What You Don’t Know About New USPS Requirements Can Actually Hurt You
By Jeffery Peoples
CEO & Founder, Window Book, Inc.
Did you know that the USPS® announced at MTAC (Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee) in February 2012 that they plan to retire the POSTNET barcode in January 2013? This means starting January 2013 you and your partners in the Postal industry will no longer be able to claim automation discounts using POSTNET. You will need to use Intelligent Mail Barcodes (IMb) to qualify for automation discounts. It was also announced that in January 2014 only Full-Service IMb mail will qualify for automation discounts.
Did you know that the 2012 USPS Mobile Barcode Promotion requires using eDoc and Intelligent Mail barcodes?
Visit https://ribbs.usps.gov/index.cfm?page=mobilebarcode for more information.
What’s holding you back from implementing Intelligent Mail barcode or Intelligent Mail Full-Service into your operation? Not enough ROI? Don’t know how eDoc works? Don’t want to change your business practices? What you need to know is that if you do not use IMb or Full-Service IMb by the USPS Full Service deadline, you will not have to worry about either. You will be out of the mailing business. Without the automation discounts you won’t be able to compete with other mail service providers. The USPS also plans to require Full Service for all new promotions as early as next year so for many mail service providers though the technical requirement to move to Full Service is in 2014, the business requirement will end up being 2013. Full Service mail service providers will be able to offer their clients lower postage rates and eligibility for USPS promotions giving them a competitive edge.
Want to chat with me? Send me an email at jpeoples@windowbook.com
If you are an in-house mailer, there may not seem be the same urgency to implement Full Service earlier than the 2014 deadline, but in reality early implementation is just as important for in-house mailers as mail service providers. Failure to meet that deadline would be so expensive; your company would close your mailing operation and outsource its functions if it appeared that this was even a risk. If you implement early and successfully, you preserve the cost-effectiveness of your mailing operation, and preserve your job.
Many mailers consider moving to eDoc as an impediment to Full Service. It is way easier to do than most mailers think and it creates efficiencies for both the USPS and the mailer that are important. Some mailers have been using eDoc for many years, long before Full Service Intelligent Mail was introduced. An example of one benefit of eDocs is the ability to participate in USPS promotions. This summer plan the USPS will offer a Mobile Barcode Promotion of a 2% up-front discount off of eligible postage from July 1 through August 31, 2012. If you can’t submit e-docs, you will have to sit this one out… and all those that follow. Did you know that when the Postal Service ran the promotion last year they provided $5.1 million in discount to First-Class mailers on 480 million pieces and $29 million in discounts on 4.5 billion Standard Mail pieces (including nonprofit)? For this year, eligibility for the incentive includes Standard Mail letters and flats, Non-profit Standard Mail letters and flats, First-Class Mail presort and automation letters, cards, and flats. Visit
https://ribbs.usps.gov/index.cfm?page=mobilebarcode for more information on the upcoming Mobile Barcode Promotion and find out how you can get ready to qualify for your discounts!
Getting started with eDoc and IM Full-Service
This would be a great time to figure out what it is going to take to implement Full Service Intelligent Mail at your mailing facility. It is really not as hard as it used to be. Most presort software vendors offer options or already include the ability to create the serialized IMb tray/sack tags and pallet placards. Most support Mail.dat or Mail.xml eDocs but if your jobs are large or you do your presorts well in advance of production, you might need “post-presort” software. This software helps you to easily make sure your eDoc reflects what it is you are actually putting in the mail. If you create pallets you will need palletization software. This is an optional capability offered by most presort vendors and is also offered by most “post-presort” software products. The numbering of the mail pieces themselves can be done using your presort software or a utility used prior to presort. There are pro’s and con’s of both approaches. Moving to Full Service may also have an impact on both production and business process, but both tend to be very beneficial to most mailers. You now have a lot of choices and if you are not sure how best to approach it, we can help. Not only with a great “post-presort” product, but with the consulting services to help you with the entire transition.
Request Your Custom Demo of DAT-MAIL for implementing eDoc and IM Full-Service
http://www.windowbook.com/demo
January of 2013 and January 2014 are coming soon. Do not be caught off-guard when the Postal Service tells you that you cannot claim your discounts. Implementing IMb, eDoc and Intelligent Mail Full-Service can take months to complete. Get started today. For additional information on get going with eDoc and IM Full-Service, please call
1-800-524-0380 or email
postalspecialist@windowbook.com and discover how DAT-MAIL can save you be successful in the Postal industry.
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About Window Book, Inc.
Window Book has helped clients manage their operations more profitably since 1989.
A leader in mailing and shipping software for Lettershops, Corporate Mailers, Service Bureaus, and Mail Owners. Window Book’s best-in-class postal solutions include: Intelligent Mail Full-Service, PostalOne!, eDoc, Mail.dat, Mail.XML, FAST, bound printed matter, post-presort data management, entry planning, drop shipping, postage accounting, postal documentation & statements, meter and stamp management, Express Mail and Priority Mail Open and Distribute, New Commercial Plus rates, eVS, delivery confirmation, and manifesting shipping system.
Window Book, Inc.
300 Franklin Street
Cambridge, MA 02139-3781
Ph: 800-524-0380
Fax: 617-395-5900
www.windowbook.com
postalspecialist@windowbook.com