PrintMEMO TO MAILERS - SEPTEMBER 2006 (text)
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
VOLUME 41 NUMBER 9
SEPTEMBER 2006
WHAT'S INSIDE
MILITARY SHIPPING
NATIONAL POSTAL FORUM
PACKAGE SOLUTIONS
KEEPING POSTED
POSTAL NEWS BRIEFS
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IT'S HERE! 4-STATE CUSTOMER BARCODE
The vision of a single code per mailpiece is a reality.
Starting this month, the 4-State Customer Barcode will be offered to letter mailers through certain special services. It will be available for additional classes of mail next year.
The 4-State Customer Barcode, named for its four vertical bar types, has benefits for mailers and the Postal Service. It combines the destination ZIP Code for sortation and routing, a mailer identifier and a mailpiece identifier. There also are up to nine digits left for mailers to use as they wish — all in a single barcode.
The advanced code, successfully tested on more than 24 million mailpieces, will help the Postal Service process mail more efficiently. And it’s a great business tool for mailers.
“The ability to uniquely identify individual mailpieces within much larger mailing groups is what makes the 4-State Customer Barcode such a powerful business tool,” says Charlie Bravo, senior vice president of Intelligent Mail and Address Quality. “Mailers now will be able to assign each of their customers an ID code, resulting in more complete data. This data can include information about what type of mailing it is, where it originated and to whom it’s addressed.”
Business mailers will not only be able to uniquely identify up to a billion different mailpieces in one mailing group but they also will be able to differentiate among individuals at the same address, such as those who live in the same apartment building or those who live in the same household.
Initially, the 4-State Customer Barcode is available to mailers through OneCode Confirm and OneCode ACS for address changes.
OneCode Confirm is Confirm service with the new 4-State Customer Barcode. Confirm service, Intelligent Mail’s first offering, is used by financial institutions, credit card companies, Direct Mail advertisers and others to track their pieces through the mail stream. The 4-State Customer Barcode can contain nearly three times as much information as barcodes currently used with Confirm service.
Mailers will not only know which specific geographic areas are responsive to a particular promotion, but with the ability to uniquely identify a mailpiece, mailers will be able to get feedback at the single customer level — and adapt their promotions accordingly.
With OneCode ACS, business mailers will know as soon as their mailing is processed in the postal system which addresses are incorrect. For companies that mail to the same address as often as once a week, this translates into significant cost avoidance.
And the new barcode frees up more “real estate” on the envelope for marketing messages. Many mailers report higher response rates to mail with a clean, streamlined appearance.
You can learn more about the 4-State Customer Barcode, and find a technical resource guide, at http://ribbs.usps.gov/onecodesolution/.
What will the 4-State Customer Barcode do?
- Uniquely identify the sender
- Uniquely identify the mailpiece
- Provide a destination ZIP Code for sortation and routing
- Encode special service indicators and Address Change Service requests
What are the benefits of the 4-State Customer Barcode?
- Offers selection of a suite of services using a single code and frees up mailpiece real estate
- Mixes and matches multiple services within the same mailing group
- Enables access to OneCode Confirm and OneCode ACS
- Uniquely identifies up to a billion mailpieces
- Relates all services back to one unique customer ID
- Enhances diagnostics to improve mail service
- Keeps costs down for both mailers and the U.S. Postal Service as a result of improved automation
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FYI
Download the online shortcut that gives you instant access to the USPS.com services you use most. Request pickups, ship, track packages and more. It's called My Desktop Post Office. Find more information at usps.com/mydesktoppostoffice.
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A SALUTE TO QUICK, EASY AND CONVENIENT
Family and friends of soldiers serving overseas now can use services like Delivery Confirmation and Click-N-Ship to ship parcels to Army Post Office (APO), Fleet Post Office (FPO) and Pacific Island addresses.
The expansion of this service is a joint effort by the Postal Service and the Department of Defense to enhance the quality of life for military personnel.
Many Internet retailers require Delivery Confirmation services for package shipping, and U.S. troops rely on access to these products. Expanding Click-N-Ship with free Delivery Confirmation to these addresses makes it easier for small businesses, eBay shippers and friends and family to ship items to these destinations.
