PrintMEMO TO MAILERS - MARCH 2006 (text)
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
VOLUME 41 NUMBER 3
MARCH 2006
WHAT'S INSIDE
DIALOGUE CAMPAIGN
FIRST IN TRUST
NATIONAL POSTAL FORUM
USPS.COM
POSTAL NEWS BRIEFS
-------
LET'S TALK
The U.S. Postal Service is starting a “dialogue” with every business and residential customer — 130 million addresses — in the United States to encourage them to try products and services they might not know about.
The “Dialogue Campaign” is a Direct Mail effort that began in February. Each month, customers will receive a different postcard with information about a variety of products and services, from flat-rate packaging to Click-N-Ship to NetPost CardStore.
To grab customers’ attention, the advertising will feature comic strip images of Dilbert (for business customers) and Cathy (for residential customers). Cathy Guisewite, author of the Cathy strip, will create seven comics and Dilbert writer Scott Adams will do eight.
The postcards will provide details on how customers can get additional information.
Let the dialogue continue!
-------
MAILERS COMPANION
Mailers Companion is a free monthly newsletter for business mailers and postal personnel that offers the latest USPS information essential to effective mailings. It includes information on Domestic Mail Manual revisions, classification, mail processing networks, address management, technology, mailing standards, rulings and other relevant issues, as well as a column for readers’ questions and comments.
By mail:
MAILERS COMPANION
DATA ENTRY
US POSTAL SERVICE
6060 PRIMACY PKWY STE 201
MEMPHIS TN 38188-0001
By e-mail:
mncsc@usps.com
By fax:
901-681-4542
-------
KEEPING POSTED
News from and for Postal Customer Councils | www.usps.com/nationalpcc
GREATER ST. LOUIS PCC HOSTS TRAINING PROGRAM
Job-specific training opportunities are sometimes difficult to find in the mailing industry. That’s why the Greater St. Louis Postal Customer Council (PCC) turned to the U.S. Postal Service and its Executive Mail Center Manager (EMCM) program as a way to offer PCC members comprehensive training to help them manage more effectively, improve mail center safety and security, boost productivity and cut costs.
While the EMCM program is offered on site at Postal Service training facilities in Norman, OK, the St. Louis PCC took advantage of a second option — sponsoring EMCM training and bringing the program to its members.
“The Greater St. Louis Postal Customer Council takes pride in its commitment to offer outstanding educational programs to members in the field of mailing services,” says Industry Co-Chair Peggy Smith. “When we discovered there were only two people in the St. Louis area with EMCM certification, we made a decision to bring the program from Oklahoma to our hometown.”
PCC Vice Chair Lauriette Smith, a recent graduate of the EMCM program, recognized its value for members. “At a time when certification is so important, the Greater St. Louis PCC is delighted to offer this program in an easy, accessible format,” she says. “The convenience and ease of participation were critical factors in developing this program.” After surveying its members, the PCC decided to offer the program in four sessions during February and March.
The PCC held classes at a local training center and offered discounts to motivate members to register early. The Greater St. Louis PCC absorbed the cost of discounts through the use of discretionary funds committed to education. Byron Jacobson, team leader of the Business Mail Academy at the National Center for Employee Development in Norman, OK, provided critical assistance during the planning process.
The PCC plans to honor 23 graduates of the program this May at its annual spring conference. With 300 participants expected, the conference is expected to raise awareness of the importance of this certification program. For additional information about the Greater St. Louis PCC and its programs, go to www.pcc-stlouis.org. For more information about how PCCs can offer EMCM training in their cities, go to www.usps.com/nationalpcc.
-------
DEVELOPING NEW SORTING TECHNOLOGY
The Postal Service took another step toward completely automating mail sorting with the approval of a new technology by the agency’s Board of Governors.
The Board approved the redirection of funds toward the development and testing of a Flats Sequencing System (FSS), which will allow the sequencing of larger mail pieces in delivery point order.
Flat mail — which includes large envelopes, catalogs, magazines and newspapers — is one of the most labor-intensive categories of mail to process, sort and deliver due to variations in size, thickness and address label placement.
Similar to the Delivery Bar Code Sorters that were implemented under the successful Corporate Automation Plan for letter mail, the Flats Sequencing System will arrange flats in the order of delivery. This will reduce the time letter carriers need to prepare mail for delivery.
Next month, a prototype FSS — one-half the size of the production machine — will be installed in the Mail Processing Annex in Indianapolis, IN, with field tests scheduled to continue through June. Following that, a full-size pre-production machine will be built and tested through June 2007. Upon successful completion of those tests, deployment of FSS equipment is targeted to begin in the spring of 2008.
-------
USPS: FIRST IN TRUST
Your customers trust us.
For the second year in a row, Americans rate the U.S. Postal Service as the No. 1 federal agency they trust to protect their privacy. Not only does the Postal Service retain the top spot, it’s one of the few agencies whose trust scores went up, a national study shows.
