Blog 4 Techies In the United Kingdom, Royal Mail is the major postal service. It is responsible for delivering mail to all 64 million residents of the British Isles. They have a long and illustrious history, having developed, and implemented the first postage stamp. Recently, it has created a lot of buzz with the launch of the new and improved Mailmark technology to substitute standard franking machines.
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A Brief Background
In 1516, Henry VIII created the position of “Master of the Posts.” This was, of course, the forerunner to “Postmaster General.”
The invention of the postage stamp is the next major milestone. The first postage stamp, “The Penny Black,” was issued in the United Kingdom in 1837. After only a decade, France’s La Poste had also adopted stamps. Postage prices were a little hazy back then, and most people had to pay for it as they received it. That would be a cruel trick to pull on someone. Everyone seemed to be hell-bent on using anything as a prepayment mark. So, in 1840, the Penny Black was issued, and the first postage stamps were issued.
The British postal system, like Deutsche Post, was operated and maintained by the government for the first few hundred years of its existence. But things began to change in 2006, when the market was opened to competition, ending the British Empire’s 350-year monopoly on the postal industry within its own borders. After a few years and a slew of new laws, the British government floated a slew of Royal Mail corporate stock shares on the open market in 2013.
Royal Mail then sold the remaining third of the firm shares it had held onto just two years later. The entire company was now owned by the public.
Present Authority and Services
Royal Mail collects and delivers mail all around the United Kingdom. Letters and parcels are dropped off at post boxes or collected in bulk from businesses and delivered to Royal Mail sorting offices. The UK’s distinctive red pillar boxes, which were initially introduced in 1852 and many of them contain the initials of the reigning queen, are owned and maintained by Royal Mail. Except on Sundays and bank holidays, deliveries are delivered at least once a day to all UK destinations at the same price. Across the country, Royal Mail attempts to make first-class deliveries the next business day.
The comprehensive Royal Mail website allows users to track their posts and items, look up postcodes and prices, get online postage services, book a delivery, and so on. You can also download the Royal Mail mobile application to use the above services in the UK and beyond.
The Postal Services Act 2000 also gives Royal Mail the authority to sanction the manufacturing, supply, maintenance, and operation of all franking equipment. Individual machines are included, and they can revoke approval at any time for any model.
Innovative Advancements: Mailmark
The Mailmark was introduced by the Royal Mail in 2014 as an alternative to the standard franking machine. According to Royal Mail rules, the use of older ‘Standard’ franking machines to send franked mail is now being phased out. Beginning January 1, 2023, Royal Mail will only accept franked mail from clients who use a Mailmark Franking machine.
Mailmark, a form of 2D barcode that is the most efficient and exact means of processing mail, will be installed on all Royal Mail franking machines. The advantages of Mailmark for last-mile delivery are the reason that regular franking devices have been decertified and replaced with Mailmark.
Why did Royal Mail introduce the Mailmark?
Clearer Tracking
Mailmark and other machine-readable frank marks make sorting, collecting, and distributing mail more efficient. You’ll also get parcel tracking and an estimated delivery date for more accurate delivery estimations.
Faster Delivery
You can apply or scan the Mailmark barcode in seconds using Mailmark-enabled franking machines, allowing you to collect all important data in one spot. Royal Mail provides wholesalers with a range of data and analytics via its digital dashboard.
Lower Prices
Because companies pay lower franking rates, Mailmark is the most cost-effective way to transport letters and parcels in the UK. The capacity to observe and analyse the entire Royal Mail network minimises the chances of an issue occurring.
The pre-pay reply tool, for example, allows businesses and solicitors to use pre-paid franks and have clients return documents at no expense to them.
Other Advantages
Mailmark is also a scalable technology, as future barcodes will be able to express more or different data as standards improve and grow. In addition to saving time and money, these revolutionary, modern franking machines provide faster, more dependable LAN access. Mailmark machines, unlike traditional franking machines, will immediately record postal pricing changes, and online data and analytics will be available directly through Royal Mail’s internal analytics network.
While traditional postage stamps and normal franking machines have given greater professionalism, Mailmark is a more modern, sleek, and capable option.
Wrapping Up
The Royal Mail has a lengthy history and requires little introduction. However, in recent years, it has begun to change its attention away from tradition and toward the unorthodox, bringing technology breakthroughs such as automation to the forefront, as seen by Mailmark. Due to the numerous advantages that franking machines have over traditional postage stamps, a rising number of businesses are adopting them for daily operations.
Regardless of how the digital world evolves, Royal Mail will continue to serve the vast network and population that will always require postage. However, with a greater emphasis on technology, Royal Mail is redesigning its services for the benefit of citizens.