“Being able to know when my nephew receives his package is great,” says realtor Lynann Sonofrank. “Now instead of wasting time asking him if he received his packages, I can ask him how he enjoyed them.”
Military personnel say they like to go online when they have down time. “Having this new service greatly improves the troops’ quality of life as they will be able to purchase more items from more sites,” says Army Sgt. Frank Cardinal, who is stationed in Iraq.
“Receiving packages really boosts your morale,” says Ted Trenary, currently serving with the 101st Airborne Division stationed in Iraq. “The guys love to be able to order familiar items from home and also appreciate receiving packages from loved ones, letting them know that people back home care.”
One business that also is taking advantage of the new service is Footsoldiers.biz. The eBay store based out of Baldwin, NY, provides athletic shoes, boots, dress shoes and clothing for troops.
“Completing the customs forms online to ship the shoes overseas was really easy using USPS.com,” says the company’s president, Jeremy Blumenfeld. “But I'd still take my packages to the Post Office daily because the service wasn’t available to APO/FPO locations up until now. Now I can use Click-N-Ship with free Delivery Confirmation and free package pickup and never have to leave my store. I get a lot of orders from the soldiers in the Gulf and I could never tell if they ever received their orders. Now I can go online and tell when the packages are delivered. The Postal Service is really changing for the better.”
The Postal Service is on a mission to provide quick, easy and convenient shipping solutions both stateside and abroad.
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IT'S A SNAP TO GET PASSPORTS
Venice. Paris. The Caribbean. The Post Office.
Memorable international vacations this year start at the Post Office, the most convenient place to purchase a passport. Now, the U.S. Postal Service makes applying for passports a little more memorable for customers.
“Get a Passport, Travel the World,” a two-month promotional partnership between the Postal Service and Shutterfly, allows customers who apply for a new passport at selected Post Office locations to qualify for a free, customer-designed, 20-page Classic Photo Book through Shutterfly at www.shutterfly.com.
“The Postal Service is continually finding ways to better serve customers through new and creative products and services. We're mail — and more,” says USPS Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President Anita Bizzotto.
Customers purchasing passports will receive a luggage tag containing a uniquely coded coupon to redeem the photo book, which can hold up to 1,000 pictures. After entering the code on shutterfly.com, customers will be able to select a cover and page style, and then add digital photos and captions to create a one-of-a-kind memory book of their travels.
The promotion is offered through Oct. 31, but the coupon can be redeemed through March 2007.
Passport applications can be submitted at 5,300 passport acceptance locations in Post Offices around the country. Find a complete list and more information at usps.com/passport.
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HEALTHY PACKAGE SOLUTIONS
Shipping packages? It comes naturally to the United States Postal Service.
When Shaklee.com, one of the world’s largest providers of natural health products, needed a fast, reliable and environmentally sound way to ship its packages, the Postal Service was a natural fit.
Shaklee.com sells its organic foods and supplements and natural grooming and beauty products directly to customers and independent Shaklee distributors through online and catalog channels. “What’s important about Shaklee is that we are very environmentally focused,” says Shipping Director Glenn Bard. “All our products are natural and designed to create healthier customers and a cleaner planet.”
With business on the rise, the challenge for Shaklee was to develop a fast, reliable, environmentally sound product delivery system. Enter an old hand at providing customer value — the U.S. Postal Service.
“We did some testing and determined that the Postal Service offers consistently better service and has the most environmentally friendly delivery model since they are already at every address every day,” says Bard. “When we realized that the price points were also better, the decision was easy.”
Shaklee chose the Postal Service’s Parcel Select solution through an authorized third-party logistics provider. “Our logistics partner works closely with the Postal Service to make sure all of our packages are delivered in good condition and on time,” says Bard. “They provide transportation to the destination delivery unit and date and time of delivery with USPS Delivery Confirmation, resulting in an excellent overall customer service experience. Shaklee customers track their shipments on the Shaklee website from drop-off point to destination.”
According to Bard, packages are being delivered even quicker now than they were with the two-day air service Shaklee was using with another carrier.
