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Updates for the National Postal Forum

Published on March 5, 2010 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

We are looking forward to seeing you at the National Postal Forum and wanted to share some updates.

Yesterday, Pitney Bowes National Postal Forum site went live and provides great insight on everything we will be exhibiting at this year’s NPF. For a sneak peak go to http://www.pbtradeshows.com/npf/

If you would like free tickets to the exhibition area please go TICKETS

One further update: You can now register for the NPF Peer to Peer Roundtable discussions – Because of the demand for this highly successful event you MUST pre-register for the Roundtable selection of your choice. A complete listing of the many roundtable options are listed on the Peer-To-Peer registration page here:  http://p2p.npf.org/

Hope to see you soon!

An 8125 Checklist for Mailers

Published on March 5, 2010 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

An 8125 Checklist for Mailers
In an effort to ensure consistent adherence to existing policies and procedures at its business mailer acceptance docks, plants and Post Offices, the USPS recently published an 8125 Checklist for mailers. Below is a portion of that document. We urge you to click on the link below to access and download the complete document.
http://www.windowbook.com/Mailing/8125-Checklist

To ensure PS Form 8125 is complete and accurate –  Work with your existing software vendors to establish the right parameters so that
the mailings created match the documentaton presented.

Ensure 8125 is completely filled out including:
Drop Ship Appointment Number
Mailer Name
FAST Scheduler ID
Mailer Contact Name
Mailer Contact Telephone
Origin Plant Location

Required mailer fields include:
- Class of Mail
- Type of Mail Processing Category
- Number of Containers, etc.
- Number of Pallets
- Entry Discounts Claimed
- Comments DMM Labeling List Info
- Entry Office in the Destination Entry Post Office section

Go to the link provided for more information and access to the checklist.

Post Master General Proposes Dramatic Service Cuts

Published on March 4, 2010 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Post Master General Proposes Dramatic Service Cuts
Tuesday, March 02, 2010

~ Maura Betler

Despite record service levels and customer satisfaction scores, the Post Master General John Potter today announced severe losses. Mr. Potter says that without making cutbacks and taking necessary restructuring measures, the USPS could face a collective shortfall of $238 billion by 2020.
In a statement earlier this year, the USPS® points to the “…2010 first-quarter financial results” and the “recent recession, as well as continued migration of mail to electronic alternatives” as ongoing contributors to the agency’s financial woes.
In his March 2, 2010 statement, Mr. Potter proposed several cost-cutting measures:
• Restructure retiree benefits.
• Adjust or eliminate Saturday deliveries.
• Modernize customer access at retail stores and from the Internet.
• Restructure and revise pricing of services to reflect market demand.
• Introduce more products and services consistent customer needs and requests.
Finally, and not unexpectedly, Mr. Potter proposed a “modest exigent price increase,” effective in 2011.

PostalOne! System Now Restored

Published on February 10, 2010 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

The PostalOne! System, which has been down since 5:50 p,m. EST, Friday, February 5, is now up and running. Mailers can now submit electronic mailing information, and both mailers and acceptance sites are able to access mailing reports, balance, fees and transaction information. Mailers also will start receiving Full-Service feedback, such as address correction information. Upon restoration of the PostalOne! System, acceptance sites are following the procedures below to process postage statements:  For mailers who normally submit hardcopy postage statements, acceptance employees will enter the hardcopy statements presented during the outage.  For mailers who normally submit postage statements via Postal Wizard, acceptance employees will compare the hardcopy postage statements submitted during the outage to the Postal Wizard statements that appear on the dashboard to finalize those that do appear. If a hardcopy statement was submitted during the outage and does not appear on the dashboard, acceptance employees will enter the hardcopy statement that was provided.  Mailers who intended to send mailing information electronically (using Mail.dat or Mail.XML) during the outage, should submit their electronic mailing information upon system restoration for the mailings presented during the outage period. Acceptance employees will compare the hardcopy statements that were provided during the outage to the electronic statements appearing on the dashboard to ensure all mailings are presented and will finalize the electronic statements. Mailers are encouraged to work with USPS acceptance employees to verify that all jobs submitted for the outage period ─ Friday, February 5 through Tuesday, February 9 ─ appear correctly on the PostalOne! dashboard.  The Mailing Date will reflect the actual date of mailing and will not be changed to the date the mailing was processed in the PostalOne! system. CAPS – The CAPs website is now available. CAPS Debit Account customers, need to verify with their bank whether or not they have a filter on their bank account and if the debit filter threshold is sufficient to cover mailings presented through the outage period. There is a possibility that mailing transactions or Business Reply Mail (BRM ) invoice postings may exceed the bank threshold once acceptance sites start entering postage statements and/or invoices. The debit threshold filter could cause the debit to be returned (i.e. debit bounce). CAPS Trust Account customers need to ensure that their CAPS accounts have sufficient funds on deposit for all postage statements presented and all hard-copy BRM or Postage Due invoices they have received during this outage. Local Trust Accounts – All deposits made through retail units to local trust accounts should now display in the PostalOne! System. Customers are encouraged to verify their account balance in PostalOne! reflects deposits made during the outage. FAST Update – FAST Web Services functionality has been restored. FAST Mailer Rating was temporarily deactivated, as of 5 p.m. EST Friday, February 5, through 11:59 p.m. EST, Wednesday, February 10, to accommodate the outage. Mailer rating will resume on Thursday, February 11. eVS Update – eVS manifests received via the Product Tracking System during the outage are now being loaded into the PostalOne! System for payment and reconciliation. For questions or concerns, feel free to contact your local Business Mail acceptance personnel or the PostalOne! Helpdesk at: 800-522-9085

