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Move Update Reports

Feedback Will Help Mailers Improve Address Quality

After three months of data review since revisions to the Move Update standards took effect, the Postal Service has established a fair and realistic tolerance threshold for non-compliance with the new requirements.

In November 2008, the revised Move Update requirement increased the minimum frequency of Move Update processing from 185 days to 95 days prior to the date of the mailing. The revised standard also extended Move Update requirements to all Standard Mail for the first time—including letters, flats, parcels and Not-Flat Machinable mailpieces.

Beginning May 11, a mailing with a 30 percent or more error rate for Move Update requirements will no longer qualify for automation discounts. For a First-Class Mail mailing, this means that every piece in the mailing will be charged at the applicable single-piece price. As an example, a 1-ounce letter would be priced at the new single-piece First-Class Mail letter price of 44 cents. A 1-ounce flat would be priced at the new single-piece First-Class Mail flat price of 88 cents. A 1-ounce parcel would be priced at the new single-piece First-Class Mail parcel price of $1.22.

The Move Update calculation will be based on the number of pieces sampled, and from within this sample, the number for which a Change of Address should have been implemented. The error rate will be a comparison of the number of sampled pieces that should have been updated with new addresses versus those that actually were.

The Postal Service is beginning with a generous tolerance level to provide customers the opportunity to improve their Move Update processes. As performance throughout the mailing industry improves, the Postal Service will tighten the tolerance levels with the intent to update parameters every four months.

USPS also is providing customers with substantive feedback on their mailings through new Move Update Reports. These will help customers improve their address lists, which in turn, will help them reach their intended recipients more quickly and more effectively. After all, a promotional piece that gets returned is a lost opportunity, and a statement that’s delayed can hurt a company’s cash flow. Improved address quality will also help the Postal Service reduce costs.

Move Update Reports are available on PostalOne! for mailers whose mailings are processed on MERLIN (Mail Evaluation Readability Lookup Instrument) at sites that are activated with a new Performance-Based Verification (PBV) process. PBV evaluates mailers’ use of Change of Address information by drawing on live samples from their mailings. Mailers should refer to the results of their Move Update Reports and work with local business mail acceptance personnel to improve their address quality.

USPS has posted a Guide to Accessing Move Update Report on ribbs.usps.gov. Click Move Update, then Latest News. The guide is listed in the blue box titled “Important Links.”

Pickup Pilot

UPS to test use of Parcel Return Service

UPS next week begins a pilot service to test the Postal Service’s Parcel Return Service (PRS). The service called UPS Returns™ Flexible Access involves a limited number of retailers. Their customers will have the option of using UPS or the Postal Service to return packages that were originally shipped by UPS.

During the pilot, consumers will get PRS package labels to use for returns. Customers can request Carrier Pickup, leaving their return packages at their home or office for pickup by USPS carriers when they make their regular delivery stops. Or the customers can drop off the return package at the Post Office or in a postal collection box.

The Postal Service will consolidate the PRS packages at designated postal facilities, where they will be picked up by UPS for the final return leg of the trip back to the retailer.

The Postal Service developed PRS for merchants that experience a large number of returns and want to provide their customers with a convenient returns solution, and for shipping consolidators or reverse logistics providers. “Working with UPS on this extension of PRS combines the strengths of both companies, leveraging the Postal Service’s unparalleled reach to every address in the United States,” said Jim Cochrane, vice president of USPS Ground Shipping.

Watching Our Waste Lines

USPS pilots ‘zero waste’ policy

The Postal Service is beginning a “zero waste” program at 19 facilities across the country. Like its name suggests, the program is designed to reduce to zero the amount of waste sent to landfills. Each area will have two pilot sites — one mail processing facility and one vehicle maintenance facility. The USPS headquarters building in Washington, DC, has been working on its zero waste program since early 2008.

“One of the first things everyone can do to help us achieve zero waste is to think about waste as something that can be recycled, not as something that ends up in a landfill,” said Sustainability Vice President Sam Pulcrano. “There really doesn’t need to be waste — virtually all of it can be recycled.”

The first step to achieving a zero waste goal is to recycle the obvious stuff — mixed paper, glass, plastics and aluminum. Baseline assessments of the waste streams for many businesses show that mixed paper can make up 23 to 45 percent of the waste in a facility after recycling. Plastic can make up anywhere from 8 to 28 percent of post-recycling waste.

The benefits of a zero waste approach are substantial. The amount of waste sent to landfills is significantly reduced, and USPS gets money for what is recycled. The Postal Service also avoids the costs of having trash hauled away. That’s a triple win in anyone’s book.

WHAT'S UP

Flats Sequencing Strategy Web Page Updated

The “All things FSS” page at ribbs.usps.gov has been updated. This is an important resource for information about the Flats Sequencing System, which will automatically sort flat-sized mail into delivery point sequence at high speeds. We’ve posted an updated Phase 1 Zone list and several new tools have been added under Flats Presentations and Communications Resources, including fact sheets and presentations on flats addressing. Go to ribbs.usps.gov and click on the Flats Sequencing Strategy link to find information about “All things FSS.”

Mailing Services Price Change

New prices for mailing services take effect May 11. This includes a 2-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail stamp to 44 cents. Prices for mailing services are reviewed annually and adjusted each May. The new prices are available at usps.com/prices.

FYI…

When you register to attend the Intelligent Mail University hosted by the National Postal Forum, you’ll get a coupon that you can use to credit your registration fee toward the cost of attending the 2009 NPF. This makes the Intelligent Mail University free if you attend the forum.

SPOTLIGHT ON SUCCESS

Celebrating The Spirit Of Entrepreneurship

It didn’t take long for Kirsten Hydorn of Signature Press in Rochester Hills, MI, to recognize the value of PCC membership. “At the risk of going overboard, I say thank you, bravo and well done!” she said after attending a Southeast Michigan PCC meeting for the first time.

“It is refreshing to see this kind of entrepreneurial activity,” said Hydorn, who is president of Signature Press, a commercial printing firm that offers services ranging from prepress production to fulfillment and warehousing.

Hydorn was introduced to the PCC by a member of her local USPS Business Development Team. BDTs are committed to providing solutions to meet the needs of small and medium-size businesses across the country, and that includes spreading the word about the value of the PCC network.

“In my business, our customers rely on us to provide options and problem-solving for mailing and shipping,” she says. “Our customers are nationwide and their deadlines and projects can require some pretty intense and fast decision-making.”

At her first PCC meeting, the topics included commercial base pricing for shipping services and performance-based verification at business mail entry units. “Not only did I find a whole new resource for my company but I also found a business-minded group of people who are an integral part of how USPS can compete in the marketplace in a way that will speak to the real, everyday needs of your customers,” says Hydorn.

Meeting the needs of customers. Working together to make it happen. That’s what the PCC partnership is all about.

KEEPING POSTED

2009

• Intelligent Mail University in four cities — Feb. 24 in Addison, IL (Chicago area), Feb. 26 in Los Angeles, March 3 in Atlanta and March 5 in New York. Get registration information at npf.org/IMb.
• The 2009 National Postal Forum will be held May 17-20 in Washington, DC. Check the NPF website at npf.org for more information.
• National PCC Day is scheduled for Sept. 16 in New York City.

INFO@USPS

Your Links To Mailing Resources

U.S. Postal Service: usps.com

National PCC Network: usps.com/pcc

RIBBS: ribbs.usps.gov

Questions? Comments? Send an e-mail to pccinsider@usps.gov

Sign up for PCC Insider at usps.com/pcc, select "PCC Insider Registration"

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