Mailing Systems Technology - May/June 2008 - (Page 48)

Management Social a powerful Postal Customer Councils help businesses succeed using the mail By Peggy Smith products, services and tools to help them grow their business as well as improve mail quality. The workshops cover a wide range of topics, including mail center management, customer acquisition and loyalty, quality addressing and optimizing mail preparation and entry. Workshops are suitable for all PCC educational events and can be used to create a customized professional certiﬁcate program. PCCs also oﬀer members the opportunity to hear from featured speakers, including Postal Service and industry executives, on the latest services, products and requirements from the Postal Service. Recently, PCCs in Las Vegas, Chicago, New York and Atlanta hosted symposiums on Intelligent Mail and how to prepare for the new Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB) requirements. “The Intelligent Mail Barcode provides mailers with a wealth of information and real-time data,” says Plonkey. “The symposiums provided attendees with everything they need to know about the new requirements and what their businesses need to do to get ready for the IMB.” Postmaster General John Potter makes regular appearances at Postal Customer Councils and delivers the “State of the Postal Service” address as part of National PCC Day, held each fall in September. Last year, a record 14,000 members participated in National PCC Day network events held at more than 150 sites across the country. The event is designed to share the most current information on opportunities and challenges facing the mailing industry and provide business networking opportunities. This year’s National PCC Day broadcast will be live from St. Louis, Missouri, home of the Greater St. Louis Postal Customer Council and 2007 National PCC of the Year. About 1,000 participants are expected to attend on-site and more than 14,000 viewers are expected to tune in to the PMG’s keynote address on September 17, 2008. A major focus of the 2008 National PCC Day will be recent enhancements to Postal Service shipping services. For the ﬁrst time ever, the Postal Service is oﬀering volume-related and other pricing incentives for Express Mail, Priority Mail, international mail and other shipping services. Beginning May 12, customers will be able to take advantage of commercial volume pricing, minimum volume rebates, online price breaks and other pricing incentives. For example, Express Mail, premium overnight delivery, is switching to an industry standard, zone-based pricing system, resulting in lower prices for closer destinations. The Postal Service is also oﬀering lower prices for customers who pay online or use corporate accounts: Customers who pay for Express Mail using a corporate ac- ou won’t ﬁnd them on MySpace or Facebook, but Postal Customer Councils (PCCs) are just as powerful a social network. Bringing together Postal Service executives, business leaders and small business owners, PCCs are a partnership of businesses interested in mailing industry issues and postal managers. They educate. They advise. They network. And they continue to grow. Since the Postal Customer Council Network was established in 1961 to improve communications between Postal Service customers and managers, the PCC organization has expanded in size and importance. Today, there are more than 200 local Postal Customer Councils with approximately 120,000 members in communities across the nation. Although each PCC has its own unique style and ﬂair, they all share a common goal in educating businesses and the mailing industry. “One of the most important roles of Postal Customer Councils is the education they provide members,” says Susan Plonkey, Vice President of Customer Service. “Through PCCs, members stay current on the latest innovations and best practices in the mailing industry.” A prime example of the educational beneﬁts of PCC membership is the “Workshop-in-aBox” program, developed to provide business customers with information about postal Y 48 MAY-JUNE 2008 | WWW.MAILINGSYSTEMSTECHNOLOGY.COM http://www.mailingsystemstechnology.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Mailing Systems Technology - May/June 2008

Mailing Systems Technology - May/June 2008 Contents Editor’s Note Peer to Peer It’s an Inside Job Greening Your Mail Center Adopting an Automated Document Factory Intelligent Mail and Address Quality 7 Steps to Combat “Do Not Mail” A Successful Resolution Q&A with Dan G. Blair, Chairman, Postal Regulatory Commission The Intelligent Mail Barcode Developing High-Performance Teams Simple Strategies to Save You Money A Powerful Social Network With Change, Comes Opportunity Increasing the Deliverability of Mail Kate’s Slate Products & Services People of Distinction Advertiser Index Sho Time

Mailing Systems Technology - May/June 2008

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