“The bottom line means a lot to any business,” says Bard. “Quicker delivery means less traffic to our call centers and happier customers. With a high percentage of our orders being new customers, we need to make a good first impression.”
Every business wants happy customers, naturally.
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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
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KEEPING POSTED
NEWS FROM AND FOR POSTAL CUSTOMER COUNCILS
www.usps.com/nationalpcc
NATIONAL PCC DAY IS SEPT. 20
With more than 100,000 members nationwide, Postal Customer Councils (PCCs) are grassroots advocates for a strong mailing industry, a role that will be celebrated during National PCC Day on Sept. 20.
“PCCs help us stay engaged with our customers at the local level so we can better understand their needs and they stay up-to-date on our efforts to serve them better,” says Postmaster General John E. Potter. “When we better align customer mail preparation with postal operations, we can keep costs as low as possible. And that’s good for everyone in the industry.”
As part of the day’s events, Potter will deliver the keynote address by satellite from Arlington Convention Center in Arlington, TX. Joining the broadcast will be Deputy Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe in Green Bay, WI, and Chief Marketing Officer Anita Bizzotto in Miami, FL.
With the participation of large mailers, small businesses and local postal managers, PCCs across the country will honor “America’s Partnership” between the councils and the Postal Service through educational sessions, professional certificates, vendor shows and other activities.
For more information, go to www.usps.com/nationalpcc.
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POSTAL NEWS BRIEFS
POSTAL SERVICE BEGINS CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS
The U.S. Postal Service has begun contract negotiations with its four largest unions. Current contracts with the National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL-CIO (NALC), American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO (APWU), National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association (NRLCA), and National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) all expire at midnight Nov. 20, 2006. This is the first time the Postal Service has separately negotiated new contracts with all these unions at the same time.
“We have worked successfully with our unions in the past to help transform the Postal Service and we hope to maintain this momentum in the current round of negotiations,” said Doug Tulino, vice president of Labor Relations for the Postal Service. “Our ultimate goal is to continue to make the Postal Service a great place to work and to reach an agreement that is fair to our customers as well as our employees.”
The Postal Service employs more than 676,000 bargaining unit employees, with APWU, NALC, NRLCA and NPMHU accounting for more than 99.5 percent of these employees.
E-NEWSLETTER ON PRICES AND MAILING STANDARDS
The DMM Advisory is an electronic message board that keeps postal customers updated and informed on changes to mailing standards, service and prices. Whether it’s Domestic Mail Manual revisions, frequently asked questions about the domestic price proposal or product-specific information, the DMM Advisory is a great source of information for mailers.
To subscribe, send an e-mail to dmmadvisory@usps.com and indicate “subscribe” in the subject line.
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DELIVERING A HISTORY OF HIGHLIGHTS
For more than six decades, the U.S. Postal Service has helped connect young readers in America by delivering Highlights for Children magazine. This achievement was celebrated last month as the Postal Service and Highlights for Children Inc. presented the National Postal Museum with one of the very first copies of the magazine — printed in June 1946 — and a copy from the 1 billionth print run this summer.
The two magazines will be preserved at the museum, where they will complement the existing anthology of significant postal history, publications and philatelic collections.
With more than 2 million subscribers, Highlights for Children provides a monthly collection of letters, drawings, questions and poems submitted by its readers. Each issue delivered by a letter carrier helps encourage a child to develop a lifelong love of reading and learning.
“The U.S. Postal Service is proud to join the Highlights for Children Inc. team and the National Postal Museum to commemorate the billionth delivery in a continuing partnership that has promoted literacy and learning among American children for six decades,” said Postmaster General John E. Potter.
“Reaching this milestone has been a true partnership between Highlights for Children Inc. and the U.S. Postal Service,” said Highlights for Children Inc. Chief Executive Officer Kent Johnson.
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MEMO TO MAILERS
Volume 41 Number 9
Ilze Sella
Editorial Services
David Ostroff
Designer
George Huelsman
Purchasing Specialist
John E. Potter
Postmaster General and CEO
Thomas G. Day
Senior Vice President, Government Relations
Jon Leonard
Acting 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.
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MEMO TO MAILERS
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