Do you send mail at automation rates today? If so, you’ll need to transition to Full-Service Intelligent Mail® to continue receiving those discounts next year. Last month, USPS® posted their final Federal Register notice, outlining all the details you’ll need to know about preparing Full-Service mail. As a regular reader of On the Envelope, you’ve heard about Full-Service before. With the latest announcements from USPS, these requirements are becoming reality. You’ll need to:
- Print Full-Service Intelligent Mail barcodes on all automation letters, flats and postcards. The Full-Service IMb™ includes a sequence number field that must stay unique across all your mailings for at least 45 days.
- Use the new 24-digit tray barcode on all trays and sacks. This barcode also has a sequence number that must stay unique for at least 45 days. This new tray label will also be required for non-automation mailings.
- Generate pallet placards with a new container barcode if you submit your mail on a pallet. This barcode also has a unique sequence number.
- Submit your mailing documentation electronically. You can use Mail.dat, Mail.XML or the Postal Wizard to send your postage statements, qualification reports and other documentation directly to PostalOne!.
- Schedule your drop shipment appointments using FAST®.
We’ve heard that some mailers are delaying implementation of Full-Service. Whether it’s cost, time commitment or wishful thinking that has you postponing, the time to plan for Full-Service is now. The Postmaster General himself sent out a letter to mailers stating that USPS will not be delaying this requirement. If you waited until the last minute to make the switch to from POSTNET to Basic IMb, you know that getting help at the last minute was difficult. There are more requirements for Full-Service, and we anticipate a backlog of mailers trying to get on board at the end of this year. By starting right away, you’ll beat the rush, and can avoid the long wait times for help from Business Mail Entry personnel, the PostalOne! help desk, Mailpiece Design Analysts, and yes, even your vendors.
Satori Software is here to help you make a seamless transition to Full-Service. Over the next few newsletters, we’ll dive into Full-Service in detail, to give you insight into the requirements and how to make a smooth transition.