As the new millennium gathers speed, mail and shipping centers across the country are also picking up the pace. In spite of the increasing use of e-mail, hardcopy mail volume continues to rise. Business-to-business mailing also shows no sign of slowing down. Smart mail center managers are taking advantage of the Internet to help speed delivery and tracking of paper mail by directly connecting to delivery providers like the U.S. Postal Service.
For business and service organizations, increasing mail volume brings a corresponding increase in the need for advanced accounting and reporting services. The medium- to heavy-volume mail centers will require networked reporting capabilities to efficiently log mail volume and report costs to accounting departments. Since today�s mail centers are frequently running with a lean staff, an easy-to-use system with automated reporting functionality is essential.
Ascom Hasler Mailing Systems delivers a powerful mail center management solution with the new iMCM Mail Center Manager. This automated, high-performance system provides differential weighing, rating and processing of outbound mail and parcels. It interfaces with Ascom postage meters for a complete plug-and-play mail center solution. The PC-based iMCM system provides a dedicated, easy-to-read screen with large icons to increase operator efficiency and eliminate errors. A variety of management reports can be called up and printed as needed. Complete accounting information is available anytime in convenient formats. Designed for the Windows 95/98/NT platform, the system offers multi-carrier shipping options to let you select the shipping carrier that�s right for you. And, with Internet access, you can track your shipments online.
The National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) is the largest securities industry self-regulatory organization in the US. Lois Carter, mail center supervisor, comments, �Ascom�s iMCM has really made my life easier.� Handling monthly postage amounts of more than $120,000, Carter supervises the efficient operation of three NASD mail center locations, which use a total of eight iMCM systems. Before installing iMCM, Carter spent a lot of time simply monitoring the mail center to ensure smooth operational flow. �Now I let my lead assistant monitor day-to-day operations, which leaves me free to concentrate on more important management concerns,� adds Carter. �Plus, the iMCM is virtually service-free. Choosing the iMCM Mail Center Manager was one of my smartest mail center purchases!�
The American College of Cardiology (ACC) mail center uses an iMCM to process more than $30,000 of metered mail and shipping charges per month. The ACC is a professional medical society for over 24,000 cardiovascular physicians and scientists from around the world. Bill Macewicz, assistant to the director of Support Services, says, �We love the flexibility of the system. We don�t want to be locked into one carrier. With the iMCM, we can choose the carrier that makes the most sense. And with the Internet connection, we can handle our mail tracking online. This gives us a tremendous service advantage.� The college�s iMCM system is networked into its overall corporate computing infrastructure so mailing costs are automatically fed to the accounting department. �We used to write reports manually,� says Macewicz. �The reporting capabilities of the iMCM have resulted in a huge improvement in our efficiency and accuracy.� Macewicz finds the online help and tutorial in the iMCM to be extremely helpful in quickly getting mail center staff up-to-speed on the system.
With 2,500 churches in the United States and more than 350 missionaries around the world, the National Association of Free Will Baptists mails an average of five million pieces each month. The variety is staggering. From new member information, to denominational information booklets, to household items for missionaries, the Free Will Baptist mail center keeps its iMCM busy. It uses mostly the USPS and another carrier. Steve Pate, maintenance supervisor and mail clerk, notes, �We really need to be online with these carriers. The iMCM answers our need for fast communication and easy tracking capabilities.� Like other iMCM customers, Pate finds the system easy to use. �It�s faster than any system we�ve had,� he says. �It�s extremely easy to use. And the accounting information is very important to us.�
The true excitement of the iMCM is that it is Internet-ready. It enables Internet connectivity to all online delivery service providers, including the USPS� new Delivery Confirmation service.
For information on the iMCM, contact Ascom at 800-243-6275, custerv@ahmail.com orwww.ascomhasler.com.
