Intelligent Mail® and Mail Tracking

Despite the wealth of information available on Intelligent Mail, there is still a common misperception in the industry that using Intelligent Mail® barcodes (IMb's) automatically allows mailers to track their mail. While the additional data included in the IMb certainly facilitates the ability to track the mail, using the IMb, in and of itself, does not provide for accessing mail tracking data. In order to take advantage of mail tracking, mailers must also use the USPS® Confirm® service.

Data in the IMb

The Intelligent Mail barcode is so named because it contains much more data than its predecessor, the POSTNET™ barcode, and it allows the mailer and the USPS to be smarter about the mail itself. The IMb contains the routing code for the mailpiece (the Delivery Point ZIP Code™), just as the POSTNET barcode does, however, the IMb also contains a tracking code, which consists of the barcode identifier, the service type identifier, the mailer identifier, and a serial number.

Table is from the USPS Intelligent Mail Barcode Specification document.

It is the addition of this tracking code that allows for tracking the mailpiece. However, this tracking code does not become tracking data until:

1. It is scanned by the USPS when the mailpiece is processed on USPS sorting equipment,
2. The data from the scan is transmitted by Confirm to the mailer or may be accessed on the USPS web site, Mail Tracking & Reporting,
3. The scan data is interpreted and related back to the original mailing data. This requires special software or third-party services.

To do all of this requires much more than simply printing the IMb on your mailpieces.

Using Confirm

Mail tracking, through use of the PLANET® barcode, was available long before Intelligent Mail ever came along. The drawback of the PLANET Code® is that it needs to be used in addition to the POSTNET barcode, and in many cases there is not enough space on the mailpiece to accommodate both barcodes. Another problem is the aesthetics of the two barcodes detracts from the marketing value of the mailpiece. The collection and reporting of the scanned data, whether PLANET barcodes or IMb's are used, is provided using the Confirm service. Confirm is a subscription-based service where the subscription fees are based upon the number of scans a subscriber expects to get over the course of a year. (Although there is one subscription level that is for a term less than 12 months.) Mailers can subscribe to the Confirm service directly, or by using a third-party service provider with a Confirm subscription.

Start-the-Clock

Along with the scanned data available through Confirm, another important data element in the tracking of mail is to identify when and where the mail first entered the postal processing stream. This point of entry into the postal stream is termed "start-the-clock" by the USPS, and will be discussed in a future E-tip. So, stay tuned!