Mailing Systems Technology - November/December 2008 - (Page 10) 2008 SURVEY RESULTS a changing culture in a changing ECONOMY Part 2: Results of the Annual Wage & Operations Survey By Marll Thiede cash flow predictions and timing of marketing campaigns. Postal Reform finally happened after years of debate. We asked you to list the positive and negative affects of Reform and, as usual, you had a lot of opinions! Of course, the most common responses for the advantages were the ability to forecast postage increases, less confusion and more predictability about rates and postage increases would not be so severe. Twelve percent, however, said they saw absolutely no advantages. On the flip side, the most common disadvantage was that postage increases, over time, would be higher than if the rates were set in the traditional way because of an automatic annual increase. Other disadvantages cited were: annual cost of meter rate changes; increases not based on actual USPS costs; and that mail volumes would decrease due to constantly increasing postage. While the nation’s attention has been turned towards the economy, green initiatives have taken a back seat. This was supposed to be the year we all focused on “greening up!” We can applaud most of the companies our mail managers work in (53%) because they have enacted green initiatives. And some have been very creative — going beyond recycling and changing lighting and temperature settings. Here are a few innovations that managers shared with us: “Slowed our fleet from 63 to 60 mph;” “Walking routes rather than driving whenever possible;” “Double-sided printing;” “Think before you print campaign;” and my favorite, “We closed a loading dock for a mallard that was nesting by it!” We truly thank the 644 managers who took the time to complete the survey. They represent 16,000 mail center workers and every state in the continental US. This year was the best turnout ever! Watch for the survey to come to your inbox next year or keep checking www.MailingSystemsTechnology.com. Your input does matter. Occasionally, we will be sending out other surveys as well to keep a continual watch on what is unfolding in the mailing industry and we will share the results with you in our print and digital magazines, e-newsletters (make sure we have your email address), on our website and at our conference being held next October in Chicago. If you would like to share these survey results with your colleagues and managers, you can download them from our website; it is a great way to educate your company on what is happening in mailing and how mailing can enhance business initiatives. Until next year! ell there certainly is no better news, as I write this, about the economy. In Part 1 (September issue) of the Mailing Systems Technology Annual Wage & Operations Survey, we unveiled how the economy is impacting wages and staffing in our industry. It is going to be a continuing battle for years to come for mailing managers to offset economic factors while still pushing for better wages and more efficient and highly automated operations. In Part 2 of the survey results, we see a confidence in the mailing industry moving forward. Operationally, the buzz is all about IMB — the Intelligent Mail Barcode that the USPS plans to implement next May. And mailing managers are onboard. What a difference a year can make. Survey results in 2007 showed that 60% of managers were not in support of IMB, then called the 4 State Barcode. In 2008, 63% say they will implement IMB. Besides the impetus for postage discounts, mailers that will implement plan to use IMB for its technological benefits: 67% will track mail and 62% will use for address hygiene. And I am sure as the program roles out, managers will be able to use the technology to help their counterparts in other departments improve W MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES BUSINESS TYPE OVERALL Transactional* Printer/Cataloger Government/Nonprofit Business Service Education Manufacturing Lettershop/Presort CHALLENGE #1 BUDGET/FINANCIAL Budget/Financial Compliance with Postal Regulations Budget/Financial Budget/Financial Budget/Financial Compliance with Postal Regulations Volume Spikes/Changes CHALLENGE #2 COMPLIANCE WITH POSTAL REGULATIONS Personnel Issues (Motivation, Attendance, Hiring, etc.) Volume Spikes/Changes Compliance with Postal Regulations Customer Relations Compliance with Postal Regulations Facility Inadequate Budget/Financial CHALLENGE #3 VOLUME SPIKES/CHANGES Customer Relations Personnel Issues Volume Spikes/Changes Personnel Issues Workload Budget/Financial Timely Delivery Overall, the biggest challenge managers are facing today are budget/financial issues; but each industry has its unique challenges. *Transactional=Insurance, financial, utilities, health, communication 10 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2008 | WWW.MAILINGSYSTEMSTECHNOLOGY.COM http://www.MailingSystemsTechnology.com http://www.MailingSystemsTechnology.com
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