Ouch! There can’t be many of the day-to-day business staples
that suddenly rise by in excess of 30% but that’s what’s happening to the
humble stamp. For a standard letter size, first class stamps are to rise from
46p to 60p. and second class stamps from 36p to 50p. Then there’s the uplift
for the bigger letters and packets too. Ofcom’s taken the brakes off so we’ll
be getting used to postal service charges increasing as Royal Mail seeks to
balance its books whilst simultaneously investing in major modernisation.
For those issuing paper invoices, contracts and
correspondence or marketing literature then the franking machine will be
costing you a lot more this year. For professional firms like accountants this
is a particular headache. In these days of social networking, e-commerce and
even old-fashioned email the continuing volumes of paper based documents can be
a surprise. However, the fact is that post can be a significant cost for some
businesses. This is another burden which makes it all the more difficult to
keep a lid on costs.
Of course, dealing with documents electronically removes
this. Storing and actioning all correspondence, invoices etc via document
management solutions is a logical approach. When something simply has to go out
by post then it should be the exception rather than the rule, email and
e-commerce the norm. Secure portals and digital signing tools further cement
the move away from post. We’re delighted that we’re on the cusp of launching a
joint initiative to market with accountancy web and content specialists
PracticeWEB to enable portal connectivity. Having security and immediate access
in the office and for clients and suppliers joins up the way we work, without
the inherent delay of post and without bumping up costs 30% at a time.
