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Pitney Bowes Offers High Performance and Convenience in New Products for Small Business Segment

- mailstation(TM) digital postage meter and Shipstream(TM) Manager meet small business need for efficiency

- Pitney Bowes reaffirms commitment to small business customers -

STAMFORD, Conn., May 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI - News) today introduced its Pitney Bowes Small Office Series(TM) product line targeted to the small business office and home office.

The core product in the new Pitney Bowes Small Office Series(TM) line is the mailstation(TM) digital postage meter, which offers the all-in-one simplicity and convenience of an integrated scale that automatically calculates the correct postage. As a result, customers never underpay or overpay for postage. This compact, technologically advanced meter also enables customers to utilize Pitney Bowes' patented Intellilink® system for direct access to information and graphics, funds management, software changes and postal rate downloads, while taking up less space and reducing office clutter.

Shipstream(TM) Manager is a PC-based shipping system designed specifically for businesses that ship small packages and large envelopes. It enables customers to accurately weigh and track their shipments directly from the desktop through an easy-to-use PC application and interfaced scale.

Both products offer a wide array of mailing services that enable the small business owner to focus on their business, without needing to visit the post office.

Neil Metviner, president of PB Direct, the small business division of Pitney Bowes, and a recognized leader in direct marketing states, "Pitney Bowes' expertise in the small office/home office market has resulted in our proven track record of successfully meeting the needs of our nearly one million small business customers. With the introduction of the mailstation(TM) digital postage meter and Shipstream(TM) Manager, there should be no doubt about our long-term commitment to the small business segment."

Tying the products together in the Pitney Bowes Small Office Series(TM) product line is a consistent visual identity developed to connect with business customers of diverse cultures and age segments.

"Establishing relevancy is an important part of our marketing strategy for these products," explained Metviner. "We have developed a unique identity that we believe will appeal to the small office and home office customer, communicate unique product benefits, and leverage the strength of the Pitney Bowes brand."

Both the mailstation(TM) digital postage meter and Shipstream(TM) Manager are being offered through a number of marketing channels, including direct mail, retail, telemarketing, alternative media (e.g. "take-ones," billing inserts, etc.) and the Internet. Additional information on the Pitney Bowes Small Office Series(TM) is also available at http://www.pitneyworks.com.

Pitney Bowes is the world's leading provider of integrated mail and document management systems, services and solutions. The $5 billion company helps organizations of all sizes efficiently and effectively manage their mission-critical mail and document flow in physical, digital and hybrid formats. Its solutions range from addressing software and metering systems to print stream management, electronic bill presentment and presort mail services. The company's 80-plus years of technological leadership have produced many major innovations in the mailing industry, and it is consistently on the Intellectual Property Owner's list of top U.S. patent holders. With approximately 35,000 employees worldwide, Pitney Bowes serves more than 2 million businesses through direct and dealer operations. More information about the company can be found at http://www.pb.com.

Contact: Marianne Fulgenzi
Director, External Affairs
(203) 351-6974
Marianne.fulgenzi@pb.com

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Source: Pitney Bowes Inc.

What Can Mailers Do To Improve Delivery Service?

The Advertising Mail Marketing Association has collected the following "tips" from members on what mailers can do in an attempt to minimize delivery delays:

1. Drop ship mail as deeply into the USPS' system as possible (e.g., to the SCF or delivery unit, avoiding the BMC network).

2. Make sure mailing address lists are as clean as possible--particularly seed addresses.

3. Include yourself and your staff as mailing list seeds--add your local Postal Inspectors as seeds on mailing lists and ask for feedback on service performance.

4. Avoid wherever possible the preparation of mixed BMC/ADC pallets or containers--sack that portion of the mailing to the appropriate BMC/ADC.

5. Use NCOA or another method of obtaining customer moves--if it has to go to the old house first it will delay delivery even longer.

6. Use the finest presort level possible--consider opportunities to consolidate mailings to achieve greater presort depth, or consider co-op mailings.

7. Utilize all available programs to communicate mailings in advance to the USPS (e.g., Mail Alert, ADVANCE, etc.).

8. Prepare barcoded mailings wherever possible.

9. When delivery delays are discovered, communicate as much specific information to the USPS as possible.

10 .Use every available USPS resource--contact representatives at the local level, area, or USPS headquarters (if there is a Business Service Network office in your area, contact that office, otherwise to report delivery problems at the national level contact your National Accounts Manager or the USPS Operations Center at 800-419-2769).

11. If no satisfactory response is received when contacting the USPS, contact your Congressional representatives or the local news media.

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