NATIONAL PCC DAY:
CHAMPIONING THE VALUE OF MAIL

Postmaster General John Potter told businessmailers attending National PCC Day events across the nation there’s nothing like mail to touch customers, and working together “we can make sure mail stays vibrant and dynamic.”

A record 14,000 customers and postal officials gathered at more than 150 sites to participate in National PCC Day Sept. 19, highlighting the collaborative partnership between Postal Customer Councils and the Postal Service to add value and make the mail work better for customers.

There are more than 200 local PCCs with approximately 120,000 members across the country. Regular meetings, education programs, mailer clinics and seminars keep members informed of developments in the Postal Service. All 200 PCCs participated in National PCC Day.

From leveraging cutting-edge technology to conducting national elections, mail matters to American consumers and businesses, Potter said in remarks broadcast by satellite from the Cincinnati, OH, PCC. The broadcast also featured postal executives speaking from other locations.

Potter said the Intelligent Mail barcode, which enables mailers to track mail end-to-end, and the Flats Sequencing System, which is designed to bring the same efficiency to sorting flat-size mail that now exists for letter mail, are examples of technology that will provide greater value and ease to business mailers.

More than 200 mailers are using the Intelligent Mail barcode, according to Potter. One out of every 100 pieces of mail sorted daily now contains the barcode — and its use is voluntary at this time. He noted that the Postal Service is using the barcode too — for example, you can see it on issues of MailPro.

The Postmaster General was joined during the broadcast by Georgann Dustan of the Elections Division of Multnomah County Oregon, who praised the security of the mail and Postal Service infrastructure that helped make voting by mail a success in her state, and by John Greco, president and chief executive officer of the Direct Marketing Association. Greco estimated that marketers will invest more than $55 billion on direct mail this year.

Potter and Greco addressed proposals in some states that could create Do Not Mail legislation, similar to the Do Not Call registry that became law more than three years ago. Greco said the industry was stepping up to the challenge, adopting a range of business practices that will keep mail welcomed by consumers, including a “Recycle Please” program and other actions that can have a more positive impact on the environment.

The Postmaster General also spoke of the new competitive environment created by the new postal law and the ways the Postal Service has been working to understand and implement the opportunities, including setting service and measurement standards for every class of mail, being profit-driven and redefining the rate and pricing processes.

Potter said that no decision has been made yet on the timing or method of the next rate adjustment.

“One of the biggest changes is keeping rates at or below inflation. We must manage rates by class and we’ve never done that before,” he said. “The goal is to make a profit every year. We are more cognizant than ever of the bottom line.”

Potter said the law “will make us more effective, hold our feet to the fire and make us deliver for you.”  

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