Ensuring orders reach customers on time is a top priority for businesses. And one company that has been helping businesses with reliable shipping services is the United States Postal Services (USPS). Interestingly, USPS is not just about shipping goods from one place to another. The USPS.com website lets businesses do a lot more than that.
Here are 10 surprising things your business can do on the USPS.com website.
Pay for Postage Using PayPal
USPS.com’s Click-N-Ship Business Pro lets businesses pay via PayPal. This makes it simpler for you to keep a record of payment through your PayPal account of mailing and shipping costs. You may import PayPal expenses into many accounting programs to avoid manual entry of mailing expenses.
Let USPS Track Your Packages
Tired of dealing with customer queries regarding the delivery date and time of the package? USPS makes it easy for you to address the problem. You can send tracking emails and/or text-based alerts to let the recipients know when the package will reach them. Real-time delivery notifications help you save time and provide a simpler solution to keeping customers updated.
Create Labels to Save Money and Time
Creating and printing out labels individually for packages is time-consuming work. With Click-N-Ship, you can save both time and money. The tool lets you print your own label with postage so that you save money off retail prices. And you can do it wherever you have a printer.
Schedule a Pickup
Haven’t got the time to visit the post office? You can schedule a free package pickup right from your doorstep and save all the trouble. Your carrier can pick up your shipment free during regular mail delivery if you are using an expedited service such as Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, Global Express Guaranteed, or Merchandise Return services.
Get Your Mail Wherever You Are
For a fee, USPS.com can ensure your mail follows wherever you are. So, whether you are planning a long-term move or just a new address for a few months, you can be sure that your mail will follow you.
You can also pay a weekly fee to let USPS.com hold your mail, package it, and ship it to you each week by Priority Mail service. Premium Forwarding Service Residential (PFS-Residential) is a temporary service that can be used from 2 weeks up to a year. Unfortunately, PFS-Residential Online option is not currently available for PO Box addresses.
Hold Your Mail While You’re Away
Going away on a vacation? You don’t need to worry about your package if you choose USPS.com. You can take advantage of the Request Hold Mail service to ensure your mail is kept at the local Post Office until you are back. You can schedule the service up to 30 days in advance, or by 2 a.m. CST (Mon-Sat) on the start date.
If you are going to be gone for more than 30 days, you can have all your mail sent in a weekly batch to your temporary address with Premium Forwarding Service.
Get Free Postage Boxes
When you ship through USPS.com’s Priority or Express mail, you get free supplies. During the holiday season, you can choose from a wide range of decorated shipping boxes. You just need to have an account on USPS.com to order directly from the postal service. You get access to dozens of different boxes and envelope sizes. It usually takes 7-10 business days for your order to be delivered.
Quickly Calculate Postage Rates
With USPS.com’s postage price calculator, you can figure out how much you need to pay to ship your goods. And it’s simple to use. You just need to select the destination, enter ZIP codes, provide mailing dates, check off the content you are trying to send, and select a flat rate service or choose a shape.
Go Global While Simplifying Paperwork
With USPS.com, you can pay for, prepare and schedule a pickup of your shipment to your customers in more than 180 countries. You get access to free software to create mailing labels, custom forms, postage statement, and manifests.
By choosing the Click-N-Ship service or the online customs form tool, you can find all the right customs forms you need to fill out to ensure your package reaches its destination.
Promote Your Business with Every Door Direct Mail
To reach more businesses, USPS has created Every Door Direct Mail, a cost-effective online mapping tool that can help you find potential customers. Using this tool, you can choose postal routes based on appropriate demographics, and get your products delivered to every address on the selected routes. In other words, you don’t need to purchase mailing lists to reach potential customers.
Using Every Door Direct Mail-Retail, you can send up to 5,000 mail pieces a day per ZIP code. It’s a tool to create buzz around store openings, sales, or events.
Image: USPS.com
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