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Five Do Something! Actions to Proactively Address Strategic Postal Changes
Under the leadership of PMG Louis DeJoy, the USPS® is implementing bold and necessary changes to the largest postal delivery network in the world as part of their Delivering For America (DFA) plan. When completed, it will transform an outdated, costly, and inefficient system into an optimized and enhanced integrated mail and package delivery network designed for future growth and sustainability.
The mailing industry has many questions about the new network and its innovative enhancements, but the real question you should ask yourself is what are you doing to align and adapt your organization to this bold initiative? We cannot afford to be spectators and do nothing.
We have created an easy-to-follow strategic plan that you and your mailing organization can use to Do Something! to proactively address these postal changes!
Below are the five Do Something! actions you can take, categorized into good, better, and best actions to maximize the impact of your efforts.
Learn about each of the five simple actions over the next five weeks as we roll them out. As each of the five actions are introduced, a new page for the specific action will be available with details and examples of using the action.
The Five Do Something! Actions
While progress has been made to improve address quality over the years, there were more than 4.3 billion pieces of UAA mail in FY2023*. Over 3.5 billion of that was treated as waste or returned to sender! What a waste, and what a lost opportunity for the mailing industry. So, let’s do something about that to improve the value of mail and increase response rates.
Good:
Use USPS® CASS-certified software to make sure the address is complete and correct.
Better:
Use NCOALink® and Proprietary Change Of Address (PCOA) to make sure the address is current.
Best:
Leverage suppression services to remove ineffective mail pieces such as those sent to deceased individuals.
Increase Mail Value With USPS® Promotions
Want to maximize your mail value and simultaneously offset postage increases? Then take advantage of USPS® promotions to grow your business and make every mailpiece count! You may already be eligible for these promotions or just need one more item to qualify. So, let’s help you maximize your mailing with USPS® promotions.
Good:
Add a call to action on the mailpiece to trigger a voice assisted device and earn a 3% discount.
Better:
Leverage Informed Delivery by uploading a color replacement image of the mailpiece to earn a 4% discount.
Best:
Earn a 5% discount for lift off cards and glossy printed stock.
Attrition or the loss of key employees can cripple your business, and presorting can often take hours to perform, especially as sortation schemes become more complex. There simply is not enough time in the day to grow your business unless you automate your mailing workflow. So, let’s level up your mailing workflow with an automated approach.
Good:
A good start is to add an automated script to your normal presort workflows.
Better:
Create a hot folder that will automatically run predefined scripts for unattended processing.
Best:
Implement a data visualization workflow solution with extensible functionality to enable easy job setup and modifications.
Optimize Time Sensitive In-Home Mailings
Multichannel marketing demands specifically timed arrival of mailpieces. With USPS® network enhancements changing dynamically, mail tracking is essential. Also, by strategically inducting mail into the USPS® network, you can further reduce postage and have greater control for in-home delivery of time sensitive mailings. So, do something to increase mail visibility and control time sensitive mailings.
Good:
Track mail pieces from USPS® induction to final scan event using USPS® Informed Visibility data.
Better:
Destination entry of mail using an LTL service provider. Utilize reports, dashboards, and automated schedules to gain visibility into entry to delivery statistics.
Best:
Use a post-presort logistics planning solution to consolidate mailings and destination enter mail at the closest centroid. Utilize custom mailer ID tracking for greater control of your data and reduced risk of mailer scorecard errors.
Mitigate Mailer Scorecard Mishaps
Eligibility for USPS® presorted discounts have very tight tolerances. It often doesn’t take much to exceed the monthly allowed tolerance. Postage assessments can be costly and difficult to recoup, resulting in higher postage and missed opportunities. So, let’s get proactive about mitigating mailer scorecard assessments.
Good:
Check your mailer scorecard two to three times per week.
Better:
Use a Mailer Scorecard monitoring service to actively monitor your mailer scorecard and alert you if you are in danger of an assessment.
Best:
Enroll in Seamless Acceptance to earn a $1 per thousand pieces incentive and expedite mail acceptance.
Let's Do Something! Together
Talk with an expert at BCC Software about how your organization can adapt to the changing postal industry.
Let’s discuss your current state, and develop an action plan that will put you ahead of the upcoming changes in the postal industry.
It’s time to Do Something! to proactively address strategic postal changes and make every mailpiece count!
Talk With Us To Proactively Address Postal Changes
To learn more about BCC Software and BlueCrest technologies that can help you Do Something! explore our website or visit bluecrestinc.com to learn more about our innovative software, equipment, and services.
*Source- https://postalpro.usps.com/UAARollup