February 7, 2005

Pitney Bowes Releases New Package Management Software

Mailing packages is not the most exciting thing in the world. However, it is a MUST for many businesses. Whether that business is shipping a customer's order or shipping documents - shipping is a HUGE part of business life.

Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE:PBI) today introduced Package Manager PM3000(TM), the newest PC-based addition to the company's suite of high-end package management products. While similar programs are designed for large-scale shipping operations, PM3000 caters to small-to-medium size warehouse shipping customers while offering comparable efficiency and technology support.

The Web-based PM3000 automates all shipping processes from start to finish. It has browser capabilities for both warehouse and back-office use and helps users select the best carriers and services to save money on shipping. It rates, ships and tracks parcels, express packages and letters from a user's desktop. PM3000 supports a complete line of express, parcel and local carriers.

Its configurable business rules allow users to designate preferred carriers for any customer, automatically generate special documentation, or apply special instructions as needed.

PM3000 includes the most recent version of Pitney Bowes' rate-shopping feature, which compares multi-carrier service options and rates. As an added feature, customers also can purchase USPS Residential Delivery Indicator (RDI)(TM) to verify whether addresses are classified as residential or business. PM3000 also features detailed consolidated reporting, which generates a wide variety of customer-defined reports containing comprehensive order and shipment data. Its customizable Web-based interface allows users to configure the shipping screen to include desired fields.

The program lets users manage address preparation and shipping requests to ensure each shipment has the correct documentation. Users also can view shipment status updates online at anytime to improve customer-response time. PM3000 improves cash flow by providing real-time information to a host system so invoices can be immediately generated.

The program also stores all shipping transactions in one place, which allows any user to check the status of shipments and gives accounting departments a more timely and accurate view of shipping costs.

PM3000's powerful integration options -- which make real-time shipment information accessible a customer's organization for greater efficiency and improved cash flow -- are available to host systems including Batch, XML, ODBC and XML Round Trip.

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