Postage is complex – let WDM simplify it for you.
The cost of actually delivering the mail piece virtually always outweighs the cost of producing it. So, for a cost-efficient mailing campaign, it is crucial to obtain the best possible postage rates. Keeping abreast of the postage industry is no mean feat, and we’re experts here at Washington Direct Mail.
There are so many options to consider when trying to identify the cheapest postage option, and we’ll help you to determine the right choice for your business needs. We have a dedicated Postage Coordinator whose finger is always on the pulse and makes sure we are always up to date with the services we are offering. We hold accounts with and receive daily collections from Royal Mail, Whistl and UK Mail, but we also send mail through Secured Mail and Onepost on behalf of our clients.
Size/Weight
Sorted/Unsorted
Type
Speed
Carrier
We can arrange consumables, collections and forecast for all the main providers:
The cheapest way to deliver a mail piece which must be generic and be sent to entire postcodes. After a few bad experiences using leaflet distribution companies, we decided to only offer the Royal Mail Door to Door service for leaflet distribution. It is slightly more expensive, but we can be sure that the mail piece will be delivered, and it is substantially cheaper than addressed mail. We will get your artwork approved by Royal Mail and ensure the print is properly labelled and delivered to the correct distribution centre at the agreed time. Typically, we require three weeks’ notice to book a delivery slot if you opt for this service.
We work closely with a number of reliable suppliers who cater for a wide variety of requirements.
As with UK postage, the more items you send, the more potential there is to sort the mail and achieve cheaper rates. For low volumes, we would simply sort between the EU and the rest of the world. For larger volumes, we can sort by country or by access point. For large mailings to a single country, we can arrange a direct entry mailing.
We have Business Reply and Freepost accounts where you can use your own company name with our PO Box to have response mail delivered back to WDM. If the replies need to be sent to a different address, we can help setup the accounts with Royal Mail and provide the artwork for the reply mail piece.
Advice
Although postage is a complex topic, we’ve made it our business to know everything there is to know about it. But we’re not secretive with our knowledge, and we are more than happy to share it with our clients and prospects. We will find you the cheapest service for your original spec, but we will also offer recommendations on how to make additional savings if possible.
Fast turnaround
Urgent deadlines usually require first class mail. Our bespoke MIS can create and schedule a job rapidly, and with our efficient Production Department, it is possible to produce the job so quickly that we can use a second class service, reduce costs, and still hit the deadline.
Our people are the difference: Jonny has over 15 years’ experience at WDM.
Jonny is our full time Postage Specialist. He liaises with the Account Managers and Data Processors, ensuring each job is using the right service with the right carrier to maximise postage discounts.
Speak to an expertIf you’ve got your own postage account, you will need to give us access to it and you will be billed for postage directly by the carrier. If you don’t have your own postage account, you can use one of ours. We offer every service available and at very attractive rates due the large volumes we process. We will supply postage prices at the bottom of our estimates and if you proceed, we will send a pro forma invoice for the postage elements which must be paid before the mail is released – this is standard practice in our industry.
The UK postal network is one of the most consistent in the world and virtually all first-class mail arrives next day, and second class mail in two days (excluding Sundays and bank holidays). We can plan a campaign for you working backwards from the desired landing date, with a very high probability of success. It is important however to remember that no postage supplier (or WDM) can fully guarantee the landing date.
If you are producing your own mail and using a franking machine you should seriously consider outsourcing. You could save the cost of owning and using the franking machine, achieve cheaper postage rates and usually reduce the cost of print and fulfilment too and you won’t have to hold any stock or consumables. The staff who look after your internal mail will free up time to dedicate to other important areas of the business.
Complete the form and one of our mail and print experts will be in touch with your quote.
With experience in all aspects of postage, we are confident we can meet your requirements.