2010 Comprehensive Statement on Postal Operations - USPS.com

Chapter 3: Operations
that began in 2009. Existing customers will continue to receive
data until the specified retirement date or until they migrate to
another system, whichever comes first. To assist customers, a list of
certified software developers who provide an alternative solution for
FASTforward is available on the RIBBS Web site.
The Postal Service continued to increase the value of address
correction services provided using the IMb. Address Change Service
(ACS), consisting of traditional ACS, OneCode ACS, and Full-Service
ACS, saw a 13 percent increase in records to customers. This
includes new volume of 18.5 million records in Full-Service and
an increase of 20 million records in OneCode ACS. Shipper Paid
Forwarding (SPF) is an ACS service that allows shippers to pay
forwarding charges if the recipient has moved. Until this year, the
mailer was required to have parcels returned. Change Service
Requested for SPF has been tested for release in 2011, allowing for
the collection of forwarding postage for parcels. This minimizes the
need to handle parcels being returned as “refused” or because of
other addressing issues.
Under Move Update standards, address records used for all
Standard Mail and commercial First-Class Mail mailings must
incorporate address changes that occurred within 95 days prior
to the mailing date. Customers have several options to meet the
standards, including NCOA Link, FASTforward (a commercial MLOCR
software application), ACS and OneCode ACS, and ancillary service
endorsements without ACS. This information is contained in the
revised Guide to Move Update posted online at http://ribbs.usps.gov.
Commercial Mail Verification and Acceptance
Over the past several years, mail verification and acceptance have
evolved from manual to largely automated functions. Standard
processes are now established and deployed at all acceptance
units. This transformation has been possible primarily because of
mailers’ increased adoption of electronic mailing documentation
(eDoc) and conversion to Intelligent Mail barcodes. Throughout this
change, the Postal Service continues to provide extensive support
through webinars, publications, helpdesks, and a range of tools. New
processes in place include performance-based verification, Move
Update validation at MERLIN sites, and use of the Intelligent Mail
Device handheld scanner.
The Postal Service streamlined the processing of postage statements
in March to encourage mailers to electronically submit postage
statements, view their mailing activities, and retrieve finalized
postage statements. This change speeds service and reduces paper
records generated and stored by mailers and the Postal Service.
FLAT-SIZE MAIL
New requirements developed with the mailing industry
now standardize address placement on flat mail. Delivery
addresses must now be positioned at the top of presorted and
automation-priced flats.
LETTER-SIZE MAIL
The Postal Service tested and added more configurations for
machinable letter-size booklets to give mailers additional production
and creative design possibilities. Mailing standards issued last year
ensure that letter-size booklets could be processed on high-speed
automation equipment. The specifications prescribe the size,
thickness, paper stock, and tabbing required. Letter-size booklets
allow mailers to redesign larger flat-size pieces such as catalogs to
benefit from lower letter prices.
SEAMLESS ACCEPTANCE
Seamless acceptance is the Postal Service’s term for its vision to
streamline all aspects of mail acceptance, verification, payment, and
induction. An important part of this vision is automated verification
of commercial mailings during the processing of mail rather than
before processing can begin. This requires customers to submit
mailing documentation electronically and to use IM barcodes on mail
and containers. With implementation of Full-Service IM in November
2009, part of the vision became reality. Information from Full-Service
mailings in-process helps determine address accuracy, verify mail
preparation quality, and validate correct postage.
Several basic components of seamless acceptance were
implemented in previous releases. With PostalOne! (Release 24),
mailers began receiving Full-Service Mail Quality reports in March.
More detailed and defined requirements are under development for
future releases to enable true seamless acceptance.
The Business Customer Gateway is the new landing page for
customers who want to conduct business with the Postal Service
electronically. Customers can schedule appointments to deposit mail
through the FAST system and order barcoded tray and sack labels
through the Customer Label Distribution System. They can also use
PostalOne! to access their mailing records and retrieve information
about their Full-Service mailings, including change-of-address
data as well as start-the-clock, and container visibility induction
scan information.
Electronic Documentation (eDoc), an Internet-based component
of PostalOne!, gives mailers a secure electronic means to submit
postage statements and simplifies calculating postage, checking
balances, and viewing reports and histories. The Postal Service has
provided continued support for customer migration from hard copy
to electronic methods. As the number of eDoc users increases, hard
copy submissions continue to decrease.
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