Postal Affairs Blog

DMM Adviosry - New Font Size Option for Optional Endorsement Lines

Lisa.Bowes — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:55:39 +0000

From the DMM Advisory:
New Font Size Option for Optional Endorsement Lines
We revised 708.7.2 to provide a new font size option for mailers applying an optional endorsement line (OEL) to their mailpieces that do not bear a traditional Address Change Service (ACS) participant code.

From the DMM 708.7.2:
At the mailer’s option, characters are a minimum of 8 point font size on mailpieces that do not bear a traditional ACS printed participant code (see 507.4.0). Under this option, characters may not overlap and must be evenly spaced.

The History of Labor Day

Lisa.Bowes — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 02:51:55 +0000

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

U.S. DOL - The History of Labor Day.

Wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday…

Don’t Allow the USPS to Continue Costly Business Practices

Lisa.Bowes — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:15:19 +0000

“The Post Office needs to reevaluate their approach,” said Jerry Cerasale, Affordable Mail Alliance Spokesperson and Senior Vice President of the Direct Marketing Association. “Instead of trying to keep things afloat with a giant tax on consumers, the USPS should focus on improving management and controlling costs to get out of this mess. To do otherwise is just bad business.”

Affordable Mail Alliance: Don’t Allow the USPS to Continue Costly Business Practices - postalnews blog.

Looking at things through Postal Union Colored Glasses

Lisa.Bowes — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:36:57 +0000

Tha National Association of Letter Carriers, in comments filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission, agrees with the Mailhandlers Union in suggesting that Maine Senator Susan Collins is misinterpreting the postal reform law she helped to write.

NALC agrees with Mail Handlers: Collins is misinterpreting PAEA - postalnews blog.

I don’t think Senator Collins is the one that is misinterpeting.

APWU contract negotiations begin today

Lisa.Bowes — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:43:51 +0000

APWU contract negotiations begin today - postalnews blog.

USPS Webinars: Migrating to IMb

Lisa.Bowes — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:34:56 +0000

Webinar.pdf

The USPS will be hosting informational webinars on migrating to the Intelligent Mail barcode. The time to do so is now, with the POSTNET barcode retiring in May 2011. Take advantage of this educational offering, ask questions, and learn as much as you can about Intelligent Mail.

Full Service vs Basic Intelligent Mail

Lisa.Bowes — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:00:36 +0000

There is a press release making the rounds that makes some misguided statements regarding Full Service Intelligent Mail. The assumption that mailers MUST go directly to Full Service is not 100% accurate. Yes, in order to get the postage discount of $1 per thousand for Standard mail, and $3 per thousand for First-Class mail, Full Service is required. However, Full Service comes at a COST. There is a cost associated to mail service providers in order to be able to offer this service. There needs to be management of unique barcodes for pieces, sacks, trays, and pallets. Pallet placards must be affixed to the outside of pallet wraps, requiring some form of adhesive that is not needed otherwise. There are more electronic requirements, including use of PostalOne!, and FAST. Yes, there is a postage discount. In many cases, the cost of providing the service far outweighs that discount.

Another fact is that in May 2011, the Intelligent Mail barcode will be required for automation discounts, as the POSTNET barcode will be retired. All mailers should be migrating to the Intelligent Mail barcode, if they have not done so already. For many mailers and mail owners, the right choice for them is going to be Basic Intelligent Mail - that is why the USPS offers the two choices in the first place. For those who want to take advantage of Full Service benefits, they need to weigh cost vs benefit and make the right choice for each mailing’s unique requirements.

Basic Intelligent Mail barcode use will enable a mailing to receive automation discounts, both now and in May 2011 when usage will be required. Basic Intelligent mail users who need address correction services can utilize optional OneCode ACS. Basic Intelligent mail users (and Full Service users, for that matter) who need visibility and tracking services can take advantage of OneCode Confirm.

The key is education and understanding of not only the rules and requirements, but also understanding of the costs and the benefits-a complete picture. It’s not just about postage discounts. Get the most out of your mailing by getting all the facts, and making an educated decision as to how to proceed. The USPS has choices to suit your needs today, while maintaining and expanding upon more options for both now and in the future. Now that Intelligent Mail is well established, utilize the experience of mail service providers, and from other mailers to help make the right choices.

New FAST Help Desk

Lisa.Bowes — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 01:38:08 +0000

The USPS continues to strive to improve customer service and support. One of the latest efforts is the FAST Help Desk -

New FAST Help Desk (August 30, 2010): As announced in the Facility Access and Shipment Tracking (FAST®) 14.3.0 Release Notes (August 15, 2010), the Postal Service^TM will launch the new FAST Help Desk effective Monday, August 30. The FAST Help Desk will be available to assist with application and operation-related issues by:

• Email at FAST@usps.gov.
• Telephone at 877-569-6614. The FAST Help Desk telephone number efficiently directs calls through a new IVR network to ensure prompt routing of customer inquiries.

The FAST Help Desk hours of operation will be Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. CT. Telephone support will be available outside of these hours including weekends and holidays.

If the Help Desk is unable to provide an immediate resolution, a Remedy Ticket will be activated and escalated to the appropriate postal functional entity. All FAST Remedy Tickets will follow the established Issue Resolution Process.

The FAST Welcome pages have been updated to reflect the new FAST Help Desk contact information.

New USPS FAST Resources

Lisa.Bowes — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:49:39 +0000

New Resources available in pdf format, at he t USPS FAST website. This is just a small sampling of the information available at the page. Be sure to check it out.

http://tinyurl.com/25d4qkx

Added:
Creating Drop Ship Appointments
Creating Origin Entry Appointments
Facility Profile Information
Managing Drop Ship Appointments
Managing Origin Entry Appointments

PostalOne! Outage - Duration = 2 Hours

Lisa.Bowes — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:22:14 +0000

PostalOne! experienced some downtime this afternoon. Communications from the PostalOne! Help Desk: email at 3:05pm EDT: “PostalOne! Production Performance Issues! You are receiving this email because a Priority Urgent ticket has been opened by the PostalOne Help Desk for an issue that is affecting PostalOne external users. The issue is currently under investigation, and the root cause is unknown. More information will be provided as it becomes available. ” Update email at 5:14 pm EDT “Attention PostalOne!® Users We have identified the cause of this problem and have taken down a server that was impacting user access/performance. We believe access to PostalOne has been restored for internal/external user. I will provide an update once we confirm system availability with Help Desk.” Update email at 5:36pm EDT: “Attention PostalOne!® Users We have completed restoring service to the remaining server/cell that was taken down earlier this afternoon. The system has now been fully restored and response times should have returned to normal levels. Today’s outage impacted both internal users who access PostalOne through blue page and external users who access PostalOne services through Business Customer Gateway. The outage did not impact eDoc submission via mail.dat.”