The following instructions are provided for continuation of operations during the PostalOne! system outage that began Feb. 5.

Published on February 8, 2010 in Uncategorized. 1 Comment Tags: .

PostalOne! Contingency Plan for Feb. 5, 2010 Outage – External Customers

The following instructions are provided for continuation of operations during the PostalOne! system outage that began Feb. 5.

The PostalOne! system is not expected to be operational until end of day, Feb. 9. The PostalOne! system is not available for either internal or external user access. Internal users will not be able to access electronic documentation or enter postage statements. External users are not able to submit electronic information or access any reporting information including Full Service ACS. Although the FAST system is operational, external users will need to use the online FAST application to schedule appointments.

Communications:
USPS Headquarters Business Mail Acceptance will continue to provide field communication and updates to both Business Mail Acceptance and external customers through various distribution channels to include:
Internal – email address lists for Area Marketing Managers, Area Customer Service Program Analysts, Mgrs. Business Mail Entry and the BMA Newsletter, and P & C Weekly.
External – Customer Relations, PostalOne! User Group, MTAC, PostalOne! Help Desk customer list, and DMM Advisory.

This contingency plans applies to ALL sites using the PostalOne! system for Business Mail, including BMEUs, DMUs, and Post Offices. Mailings will be accepted with as little impact to the mailer as possible.

Acceptance Process:

Maintain a site log of all hardcopy statements for mailings being submitted during the outage.

Hard Copy Postage Statements
• Acceptance personnel will inquire with each mailer to ensure they have adequate funds on deposit to cover mailing(s) or refer to printed balance report if available. Sites should record checks on a manual log and forward to retail operations for posting in POS.
• Hard copy postage statements for mailings accepted during an outage will be completed, logged and retained in a secure location for posting when the system is restored to service.

Postal Wizard
• Postal Wizard users will be required to submit hard copy postage statements. These hardcopy postage statements will be completed, logged and retained in a secure location for posting when the system is restored to service.
• Acceptance units will handle statements according to instructions for hard copy statements.
• If a Postal Wizard user arrives at acceptance and has previously submitted a statement in Postal Wizard, assist mailer in completion of hard copy statement.

eDoc Submission – Mail.dat / Mail.XML
• Mailers will be required to submit hardcopy postage statements and a qualification summary report for each of their mailings. Mailers will need to provide hardcopy postage statement(s) and qualification summary reports for the previous day’s mailings, the current day and subsequent days mailing(s) if necessary.
• A mailer may provide a mailing log and other supporting documentation in hardcopy or via access to electronic viewer if available for Postal clerks. Clerks should only request documentation that is necessary for verification or other required function. It is not necessary for the mailer to submit hard copy of all documentation if it is not needed for verification.
• The hardcopy statements will be completed, logged and retained in a secure location and will be used to validate against eDoc submitted when the system is restored.

Special Postage Payment Systems
• Mailers who have an authorized DSMS agreement may provide a mailing log by day in lieu of hardcopy postage statements. This log must include at a minimum the elements: Job ID#, permit, total pieces, and total postage. The clerk needs to annotate the date of mailing for each line item on the log.
• Mailers that have special postage payment system agreements (SPPS) in place will follow the contingency plans identified in the SPPS agreement.

System Restoration (What are you going to do when PostalOne! is restored):

Ensure that all statements are processed as soon as possible after system is restored.

Hard Copy Postage Statements
• Ensure that all normally submitted hardcopy statements are entered into the system and processed as soon as possible after system is restored. Compare system hardcopy entries to site log to determine all statements have been entered.

