Support Can Be Beautiful Postal centers go high-tech
By Jacquelyn Lynn •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Most homebased entrepreneurs are as comfortable in postalbusiness centers as they are with childhood friends. After all,this is an industry that's grown up with the SOHO market. Oncefairly simple operations where you could get mail, ship and receivepackages, these centers have matured into sophisticated, high-techresource centers. Here are some of their latest offerings:
Web-to-print technology. Log on to PostNet's Web site where you canselect, publish and purchase advertising specialties and printedmaterials using your own artwork and logos.
Computer time rental. Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE) centers rentcomputers by the minute or hour The service includes high-speedInternet access.
MBE Online. Another MailBoxes Etc. offering, this Internet access product marketed byMBE, IBM and Infoseek, is an easy-to-use research andinformation-gathering tool for the homebased and small-officeworker.
Virtual warehouse. Parcel Plus locations are beingdesigned and retrofitted to provide homebased businesses withenhanced supplies, facilities, packaging and shippingexpertise.
Travel aid. Mail Boxes Etc. and USA Technologies Inc.have teamed up to offer MBE Business Express-24-hour. These fullyautomated, credit card-activated, totally self-service businesscenters are designed for business travelers who need quick accessto personal computers, printers, copiers and fax machines. Computerworkstations, featuring Microsoft software, provide Internet ande-mail services, laptop ports and printers.
Jacquelyn Lynn left the corporate world more than 12 yearsago and has been writing about business and management issues fromher home office in Winter Park, Florida, ever since.
