Council has access to an online postal service called BING that staff may wish to utilise. BING is a service that can be used to send all outbound correspondence – postal mail, email, SMS etc - straight from your computer.
This would be particularly useful for large mailouts or send outs and would eliminate the need for using a mailhouse or distribution centre – it essentially replaces these virtually. The entire service costs a similar amount to the posting of a letter but without expending the resources to fold and stuff envelopes inhouse. The platform utilised is secure and regular data security checks are conducted.
This is how it works. You would:
- prepare your documents and database as you usually do, using existing software; eg. Microsoft Word and Excel
- check and review the documents in Bing’s Easypost Mailroom application. You can view the list of recipients and their addresses, the total cost of the mailing and other details
- send all your mail in the format you choose by clicking submit.
The rest - printing, folding, posting is done by BING. You can track the mailing status through the online portal. (Please note that the postal mail service can only be used for A4 documents.)
Training on how to use the system is supplied by BING free of charge to staff in all business units who wish to use the service. Payment of accounts will be coordinated through the Records Management Unit as a single point of contact, just like Australia Post services are now.
Existing mail delivery services will still operate along side any services provided by BING.
If you require further information please contact Janine Patience, Records Management Coordinator.
