New system facilitates access to US market

A new electronic postal mail management system can give SA import and export companies a direct presence in the giant US market – and a way of handling all their business at the click of the mouse. According to Sara Carr, an executive with Earth Class Mail (ECM), the US-based provider of online mail management services, a growing percentage of its business is with import and export companies – which are finding that its wide range of services fits the needs of small business owners. “By using our technology a business can start importing or exporting from anywhere in the world using our addresses - allowing for a safe and secure system,” she told FTW. “We also manage the inbound postal mail for the company, an essential component of any successful business.” Effectively, you will be managing your exports and imports from a computer thousands of miles away – with a website doing the selling, ECM acting as your interim mail manager, handling the warehouse storage of your stock, and collecting/distributing your goods. The programme also handles the financial side of your business – conducting the banking procedures at your electronic instruction. “You are therefore running a value chain within the US in a costeffective way,” said Carr, “leveraging someone else’s service to take your own business forward. “It means that you can effectively manage and grow your import-export business without adding headcount. Through online mail management you manage the post, you scan documents, you deposit cheques, you forward packages and other mail, you shred and recycle documents, and you store mail – all from your computer.” Businesses in more than 170 countries are already utilising the service, Carr added, using Earth Class Mail (and its facilities) as an online fulfilment company.