terms of customer engagement and fulfillment.

Click for SendPro C-Series Product Information