Neopost to launch hybrid mail service in France

Mailing equipment and software provider Neopost is preparing to launch a hybrid mail service, which will allow its French customers to send documents via the internet for local printing and insertion into the mailstream, even abroad. The company’s Neopost France unit is working with French technology provider Esker on the “on demand mail” platform, called Neotouch, which will allow the sending of standard or registered mail as well as an online archiving system.

• Clarification (September 19): The new hybrid mail service is available for Neopost customers in France only at this time, although those customers will be able to use it to mail items overseas.

Neopost France clients will be able to send items including invoices, reminders and other customer communications at the click of a mouse, via the internet to the local country of their customer, where it will be printed, folded, inserted into envelopes then stamped and delivered by a local postal operator.

The partnership will have eight production facilities available to finish mail and enter it into the mail in the United States, France, Australia, Spain, Singapore, the UK and Belgium.

Esker said its cloud-based infrastructure would run through three data centres located in the US, France and Australia.

The service is expected to be launched through the Neopost France website from September 19.

Jean-Francois Badet, CEO at Neopost France, said the new service would prove the “missing link” for his customers in terms of end-to-end mailstream automation.

“Our customers’ expectations of the mail value chain have evolved over the years. Productivity, reactivity and traceability are vital elements for the competitiveness of a company and Neopost solutions must be able to address these needs,” said Badet.

Savings

Document processing specialist Esker launched its own international hybrid mail service earlier this year, which it said could cut mail production costs by as much as 45% and postage costs by 50%.

Esker is already working with local postal operators including Australia Post, bpost, Correos, La Poste, Royal Mail, Singapore Post, swiss Post and the US Postal Service on the local delivery side of its offering.

“Mail on-demand is a natural extension of mailroom equipment and enables substantial productivity gains,” said Eric Thomas, VP International Business Development Manager for Esker.

“By combining Esker’s best in class technology with Neopost’s expertise, our goal is to deliver a comprehensive mail automation solution.”