Chapter 4 Our Operations
Webcasts were part of outreach activities for the software vendor community, and presentations and briefing materials were posted online for Postal Customer Councils. The Domestic Mail Manual, International Mail Manual, and all related documents were revised and posted on usps.com. Presentations were provided to the Technical Speakers’ Bureau, rate implementation coordinators, Business Service Network, and many other customer and mailing industry groups.
Tools and Resources
The customer-friendly online Postal Explorer with all related materials including rate calculators, quick service guides, and postage statements was updated and simplified this year. The Postal Service also updated the First-Class Mail Shape-Based Pricing Template, a tool to help postal employees and customers apply shape-based pricing standards for First-Class Mail. The principal change was the addition of First-Class Mail International.
Commercial Mail Acceptance
Commercial mail acceptance is becoming simpler and more efficient, thanks to improved information sharing between customers and the Postal Service. The goal is to streamline all aspects of acceptance, verification, payment, and induction. Keys to achieving this goal are the expansion of electronic documentation and use of IM barcodes on mail and containers (trays, sacks, and pallets). Information obtained about mailings in process helps verify mail and address quality, validate that the correct postage has been paid, and track individual pieces as they move through the system. The new procedures bring additional benefits. The Postal Service receives advance knowledge of mailings which improves scheduling. An extensive communications plan is being executed to ensure the mailing industry as well as USPS employees are ready for these sweeping changes.
In preparation for IM implementation, various mailers have been participating in tests of improved acceptance and performance-based verification procedures. The testing validated electronic mailing documentation, verified mail preparation and postage payment, and tracked the induction and processing of both letter and flat-shaped mail. Container scans were used to capture induction events and evaluate additional visibility points. The tests included mailers entering billions of pieces from sites across the country. The conversion to new acceptance procedures will start early in fiscal year 2009.
PostalOne!
The PostalOne! system is the foundation of the new acceptance procedures, and continues to be upgraded with new features. Key enhancements included changes to recognize the IM barcode when submitted in Mail.dat file versions 08-01 and 08-02.
The PostalOne! Postage Statement Wizard (PSW) is an Internet-based tool that gives small-volume mailers a secure electronic means for submitting postage statements and simplifies calculating postage, checking balances and fees, and viewing mailing reports and mailing histories. PSW had 5,184 customers enroll this year.They presented 459,672 electronic postage statements for 2.9 billion mailpieces, with revenue of $852.9 million. Use of PSW continues to grow at a rapid rate. Larger-volume mailers transmitted 112,925 statements using the Mail.dat option. An additional 4,915 online statements were submitted using Web Services. These options accounted for a volume of 15.5 billion mailpieces and revenues of $3.8 billion. Electronic documentation provided through these two options will be required for customers to qualify for the IM Full Service option.
The Postal Service continued to encourage customers to use the centralized payment capability of the PostalOne! system. Centralized payment allows mailers to conveniently fund multiple mailing accounts through a single payment process. Links between the Post Office Point of Service (POS) system and PostalOne! add more convenient options for commercial mailers. This year 1,950 Centralized Account Payment System (CAPS) accounts were added along with 12,816 additional permit accounts. A total of $22.5 billion in revenue was processed through centralized payment.
Electronic Verification System (eVS)
The Electronic Verification System (eVS) allows parcel mailers to submit documentation and pay postage by transmitting electronic manifest files to the eVS database, which is part of the PostalOne! system. Integrating with other systems and business processes for data collection and performance measurement, eVS makes it easy for customers to prepare and induct parcel mailings, streamlining their internal business processes as well as those with the Postal Service. eVS is similar to existing manifest mailing processes, with two distinct differences: sampling and monthly data reconciliation. eVS samples mailings after parcels are deposited at a destination or origin facility (depending on the mail class) to capture data used to monitor postage and preparation accuracy. Each month eVS sampling data for each mailing is reconciled against all manifests received during the month. Under eVS, paperwork is replaced by electronic documentation and mail entry is more convenient. Parcel mailers control their shipments from preparation to deposit at the entry facility and can monitor sampling results and the quality of their mailings online via the eVS Web site.
The Postal Service now has nine eVS customers, including two new customers added during 2008. They accounted for 123.2 million packages, a 46 percent increase. eVS revenue increased to $232.4 million, up 65 percent.
Access
Our retail network has more than 36,000 Post Offices, stations, and branches supplemented by thousands of retail partners. Every day, over 9 million people visit Post Offices to buy stamps, mail packages, or collect mail from Post Office Boxes. Customers can also access services without leaving their home or office using the Postal Service’s Web site, usps.com, and services provided by their carrier, such as free package pickup.