I am a preparing my very first direct mail campaign under Standard Mail. I bought a mailing list. The broker said I need to do Move Update processing before I mail and I can’t use either an ancillary service endorsement, ACS or OneCode ACS on my mailpieces to meet the Move Update requirement. Is this true?

Your broker is correct. An ancillary service endorsement or ACS/OneCode ACS cannot be used for the first mailing to an address, unless you received that address directly from your customer within 95 days of your mailing. You must use a pre-mailing Move Update method, such as NCOA^Link or FASTforward MLOCR, to catch potentially UAA addresses due to customer moves before you mail. For all of your subsequent mailings to that address, you can use a post-mailing Move Update method, such as ancillary service endorsement or ACS/OneCode ACS, as long as no more than 95 days has transpired until your next mailing. When you receive a change of address notification from your ancillary service endorsement or ACS/OneCode ACS, simply update your customer’s record within your mailing list and use that new address for future mailings.

OK. Once I use a pre-mailing Move Update method for all addresses I am mailing to for the first time, then I can use ancillary service endorsements or ACS/OneCode ACS for subsequent mailings. Can I use any ancillary service endorsement on my mailpieces to meet the Move Update requirement for those mailings?

No. There are certain endorsements that can be used as a “stand-alone” method for meeting the Move Update requirement. Only the endorsements: “Address Service Requested,” “Return Service Requested,” “Temp-Return Service Requested” (First-Class Mail only), and “Change Service Requested” (Standard Mail only) meet the requirement as a “stand-alone” method. “Electronic Service Requested” must be used in conjunction with ACS/OneCode ACS. “Forwarding Service Requested” does not meet the Move Update requirement. For more information about the use of each endorsement, see DMM 507 at pe.usps.com. 

Must entire lists be updated each time updating is done?

Entire lists do not have to be updated at once. The update requirement applies to individual addresses, not to entire lists. Only those addresses that will be used in a mailing need to meet the Move Update standard. If a portion of a list used for a mailing was not updated within 95 days of mailing, the list could not be used with an ancillary service endorsement as the method to comply with the Move Update standard, because some of the addresses would not have been updated within 95 days prior to the mailing. However, the list could be used if processed using NCOA^Link or FASTforward MLOCR prior to mailing.

Will a mailpiece that bears the ancillary service endorsement “Change Service Requested” meet the standard?

Printing an appropriate ancillary service endorsement on a mailpiece does not, by itself, satisfy the standard. A Standard Mail piece being mailed on or after Nov. 23, does not meet the standard if an approved Move Update process was not used in the prior 95 days.

Is any Move Update documentation required at the time of mailing?

No, the mailer’s signature on postage statements submitted in hard copy or in electronic format, such as PostalOne! or Mail.dat, certifies that the mailing complies with all relevant standards, including Move Update, and that the mailing qualifies for the prices and fees claimed. Mailers are encouraged to check the “Move Update Method” boxes on the postage statement.

DHL WILL USE THE POSTAL SERVICE FOR LAST-MILE DELIVERY

International delivery company DHL will leverage an existing agreement to give the Postal Service exclusive delivery services to the last mile in certain locations. DHL will use the Postal Service’s Priority Mail and Parcel Select products.

“I am pleased DHL has chosen to expand its existing relationship with the Postal Service, giving us the opportunity to deliver more of their packages the last mile,” said Jim Cochrane, acting vice president, Ground Packages. “This new volume is a natural extension of the delivery service we already provide to DHL and further recognizes the inherent value of the delivery reach of the Postal Service. Last-mile delivery remains a fundamental strength of the Postal Service.”

Since 2003, the Postal Service has provided last-mile delivery for DHL in more than 20,000 ZIP Codes nationwide through its Parcel Select service.

This expansion makes USPS the exclusive provider of delivery service to DHL for 3,600 of the nation’s 46,000 ZIP Codes through use of Priority Mail and Parcel Select service. 

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