30% Discount extended by USPS

USPS will be running a 30% discount which will be extended to eligible mailers during the summer months: read more

USPS said eligible mailers will receive a rebate of 30% on any mail volume in the summer sale period, which is over the past threshold.

The sale will run from July 1 through September 30 and will be open to mailers who mailed more than one million Standard letters and/or flats from October 1, 2007, through March 31, 2008. read more

Pushing the Envelope

Public policy debates about solving the Postal Service’s financial crisis have largely focused on reducing costs by cutting service such as Saturday delivery, transitioning from brick and mortar post offices to alternative retail sales channels, or limiting other functions performed by the Postal Service.

Some of the strategies under discussion include:

• Ending Saturday delivery.
• Reducing the size of the workforce.
• Making postal employees pay the same share of health and life insurance premiums that other federal employees pay.
• Generating revenue through new products.
• Allowing the Postal Service more pricing freedom.
• Restructuring the Postal Service’s network of mail processing facilities.
• Moving retail services from Post Offices to alternative access options.

FTI keeps you informed about all the most relevant postal news through our sources. Pushing the Envelope has many ramifications for the communication needs of the country, aside from the postal industry. What will it mean for the avaerage American to put less interest in their mailbox? What will it mean for business transitions into laternative forms of marketing?

We are interested in your opinion! Contact us to tell us how you feel: http://freelancetech.com/Freelance_RequestInfo.asp

Last week the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security held a hearing on the Future of the Postal Service. The week before there was a hearing in the House on the Postal Service’s financial crisis and future viability, and on April 12, the Government Accountability Office issued a report laying out the strategies and options to maintain the Postal Service’s viability.

SUMMER SALE 30% OFF

Keeping you informed about the prices and mailing standards of the United States Postal Service- message from USPS Pricing

April 21, 2010 DMM Advisory Pricing:

United States Postal Service Summer Sale Returns The Federal Register final rule on the upcoming 2010 Standard Mail(r) Incentive Program (aka 2010 Summer Sale) was posted today on Postal Explorer(r) at pe.usps.com.

The Sale will provide a 30% credit on postage paid by Standard Mail customers mailing an increased volume of letters and flats above a predetermined threshold. The program period will run from July 1 through September 30, 2010.

Invitation letters will automatically be sent to eligible customers by May 1, 2010. Mailers who want to participate in the program and believe that they meet the minimum eligibility criteria, of mailing 350,000 Standard Mail letters or flats within the program qualification period, may request a review of their eligibility by contacting summersale@usps.gov no later than May 15, 2010.

The 2010 Standard Mail Incentive Program was reviewed and approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission on April 7, 2010.

The Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) is available on Postal Explorer (pe.usps.com ). To subscribe to the DMM Advisory, send an e-mail to dmmadvisory@usps.com.

Is Snail Mail Dead?

The new generations of computer based marketing and ecommerce have, some would say, made having a mailbox obsolete. Has the new wave of online multi-media completely replaced the mother's day card and department store coupon already?

According to sources who follow government policies, the rumors of dropping back to 5-day per week mail service have been denied. Obama's budget for fiscal year 2011 includes language that shows his administration supports requiring the US Postal Service to deliver mail six days per week. The budget's wording explicitly says "six-day delivery and rural delivery of mail continue at not less than 1983 level."

Reporting losses of millions for the first few weeks of 2010, how can the broken business model of the USPS survive? Postal Service reports $592M January loss and all the statistics reported by the DMM support the loss of faith to the new wave of internet-based communication.

There is still a charm associated with receiving something in the mailbox. It adds a personal touch, many say, and in fact, items in hand have a much higher "open" rate than even the most reputable online marketing campaigns.

Why is NCOA so important? NCOA Update - National Change of Address information

Move Update- Do you know where your mail is going?

Making sure your mail reaches the right destination has become even more important this year! The Move Update standard requires periodic matching of a mailer's address records with customer-filed change-of-address (COA) orders. Its goal is to reduce the number of mail pieces in a mailing that require additional handling for forwarding or return.

If you are not using NCOA, it is even more crucial to start now! If you are using NCOA, there are some important updates you will need to know about for your business needs this coming year.

Recently, a notice was filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) to describe the new method that Business Mail Entry Units (BMEU) will use to determine whether or not to assess the $0.07 Move Update charge to First-Class Mail and Standard Mail pieces evaluated during acceptance

For consistency with the treatment of Standard mail, they will also apply the same effective date to First-Class Mail. Both classes will be assessed the additional postage charge on pieces determined at acceptance to have an error rate above a 30% tolerance level. Sample testing will be done for each mailing accepted at MERLIN locations, and the BMEUs will provide feedback to the mailer on the effectiveness of their Move Update process. The assessment applies only to those pieces in the mailing that are found to exceed the tolerance level, based on the sampling.

When will the new regulation take effect?

Starting January 2010, the USPS will begin mandatory regulations with Move Update requirements. If you are sending mailings without it, and reach a certain threshold, you will be required to pay as much as 20% penalties.

For example: if a mailing is found to have an error level of 50%, then 50% minus 30% (tolerance level) = 20% of the mailing that will is assessed $0.07 per piece. Any mailing that has five or fewer update errors is not assessed the fee, regardless of the percentage that is not updated.

How to avoid paying penalties?

It’s important to have a software provider to stay on top of market trends and present to you the best information available about your options. NCOA requirements for your business can be complicated. We offer you the best resources for figuring out the conditions and regulations, helping you make the best business decision.

Choosing the best NCOA package can take valuable time and resources. Let us take the guesswork about different options out of the equation and provide honest insight about your personalized solution!

Find out more about how to be compliant before you get hit with stiff penalties by talking to your Freelance Technologies consultant today. Call 888-970-9944 (Toll-free)