Postal Wizard
• When the system is restored, before entering the hardcopy of statements from mailers that normally used Postal Wizard, acceptance unit must compare statement to statements that are on the PostalOne! dashboard. If statement was previously submitted through Postal Wizard prior to system outage and is on dashboard, process electronic statement from dashboard. Compare Postal Wizard entries to site log to determine all statements have been entered. Those statements that do not appear on the dashboard must be entered manually.

eDoc Submission – Mail.dat / Mail.XML
• When the PostalOne! system is restored, notify mailers to submit eDoc and the clerk will process the mailings using the electronic statement and documentation to compare to the mailings listed on the log to ensure that statements are submitted for any mailing accepted.
• If mailer had submitted eDoc prior to the system outage use the documentation on the dashboard to match to the log and process statements accordingly. Compare eDoc submission to site log to determine all statements have been entered.

Recent Article – The Future is Bright for Intelligent Mail

Published on January 26, 2010 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , .

A few weeks ago we were approached by BtoB magazine to provide a brief article on the subject of Intelligent Mail. If you are a reader of this publication you will already be aware that this is a magazine for ‘Marketing Strategists’. It is exciting to see this growing interest in the value that Intelligent Mail offers outside of just mail production. For companies, it means leveraging your existing investment in the IMb to drive more benefits that can be seen in marketing, billing and customer service just to name a few.
In the article my colleague, Kevin Conti writes, ‘Forward-thinking mailers will view all these Intelligent Mail programs as a competitive advantage to grow their businesses while reducing operating costs. Progressive list processing and mailing services companies have developed business cases around new Intelligent Mail Bar Code-based products and services, such as “virtual returned mail,” that may expand their market shares, differentiate their services and create substantial savings by eliminating time and material waste.’
Kevin also provides a best practices checklist that provides some great food for thought. Here’s the link to the article that provide for a quick and interesting read. BtoB Online Artlcle

Difficulties in Meeting Move Update Requirements for First-Class Mailers… Is It Real? Or is it Hype?

Published on November 13, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , .

This week I read an interesting article on the concerns regarding postal inspection services initiative for move update that Dan O’Rourke, the editor for Mailing Systems Technology had flagged up. In case you missed it – here’s the link.

Mary Ann Bennett provides a very interesting perspective on this subject and it is worth reading. Not being a mailer myself, in reading the article I compared it to a time when I ran my own business, and felt like with all the government requirements such as workman’s comp, property tax, sale tax on goods sold, inventory tax on goods not sold, payroll tax, etc – the likelihood of ever turning my business into an empire seemed bleak as the reality of owning a small business came to life. Just keeping up with all of the requirements while running my business was challenging within itself, it seemed endless – and it obviously is no comparison to what large volumes mailers are dealing with these days.

In the article I mentioned, Mary Ann highlights the many complexities associated in complying with the move update process. While many large volume First Class mailers felt they had all their ducks in a row to ensure maximum postal discounts were achieved, from what we are hearing, this is unfortunately not the case.

Mary Ann writes; It is understandable that these large companies would have no idea there is anything wrong with their mail. And then they get a phone call from a Postal Inspector who is requesting a meeting and that Postal Inspector shows up and says “show me on your mailing statement which move update methods you are currently utilizing.” The mailer is using a service provider and is unsure of what is being marked by their mailing agent on the statements. But surely, there cannot be a problem. They have been using the same in-house method for many years and they had no idea they had problems with the mail. Upon further investigation, the mailer determines that no USPS approved move update method is being used. The Postal Inspector goes back and says well there are these four methods and a 99% accuracy test. And the customer says, “we will submit the files for 99% accuracy”. And the Inspector will say “well no, you would have had to do that before the fact.” As far as the Postal Inspector is concerned the mailer has broken a rule. “Technically you have not been in compliance and listen Mr. Mailer, if I go back a period of years, since this regulation has been in place since 1997, technically I could go back and take away every postage discount you have claimed over the last twelve years. I could recover around $80 million but we will settle for just $2.5 million. We are going to settle for this reduced amount and unless you pay this amount, we are going to rescind your mailing privileges.”

It’s a scary but very real scenario that I hope any of you reading this will not find yourself or your organization a part of. Mary Ann states that many mailers are now seeking other alternatives for mailing, but for many of you that just is not an option in the short term I will look forward to hearing how you are coping, if this is a key concern…or mostly media hype. We do hear of these things happening, but how often and to what extent I just cannot provide any insight into.

USPS Webinar Series Worth a Listen

Published on November 6, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

As you may already be aware, the USPS have rolled out an informative webinar series that continue until the end of the month. Let’s face it, any clarification on these very relevant topics is helpful and leveraging these sessions may be time well spent.

