Pitney Bowes Australia has launched SendPro+, what it calls the first dual mailing and shipping solution available to SMEs.
For commercial printers, the company sees it as a complementary technology along its high-volume mailing/inserting/folding technology, which will allow PSPs to simplify shipping, or offer it as an additional service to their customers.
With a user-friendly Google Android interface, SendPro+ provides shipping options and prices, prints labels and tracks parcels. An integrated accurate scale helps assign the correct parcel label or postage. SendPro+ makes sending simple with automatic rate updates and a shared address book across available carriers.
Pitney Bowes brings shipping, mailing and tracking capabilities to businesses looking to simplify their shipping and mailing while reducing costs. SendPro+ is the latest solution in the SendPro family of products. In addition to eliminating trips to the post office, SendPro+ allows users to share one address book across carriers to save time when printing shipping labels from one device with an integrated label printer. SendPro+ also features standardised spending and usage reports for effective cost management.
Stephen Darracott, country manager ANZ, Pitney Bowes, says, “Our clients are shipping parcels more than ever and they want to select the smart sending choice – every time. SendPro+ takes the complexity out of shipping through a simple user interface, delivering shipping options, optimal pricing and cost savings. Our strategic partnerships provide customers with choice and flexibility for their shipping and mailing needs.”
As for whether the new technology has the potential to cut out mailing/label houses, Darracott disagrees, pointing out that, “If you look at the technologies that we have had for many years in Australia, the argument would be that people have always been able to do things for themselves. There are still questions of scale, the economics of size, and whether it is more practical for a business to outsource.
“The platform or the family of solutions (SendPro) have different solutions depending on the size of the organisation.
“The compelling piece of this is that it is built on a Google Android platform, so we will bring in new services on that over time as we develop them.
“Our high-end mailing machines have a significant volume that goes through them, which is good business for PSPs. Now we have an additional shipping solution for them that can integrate with their mailing solution.
“From Pitney Bowes’ perspective, this is an industry first, to provide an integrated solution. We are the second market globally, and the integrated device is one of a family of solutions that we are looking to provide customers of all sizes and shapes with that added value.”
He says that for commercial printers, and mailing houses, the most useful aspect will be the software, taking the guesswork and leg work out of maximising mailing efficiency.
According to the Pitney Bowes Parcel Shipping Index, Australia sends 841 million parcels and annually representing 34 parcels per person. While shipping volumes are on the rise, so is complexity; and a broad range of rates and shipping options makes it for difficult for customers to make the right shipping choice.
Darracott concludes, “Pitney Bowes has been taking the complexity out of mailing for 100 years, now we are doing the same with shipping.”
Comment below to have your say on this story.
If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.
Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter