The US Postal Service intends to replace the Postnet and PLANETCode barcodes with its new Intelligent Mail® barcode (IMB) as early as 2009. Many mailers are starting to look at what it will take to make this transition. Mailers have a choice: they can do the bare minimum needed to comply with a mandated migration to the IMB or they can take advantage of IMB to further improve their production and address management processes.
For minimum compliance with an Intelligent Mail® barcode mandate for letter mail, mailers would create the IMB using their “Mailer ID” (previously named “Business Entity ID”), some other static information and the ZIP Code. They must also modify their printstreams to print the new barcode. Though the USPS will benefits from such rudimentary implementation, the mailer will not. The IMB will allow the USPS to measure a mailer’s UAA to determine whether Move Update requirements are being met. Unless there is a unique identifier in the Intelligent Mail® barcode on the mail piece, it will do little to help the mailer. That is why mailers planning their migration to the IMB should do so in a way that allows them to derive the maximum benefits.
OneCode ACS
Most mailers have heard about OneCode ACS by now. This “automated” version of the USPS Address Change Service allows letter mailers using the Intelligent Mail® barcode get the first two electronic forwarding or return notices free and then pay only five cents thereafter. For Standard Mail letters, the first two notices are only two cents and each additional electronic notice fifteen cents. This means big savings for ACS users.
In order to make optimal use ACS return data, mailers need to use the 6 to 9 digit “Mailing ID” section of the IMB to uniquely identify the addressee. In most cases 9 digits is not long enough to accommodate customer account codes or other existing customer ID’s and identify the source of this data such as a line of business or product. This can be overcome by assigning the six or nine digit “Mailing ID” to a sequential number and creating a cross-reference file that includes that number or the whole Intelligent Mail® barcode, the account information and anything else that would be needed to find the address record. When electronic ACS notice information is returned, the source mailing list records can be easily retrieved for updating or to trigger a process of obtaining consent to change the address if needed. This would make OneCode ACS a valuable part of an Enterprise Address Management strategy (click here for more on Enterprise Address Management).
Other Enterprise Address Management Applications
By assigning an Intelligent Mail® barcode number that is unique to an addressee, that number could be used by any addressing process (CASS, NCOALink™ , FastForward™, etc.) to provide changes and corrections back to the enterprise for updating or other action no matter where in the supply chain those corrections and changes take place.
USPS OneCode Confirm™
Another use of the Intelligent Mail™ barcode is the USPS OneCode Confirm™ program. The IMB can uniquely identify the mailing ID or the mailing ID AND the addressee, depending on what you are looking to accomplish with Confirm.
Typical uses of Confirm include service performance tracking, predicting mail delivery to staff a call center, “proof of mailing” applications or doing track and trace on high value mail (credit cards, large dollar value statements, response-required documents, etc.). Mailers should make sure that the Business Entity ID and Mailing ID pair in the IMB is unique across all jobs for at least 30 days—preferably longer. This would allow mailers to utilize both OneCode ACS to improve address management and OneCode Confirm™, all in one pass.
Making the IMB unique to both the mailing and addressee has additional advantages—it can be used to identify mail pieces in file based inserting and production audit systems even before the piece is mailed, providing downstream “Transpromo” support (marketing promotions printed on transactional documents).
The use of the Intelligent Mail Barcode to achieve this level of benefit may prove challenging to some mailers. However, given cross channel messaging, user demand for multi-channel account management, or simply reducing cost, going beyond the IMB bare minimum can be turned into a competitive advantage.
Conclusion
Even if mailers have no immediate interest in using the Intelligent Mail® barcode to improve address management, facilitate proof of mailing Confirm™ applications or support “Transpromo”, choosing to implement the IMB with Mailing ID’s unique to each addressee and mailing will make it easy to support those in the future with little implementation work other than changing the service code in the IMB. When mailers migrate to the IMB, they should do so in the way that makes it easiest to enjoy every possible benefit that Intelligent Mail may offer, now and in the future, regardless of their immediate needs. It does not cost much more to do it right the first time.
This is where Pitney Bowes Group 1 Software can make a big difference. Our products and Professional Services are geared specifically to help mailers decrease cost and increase profits—by transforming a regulatory burden into an opportunity to leverage new technology to improve addressing and mail delivery. For more information on Intelligent Mail®, please visit: http://ribbs.usps.gov/onecodesolution/
I’m just beginning to explore intelligent mail bar coding and am wondering what the costs are with regard to implementation. We currently utilize accuzip software and inkjet technology in our mail room. Is it correct to assume that our only cost would be a USPS subscription rate assuming that our equipment can re-produce the barcode? Any information you can offer to help me determine the total cost of implementation will be helpful. Again, I’m just getting started and I’d really like to “Do this right the first time.” Thank You.