If you go to http://ribbs.usps.gov/index.cfm?page=intellmaillatestnews you will find a lot of useful info and also links to the webinar series.

Today, November 6th at 2-4 PM EST, there is a webinar – Full Service ACS Update – here’s the login details:
1. Browse to: http://meetingplace3.usps.gov/a/e599be4820790ce462fafc86593e02d2
2. After the MeetingPlace window is open, click the Phone icon (under the Participant List or in the upper right-hand corner).
3. Click Connect Me, validate or update your phone number and click Connect Me again.
4. When the system calls you press 1 to join.
To attend with audio only if you have not connected by computer:
Phone Number: 866-567-8049
Meeting ID: 2412607
On the 13th, from 2-4 PM EST there is a webinar – Submitting Postage Statements Between 15 and November 29
To attend the November 13 Web conference and join with audio (no earlier than 15 minutes prior to the start):
1. Browse to: http://meetingplace3.usps.gov/a/95c1595dce8e8dbbb7e4d67d309e9107
2. After the MeetingPlace window is open, click the Phone icon (under the Participant List or in the upper right-hand corner).
3. Click Connect Me, validate or update your phone number and click Connect Me again.
4. When the system calls you press 1 to join.
To attend with audio only if you have not connected by computer:
Phone Number: 866-567-8049
Meeting ID: 3479989
One further reminder is that PBBI also have a weekly webinar series on many key postal topics, visit http://go.pbinsight.com/postal-webinar-series to gain insight into this series.

Does a picture equal a thousand pixels?

Published on October 22, 2009 in Uncategorized. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, more than 17 billion catalogs were mailed in the US last year – about 56 for every American.  Retailers claim that catalog pages motivate consumers to buy in a way computer images don’t – driving sales in store, through the mail and at Web sites.  The WSJ also cites a state from the DMA: among retailers who rely mainly on direct sales, 62% say their biggest revenue generator is a paper catalog.

Did anyone say road trip?……

Published on September 19, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Wow, it sure has been a busy week for the Communication Intelligence team at Pitney Bowes Business Insight!

Members of our team literally crisscrossed the country this week attending and presenting at various events, welcoming the opportunity to meet with you our clients, analysts and USPS representatives.

Just to give you a little insight into what our week was like, Dave Robinson our Director of Postal Affairs attended Print ’09 in Chicago, and then was off to  Mailcom in Las Vegas where he presented a session on ‘Move Update’.  More specifically, Dave provided attendees insight into what everyone needs to know about the proposed Move Update compliance thresholds and how the Postal Service will enforce noncompliance with “Fee Assessments”; he reported great attendance.  From Mailcom, Dave then headed off to Pittsburgh for the PCC event to provide an overview of the USPS finances and again spoke on Move Update (the two subjects are intertwined, which helps explain why the USPS is getting tough on rules).  To say the least, Dave earns our “road trip warrior” award for the week!

Not to be out done, Kevin Ricks, Product Manager for MAIL360 ™and our Communications Intelligence (CI) Appliance also attended Print ’09, where he met with many of you.  In addition, Kevin had the opportunity to present the latest on the USPS Intelligent Mail® Barcode in conjunction with our partner WindowBook.  After working the show through Tuesday, Kevin jumped on a plane and headed to New York City, to attend the Greater NY PCC Day with Bill Marsh, our resident Product Evangelist.  Bill and Kevin were excited about our decision to sponsor the event, welcomed the presentation and insight offered by Jack Potter, Postmaster General U.S.P.S. (broadcast nationwide) and the ability to interface with everyone who attended.

Additionally, Hedi Geronimo, Solution Manager in our technology group had the opportunity to present at the InformationWeek 500 Conference in Dana Point, CA.  Heidi showcased and discussed how Pitney Bowes Business Insight and the Communication Intelligence portfolio are developing innovative technology on behalf of our customers with products such as Aura™.

Next, Kevin Conti, our Director of Mailing Solutions, jumped at the opportunity to Viva Las Vegas! (a.k.a. Mailcom Las Vegas) where he presented a seminar on Maximizing Your Investment in Intelligent Mail®.  Kevin reported that it was great talking to everyone who attended and enjoyed providing insight into ways to best leverage Intelligent Mail® to decrease mail costs, prevent missed communications, track remittances and develop marketing programs which embrace this new technology.

Finally, we would be remiss not to mention the excitement we share with the unveiling of Pitney Bowes Inc. latest technology for transactional mail.  Pitney Bowes officially launched the Intellijet™ Printing System at Print ‘09, moving the bar for break-through performance in color quality, processing speed, wide format size and total cost of ownership for transactional printers.