Mailing Systems Technology - November/December 2008 - (Page 24) M A N A GE M E N T COMING When postal change knocks at your door, will you be ready to answer? By Christopher O’Brien e’ve all heard the expression, “The only constant is change.” In reality, there is one other constant: Some companies adapt to change better than others. But why? How is it that some companies are able to accept change in the business landscape, while others are hurled into a state of confusion? This dichotomy is especially pronounced in the postal area, where some companies can seamlessly negotiate major shifts in procedure — such as last year’s Shape-Based Pricing initiative — while others experience significant upheaval and expense getting their mail center operations up to snuff. What accounts for this disparity? Understanding the discrepancy begins with an examination of exactly how mail and mail center operations have transformed. As recently as three years ago, all parties in the postal arena — customers, vendors, the post office — fully comprehended their roles in the postal scene. Everyone was used to the mail; it was a predominant part of most businesses. Of course, many companies didn’t know whether they were using the mail effectively or not, either operationally or fiscally. Still, it didn’t much matter, considering that the USPS was the dominant player, and each type of mail — invoices, direct marketing campaigns, collateral — had its universally accepted method of delivery. Ultimately, the USPS was a costeffective, reliable and easily understood way to achieve basic communication flow. CHANGE IS W There were other players on the scene, to be sure. Years before, FedEx, UPS and DHL had positioned themselves as adjuncts to the post office. But these were specialized alternatives, with niche-oriented services: FedEx when it had to be there overnight without worrying too much about the cost; UPS for parcels; and DHL for international delivery. But then, the postal world underwent a dramatic transformation. These providers decided that they wanted to dip into each other’s business segments. FedEx established FedEx Ground to take a bite out of the UPS apple. Subsequently, UPS launched its effort to pounce on DHL’s international market. The USPS, realizing it was falling behind, developed services that competed against all of the specialty delivery firms. To further confuse matters, these firms not only expanded their service offerings but also developed complex rates based on frequency. No longer was it acceptable to just send out a package or letter the way it had always been done. Now, it is necessary to negotiate a plethora of rates, programs and services from a variety of vendors. And in most cases, the mail center clerk had to do it without full disclosure of the intent of the mailing. Even our own company had to navigate the waves of change. Originally, Neopost was founded as an “enabler” for the post office’s services. But as the post office’s services, as well as those of its competitors, grew increasingly sophisticated, vendors had to assume an educational role, helping customers not only identify the optimal ways to handle
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