DOCUMENT Magazine - April 2008 - (Page 23)

barcodes, including sender and mailpiece identiﬁcation, sortation and routing and special services, such as OneCode Conﬁrm or OneCodeACS. The barcode must contain a proper routing ZIP Code and a valid Mailer ID (MID) to satisfy the automation discount criteria. To qualify for the maximum allowable automation discounts, First-Class Mailers will need to implement either the “Basic” or “Full Service” IMB by a newly proposed date of May 2009. POSTNET barcodes will be eligible for automation discounts until May 2010, although it appears that they may qualify for smaller automation discounts than those applied to IMB-enabled mailpieces. With Basic IMB, barcodes are applied to mailpieces only. The Full Service IMB requires that documentation be submitted electronically and that new intelligent barcodes be applied to mailpieces, trays and containers. Although it was announced that there may be separate prices for the Full Service and Basic IMB options, details of that pricing have yet to be released. The deadline for submitting comments regarding the proposed IMB requirements was February 21, and an initial response was released on February 29 in the form of a letter from Postmaster General John E. Potter. In that letter, Postmaster General Potter announced that implementation of the IMB would be delayed from January 2009 to May 2009. A final ruling is expected sometime in March 2008. >> SuiteLink: SuiteLink is a data-only product designed to improve the accuracy of business addresses by adding known secondary (suite) numbers to allow delivery sequencing. In response to a business name and an associated ZIP+4 Coded address that matches to a high-rise default, SuiteLink produces the appropriate suite number. Beginning with CASS Cycle M, CASS software vendors must make SuiteLink service available, and it may be a requirement for CASS Cycle M. Preparing for CASS Cycle M Implementation As major mailers prepare for 2009 CASS Cycle M implementation, many questions remain about IMB requirements and other new tools designed to improve address quality. The challenges associated with implementing DPV last year made it clear that mailers must dedicate vast resources to meet deadlines for increasingly complex automation initiatives. First-Class Mailers may well ﬁnd that outsourcing their mailing operations to an expert in postal regulations and technologies will eliminate the headaches of implementation and pay for itself many times over. Ultimately, each mailer should weigh the costs to apply address-cleansing best practices and meet new USPS requirements versus the higher postage rates associated with non-compliance. Once companies do the math, the vast majority will discover that keeping up-to-date with the latest in postal optimization, USPS automation requirements and mail recommendations has a large and favorable impact on the bottom line. For companies that fail to take the necessary steps and don’t properly assess the impact of changing mail optimization practices, the implications can be broad and very costly. Todd Haycock is director of Postal Affairs for Regulus. Mr. Haycock is also vice president of Major Mailers Association (MMA) and is actively involved in the Postmaster General’s Mailers Technical Advisory Council (MTAC). For more information, visit www.regulusgroup.com. ■ www.DOCUMENTmedia.com april.08 document 23 http://www.regulusgroup.com http://www.nearstar.com http://www.nearstar.com http://www.collinslink.com http://www.collinslink.com http://www.collinslink.com http://www.collinslink.com http://www.collinslink.com http://www.nearstar.com http://www.DOCUMENTmedia.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Document Magazine - April 2008

Document Magazine - April 2008 Contents Editor's View The Research Desk The Response Center BPM: Improving the Way You Process Contributing Writers Mapping Out Performance Build the Context Before You Move into the House of ECM Taking On the Big 3 The Human Connection Addressing Your Addresses Don't Call Us, We'll Call You The Mulitplying Image Recognizing Accuracy New Products Calendar Advertisers

Document Magazine - April 2008

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