Tag Archive for 'Mail360'

What’s new in Intelligent Mail

Published on June 9, 2010 in Intelligent Mail and PBBI Solutions. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

By Kevin Ricks, Product Manager

At a recent meeting of the Mailers Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC), the USPS touted some interesting statistics on the Intelligent Mail® full-service program.  As of April 23, 2010:

  • 384 customer sites have been approved for production
  • Those 384 sites have finalized 163,439 postage statements
  • Intelligent Mail volumes are 15,110,945,736
  • USPS Revenue totals $4,126,863,196

Another nugget reported: 40% of Mailers are still using the POSTNETor PLANET barcodes. These are organizations that, with less than a year remaining before these barcodes are discontinued, may not have an Intelligent Mail strategy.

The hallway chatter at both MTAC and IDEAlliance indicates that Intelligent Mail adoption can be difficult and costly if you don’t have the right tools.  Plus, as the USPS gains visibility into mailers’ processes, there is some concerns of how the USPS will this new-found data. 

For example, as organizations prepare for Full-Service Release #4 (slated for November 2010) they need to pay close attention to compliance standards if they want to claim the $3 per thousand automation discounts. The USPS plans on verifying adherence to the Intelligent Mail guidelines and will penalize mailers for lack of compliance. 

The most likely errors have already been named ‘the seven deadly sins of Intelligent Mail’.

  1. Each Container IMb has not been used in the mailstream for at least 45 days
  2. Each Tray/Sack IMb has not been used in the mailstream for at least 45 days
  3. Each Mailpiece IMb has not been used in the mailstream for at least 45 days
  4. An invalid Mailer ID used in the Intelligent Mail barcode
  5. An invalid Service Type Identifier (STID) used in the IMb
  6. Errors in the Customer Supplier Agreements (CSA)/incorrect data in CSA
  7. Each drop shipment appointment that is schedule in the USPS FAST system is linked to the correct containers

These sins are deadly because they can cost mailers money. Beginning November 7, 2010, those who induct mail claiming the Intelligent Mail® automation that fail the compliance audit will be fined the amount of the entire portion of the mail found to be out of compliance.  To add insult to injury, the USPS will also charge mailers for all address changes (ACS) notices at the traditional ACS rate: costing up to an additional 8¢ per piece depending on class of mail.

Pitney Bowes Business Insight can help.  Our industry-leading MAIL360TM solution makes it easy to manage Intelligent Mail® requirements, including the assignment of unique barcodes—so you can reduce the risk in your Intelligent Mail® implementation.  I invite you to learn more today.

MAIL360 Release 2.1.0

Published on June 9, 2010 in Intelligent Mail and PBBI Solutions. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

By Kevin Ricks, Product Manager

I am pleased to announce the next release of MAIL360: the extensible architecture that leverages the value of Intelligent Mail®.  MAIL360 v2.1.0 is available on June 15, 2010.

This much anticipated release advances MAIL360 as a robust business application for the Enterprise and strengthens the product’s position as the industry’s premier Intelligent Mail® platform.  The features of MAIL360 v2.1.0 include: 

  • Improved security of the MAIL360 modules using OpenSSL to secure the data exchange between MAIL360 modules and the introduction of user authentication.
  • Introduction of user and group management; allowing users and groups to be managed in MAIL360.  This feature restricts the access to content in the MAIL360 Data Manager by users and groups, so multiple mailers can share a single data repository.
  • Introduction of mailpiece spoilage tracking and reporting.

These features, coupled with improvements to our mailpiece query user interface and basic reports, provide significant value to MAIL360 users.  Learn more about MAIL360 today.

How Intelligent Mail can drive business results – Part I

Published on January 7, 2010 in Intelligent Mail. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Some companies invest up to five percent of revenue on information technologies, continuously looking for new ways to gain a competitive advantage. In 2010, organizations can generate valuable customer intelligence from an asset that already exists—mail.

The new Intelligent Mail® barcode provides for the lowest postal rates today and will be required by May 2011 under postal regulations. However, the value outside of the mailroom is even greater.  This week we examine how you can improve marketing and enhance customer service.  Next week we look at ways to streamline billing and collections.

Marketing: Sell More Effectively

Optimize call center staffing. With too few agents, calls go unanswered; having more agents than needed adds a tremendous cost. The capacity to pinpoint mail delivery with precision helps marketers ensure the right number of agents are available to take new orders.

Target in-home windows. When you can track and monitor mail delivery across the country you gain a competitive edge—the ability to plan communications so that they arrive at precisely the right time. 

Reach more customers, more often. Nearly 50 million Americans move each year—and many make little effort to advise you. For marketers, that represents a huge cost and a lost opportunity. With Intelligent Mail®, the postal service will provide you with address corrections absolutely free of charge so you can stay connected. 

Customer Care: Deliver Timely, Accurate Response

Reduce Talk Time. The ability to monitor and track the status of mail-based communications—including check disbursement, fulfillment kits, statements and compliance notifications—arms representatives with the facts they need to respond to customer inquiries with speed and accuracy.

Prompt Fewer Calls.  A high percentage of calls are related to mail communications – confirming whether parcels, payments and orders have been sent or received. Now, delivery status can be tracked from the production floor through delivery; and you can make that information available to customers through web-based portals, eliminating follow-up calls.

Make Better Fee-Waiver Decisions. If there’s any confusion as to when a bill was received or when the payment was sent, many companies will forego legitimate late fee charges in the interest of customer service. Armed with precise information, customer service reps can act with facts and confidence.

Bridging the gap between the mailroom and critical business operations, solutions such as MAIL360TM and AuraTM software turn barcode data into actionable information. As we start 2010, think about the ways you can leverage Intelligent Mail® to locate new opportunities, connect with customers and communicate more efficiently.

What’s new in Intelligent Mail

Published on August 24, 2009 in Intelligent Mail and PBBI Solutions. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

On November 30th, mailers looking to qualify for the lowest postal rates will need to use the new Full Service Intelligent Mail® barcode. As the date approaches, the Postal Service continues to provide regular updates. 

The USPS reports ‘all systems go’.  Mailers have already been taking advantage of Full-Service, including the free ACS service.  The next PostalOne! release (Release 22) is slated for November 15.  This release will support the new price incentives and will allow mailers to provide electronic documentation and retrieve Mailer IDs, Customer Registration IDs and Full-Service feedback using Mail.XML.

The Postal Service will be conducting a series of topical Intelligent Mail webinars. Their first webinar, entitled Full Service Benefits: Full-Service ACS, will be held on August 21 from 3:00-5:00 PM eastern time.  Here, experts will describe the contents of the address correction information, how it is provisioned and the flexible data distribution options available. Will also demonstrate how to optimize the use of Service Type Identifiers and Mailer IDs in the Intelligent Mail barcode and how to construct the electronic documentation to derive the greatest value from Full-Service ACS.

Pitney Bowes customers are preparing for this migration with MAIL360(TM), the comprehensive single solution for the successful implementation of the Intelligent Mail® barcode. 

How are you preparing for this new postal initiative?