The 21st century office environment is vastly different to what it was only a couple of decades ago. What was once a myriad of filing cabinets and desks stacked high with piles of paper, is now a slick, high-tech paperless working space that relies on nothing more than a few compact items of computing technology and a network connection to be able to function smoothly. Well, at least that is certainly the case for many modern offices.

Of course, it is not too uncommon for any office these days to have ? at the very least - a basic IT set-up involving a handful of computers and an internet connection. But whilst email and the internet have certainly revolutionised the way businesses communicate, there is always going to be a need for the more traditional communication methods, such as telephones, faxes and, of course, mail.

And whilst there can be little doubt as to the importance that IT plays in any modern, streamlined office environment, many offices perhaps don't always optimise other aspects of their communications quite so well. For example, countless businesses still stick to traditional stamps when organising their outgoing mail and this can be a rather time-consuming exercise, especially if a large mail-out is required.

Similarly, manually weighing letters and packages and measuring their dimensions in order to calculate the appropriate postage costs is an extremely inefficient way of using valuable business resources. However, as with any time-consuming manual-activity in the modern age, there is technology which can substantially improve efficiency within any mail department, regardless of size.

And digital franking machines, for example, are designed precisely for this purpose. As it goes, the more advanced machines are able to determine the exact dimensions and weight of each item of mail that passes through it, applying the correct postage cost accordingly.

Furthermore, there is no need to pre-sort mail into batches of similar size and weight, as the machine is able to differentiate mixed items automatically. A will not only save valuable time, but also save businesses money too, given that the postal service actually charge less for franking mail than they do for traditional stamps.

So overall, the combination of improved efficiency in mail management and reduced postage costs, means that the initial outlay involved in acquiring a franking machine is negligible, considering what it can save in personnel and financial resources over the long-term. And in conjunction with all the other aspects of the modern 21st century office, this can only help to streamline business activity at all levels, whilst in addition bringing traditional communication into the 21st century.