At a time when the public is concerned about the security of their personal information, the trust — and value — of mail continues to grow and mailers have helped the mail grow.
Ponemon Institute LLC released the findings in its “2006 Privacy Trust Study of the United States Government.” It examined the level of confidence Americans have in government agencies that routinely collect and use the public’s personal information.
The Postal Service has the top spot with a privacy trust score of 82 percent, significantly higher than the overall average trust score of 47 percent. It also is one of the few federal agencies that increased its customer satisfaction and trust scores. While scores declined an average of 5 percent, the rating for the Postal Service increased by 4 percentage points, the study shows.
“No government agency touches the public in the way the United States Postal Service does. No other government agency has the one-to-one, personalized service with its customers, six days a week, 52 weeks a year,” says USPS Vice President and Consumer Advocate Delores Killette. “Americans trust the Postal Service to be discreet in handling their mail and to safeguard their personal information.”
The Federal Trade Commission received the second highest score at 78 percent, followed by the IRS at 74 percent.
Dr. Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of Ponemon Institute, said one of the most important questions asked of the more than 6,000 respondents focused on whether the public believed the privacy commitments of the federal government.
“We wanted to understand if people thought that these various agencies were actively protecting their privacy and controlling access to the information that was being provided,” Ponemon said. “We were very deliberate in what we asked and how we presented the information.”
The Privacy Trust Study identified 10 factors to determine individual agency scores. The top factors named by the public include:
-Sense of security protections when providing personal information.
-Limited collection of personal information.
-Human (one-to-one) contact.
-Overall positive experience in dealing with the organization.
“Respondents seem to agree that in their daily lives, the Postal Service delivers on all the top factors and accordingly continues to earn and keep their trust and confidence,” Ponemon said.
“This is the time to think about trust and how the Postal Service and the mailing industry can leverage that trust,” says Killette. “When mail grows we all win. Trust provides mail with a competitive advantage — we can continue to grow that trust and mail through sound marketing practices, address hygiene and effective channel communications.”
-------
WEBSITE WONDER
Every day, more than 800,000 people visit USPS.com. It’s the epitome of quick, easy and convenient.
The Postal Service has a suite of online services to help consumers and small businesses conduct mailing transactions from the convenience of home or office.
Finding information, conducting transactions and using postal services of all kinds have never been easier or more convenient.
You can create shipping labels and pay for postage, find a ZIP Code, calculate postage, locate a Post Office, schedule Carrier Pickup, track and confirm mail delivery, hold mail, change an address, find addressing information, buy stamps, design and personalize greeting cards, order shipping supplies, create newsletters and more — all from your computer!
You can ship packages from your home or office using Click-N-Ship to print the mailing labels with postage and Carrier Pickup to inform your local Post Office that you will have a package waiting for your carrier the next delivery day.
We’re at your home and business every day anyway — we’re happy to pick up your packages on the way.
Click on USPS.com. There’s always something new.
-------
CLICK-N-SHIP: IT'S THAT EASY
A great online shipping solution got even greater.
Now, when you log on to USPS.com, you can easily import addresses from your computer into your Click-N-Ship account. Store up to 3,000 addresses. Create group mailing lists for business and personal use. Save, move, copy or delete entries, and search address entries by data or a keyword.
Millions of customers know that Click-N-Ship is the place to go to create labels to ship items without having to leave their home or office. They can calculate rates, print shipping labels with or without postage — even purchase online insurance.
Click-N-Ship customers can add insurance to merchandise sent using Priority Mail and Express Mail services. The maximum value of indemnity insurance available for purchase online is $500.
And don’t forget, international services are available at Click-N-Ship, too — Global Express Mail, Global Priority Mail and Global Airmail Parcel Post and Global Express Guaranteed.
Click-N-Ship is the greatest!
-------
FYI
FEDERAL MAIL EDUCATIONAL FORUM
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has announced its sixth annual Federal Mail Educational Forum. It’s geared to all mail professionals who manage mail operations, establish mail management policy or process mail in mail center operations.
This one-day event will be held March 22 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at GSA in Washington, DC. Choose from presentations, seminars, exhibits, networking and more.
To register, send an e-mail to federal.mail@gsa.gov or call 202-501-MAIL (6245) and please provide your name, agency and phone number.
-------
INFO@USPS
SMALL BUSINESS TOOLS
Get new customers.
Meet customer demands.
Around town or around the world.
www.usps.com
SIMPLE FORMULAS
Use the mail to grow your business.
Order a Simple Formulas kit.
800-THE-USPS, ext. AD4433
SEND MAIL FROM YOUR PC
Send postcards, letters,
flyers, booklets or greeting cards.
www.usps.com/netpost
THE POSTAL STORE ONLINE
Open 24/7. Stamps.
Subscription services.
