We spoke to Kristin at Military Family Support Group and this is what she had to say…
What is the biggest benefit of using ShippingEasy?
ShippingEasy has made printing 250+ customs forms so much easier and quicker! The format is easy to use. ShippingEasy makes it easy to keep track of the cost and individuals that MFSG sends packages to. By using ShippingEasy, more than one volunteer can have access to the preparation of the forms; which is great backup for me! With ShippingEasy, MFSG volunteers no longer have to assist at the Post Office to date-stamp and separate the forms. It is already done during the creation of the label! With the money MFSG saves on postage, we are able to purchase more much needed items to put into the packages for the troops! Compared to the cost of using the Postal Service, MFSG saves approximately $5,202.00 a year on mailing packages to our troops.
What shipping solution did you use before ShippingEasy?
Before we joined ShippingEasy, I had to order all the customs forms/labels/sleeves from the post office. When MFSG began in 2003, all the Customs Forms/labels were filled in by hand. A few years later, a printer was donated that could print through all 6 copies of the Customs Form; however, formatting and periodically changing the troop address/information in Word was tedious and time consuming. Recently the P.O. changed the Custom’s Forms to two pages and they were too small to fit into the printer. Therefore, once again, the forms were filled in by hand. Since MFSG mails the packages once a month, several MFSG volunteers would take the 250+ packages to the Post Office, before it opened in the morning, and assist the clerk with date stamping and separating the 6 pages of the form. This was the routine for 13 years, until we heard about Shipping Easy!
The “old” shipping process took a lot of time and at times was very frustrating. With the introduction of the new Custom’s Forms, the printer became obsolete. Although much of the individual’s information was filled in by hand, a stamp with basic information was purchased to make the process a little easier. We ran into a lot of different challenges trying to process orders in this fashion. After volunteers wrote in all the information needed by hand, some words were missread during the shipping process. The printer continuously jammed during printing and some pages never came out. For a while, I was the only volunteer with the format and printer. I had to make sure the labels were printed and ready for the monthly packing and it was difficult to recruit volunteers due to the limited equipment and tedious method used.
A Postal Rep informed the President of MFSG to check out ShippingEasy. It is an easier, more organized and less expensive way to print and mail packages to our troops.
What is your favorite feature in ShippingEasy?
Everything! I cannot express how much ShippingEasy has made a difference in time and money for our all-volunteer Military Family Support Group. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable and will walk through any process of creating a label. There’s nothing to lose with ShippingEasy, only time and money gained!
ShippingEasy customer service is wonderful. To get started, I spoke with our USPS rep who directed me to Megan Gustafson. She assisted in making sure they were a good fit for our needs. I have also used the support number displayed in my ShippingEasy account for help with questions that arise.
A little bit about Military Family Support Group…
The Military Family Support Group sends 350+ care packages each month overseas of much needed supplies to the troops in every branch of the military. For more information about the company, please visit their website.
