Archive for the ‘CET’ tag
USPS Standard Drop Ship Mail In-Home Guidelines
As a member of MTAC WorkGroup #120 - Communicating Entry Requirements/In-Home Date Solutions/Seasonality Impact - I have access to some guidelines that have been released for Standard mailers trying to target In-Home dates, and plan transportation of drop shipped mail accordingly.
The USPS is using a color-coded system based on published service standards. Mailers can target the middle day of a 3 day in-home delivery window using these guidelines: Click here for spreadsheet
Here’s an example:
What do you think? Comment this blog with questions, concerns, and observations.
USPS Critical Entry Times
Good article in the September/October 2008 issue of MailPro on Critical Entry Times, or CETs, see below. Critical Entry Times, Critical Acceptance Times, and Service Standards will continue to become more and more important and significant to mailers and mail owners.
Critical Entry Times
Every postal plant has an operating plan designed for mail processing operations to meet published service standards. Operating plans are combinations of processes and organizing principles that reflect the operational structure, strategy, processing goals and customer commitments of a postal facility. The facility uses its operating plan to process mail efficiently and move volumes from one operation to the next to meet its service standards.
While an operating plan includes several items, the critical entry time (CET) is particularly significant. CET is the latest time that a minimal amount of mail can be tendered to designated induction points in the postal network in order for it to be processed and dispatched to meet service standards.
Generally, the local plant determines CETs and defines specific times for each mail class in its operating plan. On July 1, a national postal policy established the CET for destination entry Standard Mail as 4 p.m. for drop shipments prepared on pallets or in other appropriate containers and 12 noon for bed-loaded trailers.
These national CETs were designed to support achievement of the service standards for Standard Mail drop-shipped by mailers to specific locations. All postal operating plans have been updated to reflect the national times for destination entry Standard Mail. There is no national CET for origin-entered Standard Mail.
While it does not affect the length of the service standard for Standard Mail, the national CET affects the start time for service performance. If the Postal Service receives a drop shipment before the national CET, the day of receipt is designated as the “arrival date.” If the mailing is accepted after the CET, the mailing will have an arrival date of the following applicable processing day.
As long as the mailer arrives before the national CET and meets other elements required for mail acceptance and service measurement, service performance will start on the same day of the scheduled drop shipment appointment.