Digital scales.
www.usps.com/shop
SHIPPING INFORMATION
Express Mail, Priority Mail
and package support line.
800-222-1811
PRINT POSTAGE ONLINE
Your shipping label is just
a Click-N-Ship away.
www.usps.com/clicknship
CARRIER PICKUP
From your home or office
at no extra charge.
www.usps.com/pickup
ONLINE SHORTCUT
One-click access.
www.usps.com/smartbusiness
QUESTIONS?
800-ASK-USPS
-------
POSTAL NEWS BRIEFS
NPF: IT'S JUST AROUND THE CORNER
If you’re “in the mail,” this is the place you need to be.
The nation’s leading trade show for advertisers and mailers — the National Postal Forum (NPF) — has a variety of educational opportunities in store for those who attend the 2006 event. It’s set for April 2-5 in Orlando, FL.
Participants can learn how to use mail as a customer relations management tool and effective advertising medium. The educational offerings include workshops, symposiums and a Postal Service training certificate program.
The Forum will feature a general session keynote address by Postmaster General John E. Potter. Deputy Postmaster General and Chief Operating Officer Pat Donahoe and Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Anita Bizzotto will discuss how the Postal Service is working to make the mail a better value than ever. And you can enjoy the remarks of baseball’s all-time Iron Man — Former Baltimore Orioles baseball star Cal Ripkin — who will be a guest speaker.
Go to www.npf.org for more information.
The National Postal Forum is your fast track to success!
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
The U.S. Postal Service is making improvements in its Business Service Network (BSN) — raising the bar to provide customers with the highest levels of service and support. Our customers know that mail works, and our job is to make sure the mail keeps working — and better than ever.
BSN representatives have assisted mailers with day-to-day service needs all along. Now we’re working to take that already high level of support a notch higher.
There will be some organizational changes that make it easier for USPS staff to make decisions and take the actions needed to address customer concerns. By understanding our customers’ business, we can resolve small issues before they become bigger ones. And, we’ll have a better capability to identify and address systemic issues. In short, USPS will be ready to provide the solutions our customers need, when they need them.
Transition work has begun and is expected to be complete before the end of July. Watch for more information as we move along with the changes. Customers will hear directly from their Area Vice Presidents or District Managers throughout the process.
In the meantime, the BSN staff is ready to provide you with the quality, dependable, nationwide service you’ve come to expect.
PROMOTING SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS
Small business owners and entrepreneurs have a new resource from the Postal Service.
Impact is a publication designed to share ideas that will help them achieve their business goals.
According to the Small Business Administration, there are more than 23 million small businesses in the United States, providing about 75 percent of the new jobs added to the economy since 2002, and employing almost 50 percent of the private workforce.
“Impact is one more example of the value the Postal Service places on this important customer,” says Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Anita Bizzotto. “As we continue to serve small business owners, we are looking for new ways to provide the information they need and providing resources to help this entrepreneurial community prosper.”
Impact will feature columnists from the business community, academia and non-profit worlds specializing in challenges faced by small businesses and solutions that save time and money. Each issue also will include case studies describing how small business owners tackled and resolved the problems facing them, with the help of mail.
Want to subscribe? Go to usps.com/smartbusiness.
_________________________________
MEMO TO MAILERS
Volume 41 Number 3
Ilze Sella
Editorial Services
David Ostroff
Designer
Betty Shelton
Purchasing Specialist
John E. Potter
Postmaster General and CEO
Thomas G. Day
Senior Vice President, Government Relations
Azeezaly S. Jaffer
Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications
MEMO TO MAILERS
is published by U.S. Postal Service
Public Affairs and Communications.
USPS eagle symbol and logotype are
registered marks of the
United States Postal Service.
© 2006 United States Postal Service. The following are among the many trademarks owned by the United States Postal Service: USPS®, U.S. Postal Service®, United States Postal Service®, Postal Service™, Post Office™, Priority Mail®, Express Mail®, Standard Mail™, First-Class Mail®, Registered Mail™, Certified Mail™, Delivery Confirmation™, Signature Confirmation™, ZIP Code™, Click-N-Ship®, NetPost® and The Postal Store®. This list is not a comprehensive list of all Postal Service marks.
Send address corrections and
subscription requests to:
MEMO TO MAILERS
NATIONAL CUSTOMER SUPPORT CENTER
US POSTAL SERVICE
6060 PRIMACY PKWY STE 201
MEMPHIS TN 38188-0001
Send stories, photos and editorial suggestions to:
EDITOR
MEMO TO MAILERS
US POSTAL SERVICE
475 L’ENFANT PLAZA SW RM 10541
WASHINGTON DC 20260-3100
fax: 202-268-2392
e-mail: mmailers@usps.com
See our Privacy Policy on USPS.com
Online services:
www.usps.com
ribbs.usps.gov
PCC website: www.usps.com/nationalpcc
Direct Mail Kit: 800-THE-USPS x 2110