Step 1 | Business as Usual

At My Shipping Post, shaking things up is our passion! BUT, we realize that shaking things up for most people sounds exhausting, complicated, and overwhelming. With this in mind, we implemented a business-as-usual onboarding model. Executed correctly, we will be able to connect most of your existing equipment to our system in minutes, process some packages with your mail processor, export those packages with the accountants in the office, and your team will be up and running without missing a beat. What’s more? Your clients will never know anything changed. 

Pro Tip: the key to making “the swap” run as smoothly as possible is a clean client list that is set up just the way your accountants want it, and a live one-on-one session with the mail processors to teach them all our tips and tricks when running packages. 

Step 2 | Replace End-User Software

If your current software has an option for your mail clients to generate their own shipping labels, then we will want to reach out to this group of users first. In the past, our team put aside some time for live demos with these customers and your sales team so we can answer any shipping or software questions that might come up in the demo. This is one of our favorite parts of the onboarding process because your team gets to hear first-hand the reasons why this new platform serves their needs perfectly. By the time we complete a few demos, your salespeople will be “hogging the mic” as they will be able to answer all the client’s shipping questions without our assistance!

Pro Tip: To expedite the migration to the new platform, it might not be a bad idea to set a hard end date for the old platform. This helps drive urgency and creates a more engaging conversation.

Step 3 | Provide Tracking to Current Shippers

Now that your mail processors are processing packages in the backroom, and you have a handful of shippers creating their own labels and possibly even dropping off their packages at the post office themselves, it’s time to get the word out about your new cloud-based shipping platform that all your customers are going to love!

The low-hanging fruit, at this point, is your current shippers. These are the people who manually address their packages, drop these packages in the mailroom, and then never hear about them again unless they don’t make it to their destination. We’re starting with this group because the company they work for likely has been doing business with you for years, we know exactly who is sending these packages, and we can motivate them to sign up with your new shipping platform by offering them access to their tracking info.

Pro Tip: Don’t underestimate the power of tracking. While some mail managers are still trying to convince themselves that tracking is not important to their clients–I promise you–tracking is the single most important part of any shipping service, including yours. Offering your mail clients access to their tracking info is a great reason to reconnect and it’s nothing but pure added value to your service!The first step in the process is to export the package level detail from your My Shipping Post, Package History page, and identify who is shipping all your daily packages. From there, you can export a list of your mail clients and narrow that list down to your active shippers. When you do this, you will notice that each of your clients has their very own sign-up code as displayed on the postcard above. Now that we have the client’s name and an associated sign-up code, you can use your fancy-pants variable data print techniques and print a different code for each mail client on the list. Then, when your drivers go to pick up your clients’ daily mail, they can easily drop off a postcard with an office manager and tell them that their staff can access all their tracking info online from here on out.

Pro Tip: It might not be a bad idea to tell the drivers to take a shower and wear a collared shirt the day they drop off your postcards! HA–JUST KIDDING!! We know our driver’s shower…sometimes.

Step 4 | Market to Current Mailers

The next group of shippers that to spend time marketing to is your current mail customers who don’t necessarily ship with your company…yet, of course. The key with this group is that we are still leveraging your stellar reputation to get them to open an email, look at a postcard, and/or take a call from your sales team. Once we have their ear, we will focus on the benefits of your new shipping service that they didn’t realize you have. E.g., Online tracking, daily pick-up, free online software, drop-off anywhere/anytime, address book, print labels, verify addresses, manage staff, etc., etc., etc. These are the main features that pull them into shipping with your competitors such as FedEx, UPS, DHL, and Stamps.com. But, now that you have all these features and more, it’s only a matter of time until we lure them over to you!

Pro Tip: Your mail clients have THOUSANDS of employees who ship packages every day. They either spend their lunch break in line at the USPS, they pay a fortune for FedEx or UPS to come pick up their package, or they are putting money (or an “IOU” more likely) in a cookie-jar by the outgoing mail basket. Wouldn’t it be nice if employees could create an account with their mail service provider, put their credit card on file, and then drop their prepaid packages in the mailroom to go out with the daily mail!?

Step 5 | Grow your Package Business

Once you’ve helped all the people in your book of business find a better, more convenient way to ship their packages, then we’ll want to expand our marketing to the rest of your community. Email, radio, direct mail, direct sales, social media, online ads, and many other channels are all on the table with this new platform because the sign-up process is quick, easy and you are no longer restricted by your mail route!

Your target market is low to medium-sized companies who care more about having a simple, convenient, centralized, full-service, and automated mailing and shipping department. Here are just a few of the many companies we see consistently using the My Shipping Post platform:

• Banks, insurance companies, title companies, and other financial institutions
• Realtors, accountants, attorneys, and other professionals
• School districts, universities, colleges, and other government agencies
• Hospitals, doctor offices, pharmacies, and other healthcare facilities
• Many, many other small- and medium-sized businesses

We have found that if you take 10 minutes to sign up a new customer, they can ship without your help from thereon and you can make money without ever touching a package. It’s about time we get in on this mailbox money that everyone keeps talking about!

Step 6 | Continue to Grow with My Shipping Post

My Shipping Post helps mail service providers compete in the shipping industry within their community by solving problems for enterprise businesses, colleges & universities, government agencies, healthcare facilities, and outbound international shippers. However, the next step to really growing a lucrative shipping business is by offering fulfillment to e-commerce companies and My Shipping Post gives you the tools and resources to do so!