The Importance Of Franking Mail
Franking mail has been in existence for the last two to three decades. Initially, a restricted form of franking privilege was formed in 1660 under the British Parliament; whereby the General Post Office was established. By the end of the 19th century, the post office was already famous in Britain.
In the United States, the Congress introduced a Law in 1789, whereby the franking privilege was established. Due to the franking law, members of Congress could inscribe their names on letters and packages. The franking privilege was introduced in ancient America in January 1776 to soldiers fighting in the American Revolution.
What is Franking Mail?
Franking mail refers to the markings also known as ‘franks’ made on letters so that they are acceptable at the post office. The word ‘frank’ comes from a French name meaning ‘free.’ The true definition of franking mail is the process of sending letters and postal packages at zero cost. There are different kinds of franks namely precanceled and uncanceled postage stamps- both adhesives in nature. However, there are other methods and types of franking we shall talk about in the list below:
Types Of Franking
Here are the types of franking:
- Postage Stamps
Anybody who has ever sent letters to someone using the post office must be familiar with postage stamps. Generally, postage franking is the physical description of postage stamps, or any other type of pattern, acceptable by the postal corporation. The first postage stamps were introduced into the market in Britain in 1840; with prepaid service manuscripts printed on letters. The first postage stamps used in the United States were red-brown, hand stamped ‘paid’ on the face of letters.
The other exciting thing about Franked letters is the existence of the franking machine. The franking machine can make printed impressions in an authorized format on letters on large scale. The franking machine is useful especially when posting letters in bulk. However, not everybody can own a franking machine. The post office requires you to get a permit before owning one- chargeable at a fee for prepaid services.
- Franking Privilege
Franking privilege is a personal pre-signed letter sent through the post office without any postage stamp. Government officials usually own the franking privileges; they have authority under the law to sign franked letters. Franking privileges in the US are called Congressional franks, restricted to business mail users only.
Also, the government during times of war authorizes postal corporations to accept franked letters from duty officers uses. In the United States, for instance, franked letters are serviced and handled by military officers only. The franked letters are labeled ‘’soldier’s mail’’ or ‘’Free’’; as a sign of identifying sensitive letters.
- Official Business Franking
Business Franking mail is designed for official businesses purposes or owned by the national government. Business franks do not incur extra costs for regular franking of mail. In Commonwealth countries, printed franks are labeled ‘’Official Paid’ ’stickers only allowed by parastatals. In Canada, the Governor General of the Senate, House of Commons Clerk and the Parliamentary Librarian; all have franking privileges. In the United States, franked letters are sent using postal stationery with a printed mark of ‘’penalty’’, a trademark for private users; these franked letters are handled with individual attention.
- Business Reply Mail
Business Reply Mail is a mode of franking mail whereby messages have permit numbers authorizing the posted mail or parcel to be handled with utmost care. In Business Reply Mail (BRM), postage fees are paid upon delivery of the said item or letter. BRM are available to the public, but the governments can still use the service as well.
Benefits Of Using Franked Mail
Since the introduction of franked mail, outgoing letters have become easy to send through the post office. The invention of the franking machine has made work faster, eliminating the lengthy queues at the post office. Since the introduction of franked letters and the franking machine, work has become convenient for users. Below is a list of some of the universal benefits of franking mail:
- Saves Costs Of Postage Stamps
Many companies in the market today are seeing the need for buying a franking machine. Statistics are showing that more people are getting discouraged from buying Royal Mail stamps, which are cumbersome. If you have a product or service that you want to market, bulk mail has proven to be an effective means of marketing. The Frank machine is not only used for sending letters in bulk, but also for sending bulk packages. Franking machines do vary in sizes depending on the scale of the business. Therefore, it is good to purchase a franking device that suits the needs of your business. If you’re reading this article and thinking that your startup could benefit from a postage meter and a significant reduction on royal mail costs, Franking Machine Compare can help you save even more time, hassle, and hard earned money when buying a franking machine.
- Accountability
Most of the services at the post office are VAT enabled. This is a good thing because all liabilities and postage costs are reduced in your business. Furthermore, tracking of postage costs and auditing across all departments can now be controlled easily. Also, with franking mail, overhead costs such as postage stamps, and exercise duty, can be accounted for in the business budget.
- Reduces The Numerous Trips To The Post Office
Going to the post office to buy postage stamps is time consuming and costly. However, owning a franking machine saves you time and money spent on unplanned trips to the post office. Additionally, possessing a franking device means that you can have access to mail services 24/7.
- Discounts To Customers With Franking Machines
In the UK, the Royal Mail has subsidized the costs of franking machine users. People who own franking mail machines save the Royal Mail the time of distributing postage stamps. To increase the number of individuals possessing franking machines, Royal Mail constantly offers enormous discounts.
- Creates A Professional Image
Sending franked letters to customers signal a sense of professionalism to the business. Also, there is an option of customizing franked stamps to appear with the business name. Sending letters to customers with a business name acts as an advertising agent for your business. There are other franking machines with options for text messaging; where you can inform customers of new products.
Conclusion
Technology is slowly changing, and therefore it is always good to change with it. Regarding franking mail, businesses have the benefit of not over stamping or under Stamping. Many people end up paying more because of over stamping letters. Over stamping is a waste of resources and money. Therefore, it is good to get a franking machine that will save your business the costs of postage stamps.
