Re-Imagining Your Business During COVID-19
This article appeared in the June 2020 issue of NPOA Magazine.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt businesses all over the country, it is easy to feel a loss of control and general panic over the state of things. For those of us in the mail and print industry, while we may be considered a part of essential services tied to the USPS®, being designated as essential brings about its own unique challenges – such as re-planning work with shorter turnaround times and less staff.
Last month, BCC Software provided some tips on how to navigate these uncharted waters created by the pandemic. We took a deeper dive into what it means to be essential, and some areas businesses can evaluate to help ensure the effectiveness of their overall operations. In this article we are going to take a closer look at some of those areas of evaluation and how you can take advantage of them.
Enhance Address Quality
At this point, we are all familiar with the 3 C’s of address quality – Complete, Correct, and Current. However, core industry tenants are core for a reason, and perhaps there has never been a more important time to fight against UAA mail.
Undeliverable as Addressed (UAA) mail is a multi-billion piece problem year after year that costs the USPS® over $1 billion annually – and it costs the mailing industry even more. However, the monetary cost is not the only issue at stake when it comes to UAA mail. When a mailpiece is deemed undeliverable it costs valuable time, resources and, most importantly, opportunity. This is especially troublesome during the COVID-19 crisis as the mailing industry is depended upon to send critical and essential mailings such as absentee ballots and prescription medication.
Consider investing in valuable address quality tools to help ensure your mailpiece is delivered every time. Look for software that goes beyond basic compliance standards like CASS™ and NCOALink®. Taking these steps now will not only help enable your business to maintain critical delivery of jobs during the pandemic, but it will allow you to be better prepared when re-opening does occur.
Take Stock of Your Resources
During this time of mass uncertainty, it is imperative to maintain forward momentum. At some point things will reopen, and you want to make sure you are prepared for the influx of mailing jobs that is likely to follow. Additionally, while some companies have been faced with downsizing, the mail still needs to be delivered. Now is the time to find ways to cross train employees to perform multiple tasks or to invest in further product training and professional certifications.
One such example is the USPS approved Mail Design Professional online certification course. Available for access anytime online and free to take, it is an ideal course for those who are looking to maximize their proficiency in designing letter-size and flat-size mail to meet USPS standards and obtain certification as a Mail Design Professional. Once finished, students can become certified Mail Design Professionals after successful completion of the exam. More information can be found on the official PostalPro™ website.
A Trusted Industry Leader
At BCC Software, we understand the essential nature of mail. We partner with mail service providers of all sizes to help ensure their operations are running with the widest array of software and data services solutions in the industry. With engineers, product managers, and executive members participating in strategic industry venues such as MTAC, we are active industry advocates for our customers, and our Industry Corner podcast keeps listeners up to date with the latest industry news. To learn more visit bccsoftware.com today – we always want to know, “How can we help?”
