Postal News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 23, 2002
Contact: (202) 268-2155
Release No. 02-069
Postal Service, Mailing Industry Task Force Highlight Achievements At Postal Forum
BOSTON, MA - The U.S. Postal Service and the Mailing Industry Task Force (MITF) today highlighted achievements made in the past year in a progress report issued at the National Postal Forum. John Nolan, Deputy Postmaster General, and Michael Critelli, Chairman and CEO of Pitney Bowes, co-chairmen of the Task Force, gave a joint presentation to Forum attendees that included a recap of recommendations made in an October 2001 MITF report, Seizing Opportunity, and the actions that had been taken on those recommendations.
"The mailing industry shares the understanding that a vital Postal Service providing universal communication and delivery service to the American people is critically important," said Nolan. "This has never been more evident than in the work of the Mailing Industry Task Force. We've shared knowledge, resources, effort, and made great strides to meet our objectives to better respond to customer needs, to make mail more competitive, and to help unify this industry."
"The ideas developed in 2001 have been able to move quickly from concept to reality because of the remarkable collaboration between industry members and the Postal Service," said Critelli. "These ideas will add quality to postal services and make the combined industry and Postal Service network more efficient, effective and relevant."
Among the achievements highlighted in the Task Force progress report made available at the Postal Forum and online at www.usps.com, are the following:
- Address Quality
A test sponsored by the Task Force has led to several recommendations that will improve how the Postal Service uses its database to successfully forward mail, and how address correction information is captured. Other achievements include the publication of a Federal Register notice aimed at reducing Undeliverable-As-Addressed mail volume, the planned launch of the Postal Automated Redirection System (PARS), and preprinted Address Change Service codes.
- Intelligent Mail
Several enhanced products and services became available to the public this summer, or will be unveiled early this fall, including CONFIRM. Together, the form the first-phase building blocks for intelligent mail. The Task Force had recommended the industry promote the development of the "intelligent" mailpiece by collaborating with the Postal Service to implement standards and systems to make every mailpiece - including packages - unique and trackable.
- Consumer Gateway Services
The Task Force has laid the conceptual groundwork for the development of gateway services to enhance ease of use, increase access, and leverage postal assets. They include kiosks, a Parcel Select merchandise returns initiative and a carrier pick-up program, building on the Postal Service's unique third-party trust status and taking maximum advantage of its physical, technological and transportation assets.
- Network Optimization
The Task Force has supported the Postal Service's Network Integration Alignment (NIA) project, which has a charter to create a flexible logistics network that reduces Postal Service and customers' costs, increases operational effectiveness and improves consistency in service.
- Enhanced Payment Systems, Commercial Credit Options
The Task Force support for PostalOne! - the web-based, scaleable technology platform for an enhanced Postal Service payment system - has helped move it from the conceptual to its initial deployment. The rollout will take three years for completion.
- Competitive Pricing Strategy
The first-phase development of a Postal Service corporate pricing plan was launched last spring, with the Task Force conducting workshops and facilitating discussions on the best practices for a competitive pricing strategy. In September, targeted pricing initiatives for a negotiated service agreement (NSA) and an experimental niche classification were approved by the Postal Service's Board of Governors. The NSA has already been filed with the Postal Rate Commission, and the niche classification is expected to be filed soon.
The Mailing Industry Task Force was created to seek out new opportunities for the mailing community at large - a $900 billion industry, representing 8% of the GNP, with the Postal Service at its core - through an innovative collaborative process designed to generate ideas and initiatives to ensure continued growth and relevancy of the mail at a time of economic uncertainty, technological alternatives and emerging competition. The Task Force calls on the mailing industry and the Postal Service to nurture and expedite change by better responding to customer needs, making mail a more competitive communications channel, and unifying the industry. The recommendations made by the Mailing Industry Task Force have been embraced by the Postal Service as a catalyst for its own transformational efforts.
Additional information on the Mailing Industry Task Force can be found online at www.usps.com/strategicdirection/mitf.htm. Additional information on the National Postal Forum can be found online at http://www.npf.org.
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