A postage meter saves time and money for your business. The models are numerous, and the choice of machine will depend on the amount of mail you send per month.

It can be difficult to navigate among the various offers, here is the essential to know about postage machine.

As soon as you send around 20 letters a day, the postage meter is an economical solution for your company.

Whatever the volume of mail and parcels sent by your company, a postage meter is a real time saver for you and your employees.

No need to wait in line at the post office, no need to affix stamps yourself on hundreds of envelopes!

The benefits of a postage machine

Save on sending your mail: With a postage meter, you can save up to 10% on your postage costs.

Indeed, a postage machine allows you to weigh your letters and parcels accurately if you choose a model with scale, you frank your shipments to the nearest cent.

Process all your shipments: you can send all types of mail with your postage machine. Whether it's ordinary letters, parcels, or registered letters, you can stamp them from your business.

You won’t need to stick the stamps yourself, the postage meter does it for you.

Highlight your company logo: a postage meter allows you to affix on your mail, in addition to the postal imprint, "advertising blocks" that may contain your logo, company contact information, an offer promotional ...

Some postage machine can store several advertising blocks.

How does a postage machine work?

Installation: Installing a postage meter in your business is very simple. You can choose to install it yourself or have it installed by your supplier.

Generally, small machines (less than 30 folds sent per day) can be easily installed by yourself. An installation manual, supplied with the machine, will guide you through the different steps.

For postage machine with a higher capacity (from 30 letters up to more than 200), you will use your supplier. The professional will train you in the different features of the machine.

Operation: It is very simple to learn how to use a postage meter. In addition, if you have any doubt, your supplier will guide you through its online support.

To postage your mail, simply select the options required to send your mail, weigh the mail if necessary, and the postage machine affixes a thumbprint, either directly on the letter, either on a label (for a parcel for example).

Billing: To meet the new Canada Post standards, postage meters must be connected via the Internet. This allows Canada Post to make a monthly report of the machine's consumption and to update postal rates directly.

Whichever machine you use, your invoice will consist of a fixed part, including postage remittance via machine and management fees, as well as a variable part, including the value of the consumption of the machine. months and cost of your advertising blocks, if you use them.

Rental of a postage machine

If you want to use a postage machine, you will have to rent it, because the purchase of a postage machine is not possible in Canada.

You can choose between the three postage meter suppliers affiliated with Canada Post. You will have to sign two contracts. You, as a company, rent your machine from a supplier, and pay your postage consumption directly to Canada Post.

The supplier invoices you the monthly amount of the rental of your machine, and the Post office invoices you the amount of your postage for the past month.

The duration of the contract with the postage machine supplier is usually five years, and the Post Office will probably ask you for a deposit of a value of a few months of consumption, which will be returned to you upon termination of the contract.

Choose your postage machine

The needs of your business should guide the choice of your postage machine. Different models are available, depending on the number of mails you want to post daily. You will also consider the options you want to have.

For example, do you need to store multiple ad blocks? Do you need an integrated scale? etc. ... These questions will help you determine the options that your postage machine will have to include.

The very small connected postage machine: This postage machine has been designed for small businesses, which do not frank more than 30 couriers per day.

No reason to deprive yourself of this small postage machine that has nothing to envy to a large, indeed, like its big sisters, it is connected to the network of the Post Office, has advertising blocks, and allows you to dispense with the chore of purchasing stamps. In addition, its cost is minimal.

Maintenance of a postage machine

The postage machine is rented by companies affiliated to Canada Post. They also take care of the maintenance of postage machine.

The technicians' interventions for the maintenance of a postage machine or the troubleshooting are very fast. Several possibilities can be put in place depending on the type of postage machine that requires a maintenance operation.

Rapid technical assistance

The postage machine suppliers offer different services depending on the lease chosen by the contractor. Regardless of the type of equipment and the number of mails sent, a postage meter maintenance contract completes all offers.

In general, the maintenance of a postage machine proceeds in two ways. A technical hotline is available by phone or internet every day with extended slots. The technician can thus access the equipment concerned to carry out maintenance of the postage meter remotely.

If the troubleshooting can not be done in this way, a technical team intervenes directly in the premises of the company. However, it is necessary to be precise the deadlines before taking out the lease. Indeed, the postage machine suppliers intervene for maintenance in more or less long delays.

Various leases options

The services associated with the rental of postage machine vary widely from one company to another. It is therefore interesting to compare the services offered in terms of installation or maintenance of the postage meter to optimize the use of equipment in the company. Indeed, it is better for a company to opt for a service provider located near its geographical area to simplify the interventions and maintenance operations on the postage machine.