Paying Company Bills as Easy as Click, Two, Three

Buried under paper? USPS Online Payment Services Business Edition can help customers eliminate paperwork, reduce costs and save time — so they can gain more control over their finances and get back to business. The subscription service is offered in partnership with leading financial e-commerce provider, CheckFree. It joins other successful business solutions offered on USPS.com — NetPost Mailing Online and Click-N-Ship — to create the “Desktop Post Office.”

Subscribers can pay their bills online instead of by check, establish multiple users and access levels, and schedule bills to be paid on specific due dates. Business customers also can make payments from multiple bank accounts, set up automatic payments for recurring bills and export transaction information into financial software packages, including QuickBooks, Quicken and Microsoft Money. The options help streamline the bill payment process, saving customers’ time and money.

Customers can subscribe to USPS Online Payment Services Business Edition for just $9.95 a month for up to 12 payments and $2.95 for each additional payment. New subscribers get one month free. Log on to www.usps.com/paybills and see how the Postal Service is transforming.

Innovative Solution

Postage-Paid IBI is a tool for small business customers. Small business owners liked the convenience of PC Postage products, but they wanted a product — similar to a mailing permit — that didn’t specify the price of postage. And the folks at Postage Technology Management delivered.

The product’s called Postage-Paid IBI and it’s already in use by PC Postage vendors Endicia.com and Stamps.com. It builds on the already established Information Based Indicia (IBI), which has been around since 1998. Postage-Paid IBI can only be used for package shipping labels that include Delivery Confirmation or are shipped using Express Mail.

Most package shippers charge customers shipping and handling when customers buy from a catalogue, website or 1-800 number.

“Postage is only one part of shipping and handling costs, but many people assume it’s the only cost,” said Postage Technology Management Manager Wayne Wilkerson. “Postage-Paid IBI helps reduce unnecessary customer complaints for PC Postage users,” he said. Many of our competitors already offer a similar product, he added.

Like other forms of PC Postage, Postage-Paid IBI has safeguards in place to prevent fraud. PC Postage deducts payments from customer accounts before printing Postage-Paid IBI labels onto packages. Mail class, zone and weight information also are printed on the label and determine the amount of postage deducted from the user’s account.

"Postage-Paid IBI is another tool that can help grow the package business,” said Wilkerson.

Tips to Help You Avoid Those ‘Return to Sender’ Blues

USPS doesn’t like to sing the ‘Return to Sender’ Blues. Its purpose is to provide every household and business in this nation with the ability to communicate and conduct business with the world. The USPS provides prompt, reliable, and economical services for the collection, transmission, and delivery of payments, messages, and merchandise, but we can use your help.

Processing and delivering the mail is a postal employee’s job, but there are some things customers can do to help the most efficient handling of letters and package. Here are a few simple steps to take to avoid the ‘Return to Sender’ Blues:

Address unknown. Notify the Post Office and your personal and business correspondents when you move.
As a recipient of mail, make sure your mail moves with you. You can get and complete an official change-of-address form at your local Post Office or online at www.usps.com.

No such number. Verify the address; is the house or Post Office box number included? Did you include the street, city and state? Remember, using the apartment or suite number is important as well as directionals (E, W, N, and S) and street suffixes (Ave, St, Blvd, and Rd). Countless pieces of mail have to be returned because the address did not exist and the USPS was unable to determine where the mail was meant to go.

No such zone. Never guess the ZIP Code. If you are not certain, you can to obtain the correct ZIP Code by visiting www.usps.com or calling 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777), or your local Post Office.

Package every item you want to send correctly. Things like keys, coins, rings and bracelets should not be mailed in a letter. The USPS uses high-tech machines to process mail in the most cost-efficient manner possible. Chances are good that the letter containing these items will be damaged in a machine and may have to be ‘Returned to Sender.’

Package your mail securely. When mailing parcels, use packaging tape. Don’t rely on cellophane tape, twine, string, or staples.

Print or type the complete address horizontally in the approximate center of the envelope or parcel. Avoid address smudges; use smudge-proof and waterproof ink when addressing.

The USPS does everything possible to provide you with efficient mail service. With a little assistance, it can help you avoid the ‘Return to Sender’ Blues.

You’ve Got E-Mail

Starting on June 3, 2003, customers will find it even easier to check the delivery status of a mailpiece at the Track & Confirm site at www.usps.com.

At the Track & Confirm site, the customer can enter a label number and immediately receive an e-mail response. If the response indicates that there has been a delivery or delivery-related event, the customer may choose from two e-mail options:

• Have the Postal Service e-mail the current status of the shipment to as many as three e-mail addresses.

• Have the Postal Service e-mail future scan-event information as it arrives to as many as three e-mail addresses.

In both options, the e-mail addresses may be the customer’s own or those of other parties.
If the customer selects the e-mail update option, the Postal Service will generate future e-mails based on delivery or delivery-related events. The Postal Service will keep the update request open for two weeks.

The Track & Confirm site also has a series of frequently asked questions to provide additional information. Click on Track & Confirm FAQs.

PC Postage

Customers can use PC Postage software products turn their home computers into mini-Post Offices. Like postage meters, PC Postage products and services are available from commercial providers in cooperation with the Postal Service.

With PC Postage, customers can purchase postage over the Internet and use a standard desktop printer to print the PC Postage indicia directly onto envelopes or labels for letters and packages. For a list of PC Postage vendors, go to www.usps.com/postagesolutions/pc_post.htm.