Pitney Bowes Inc., the Stamford, Conn.-based "mailstream"company, said has planned a series of events and services to helpmail-reliant businesses, such as insurance companies, to handle theupcoming postal rate hike.

The firm said it was providing communications, events and onlineservices, designed to make sure mailers make wise choices aboutmailstream options when new prices take effect May 12.

Full-rate first class postage for a one-ounce letter is risingfrom 41 cents to 42 cents, or 2.4 percent, but many businessmailers can pay far less than that by taking advantage of postaldiscounts, Pitney Bowes said.

"While these are modest price increases by historical standards,the imperative for mailers remains the same: to review operationscontinually to ensure the best overall strategy for this valuablecommunications channel," said Leslie Abi-Karam, Pitney Bowes'sexecutive vice president and president, mailing solutionsmanagement. "We think price changes offer a great opportunity totake a fresh look."

To support mailers who are preparing for the changes, PitneyBowes said it has two online resources available. Generalinformation about the new rates, as well as many other topics ofimportance to mailers, is available at www.pbrateinfo.com.

The firm said the Web site also includes an interactive ratechange calculator that helps customers understand how the new rateswill affect them, and offers specific strategies to mitigate theprice increases. The calculator is available through the "IdentifyWinning Strategies" link on the site.

Current Pitney Bowes customers who want to download the newrates to their Pitney Bowes mailing machines can go towww.pb.com/ratechange.

Pitney Bowes said it has also been reaching out to mailersthrough local Postal Customer Council meetings, direct mail,in-person customer calls and Web-based training sessions to helporganizations prepare for the new postal rates.

As May 12 approaches, the company said its call centers andcustomer support representatives are prepared for online and livesupport for last-minute issues.

"Even during challenging economic times, mail remains one of thebest ways to communicate with customers and prospects," Ms.Abi-Karam said.

Pitney Bowes aid its mailstream technology helps organizationsmanage the flow of information, mail, documents and packages andits 36,000 employees deliver technology and service to more thantwo million customers worldwide.