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to the award winning Greater Oklahoma Postal Customer Council (GO-PCC) homepage! The GO-PCC
Website provides a convenient, easy-to-use resource for obtaining the latest
information from the GO-PCC, mailing industry, and United States Postal
Service.
Be sure to visit the Upcoming Events page for the current listing of GO-PCC events such as free educational sessions, luncheon/meetings, annual car show, and golf tournament. There are new and exciting events every month so visit the events page often and be sure to mark your calendar. GO-PCC members enjoy networking opportunities, up-to-date postal information, improved mailing industry and postal communications, and availability of free mailer educations sessions. Membership level information is available on the Membership Information page. Join the GO-PCC today and make your business more profitable! Click here to view the GO-PCC Newsletters
Click here for the 2013 Calendar of Events
The Next GO-PCC Event...
DIRECT MAIL MOBILE COUPON/CLICK TO CALL & EARNED VALUE REPLY MAIL:
REGISTRATION OPENS TOMORROW! Registration for both the Direct Mail Mobile Coupon/Click to Call and Earned Value Reply Mail promotions opened, January 15, 2013. Companies that wish to participate – including those that participated in previous USPS Promotions and Incentives programs – need to register for each promotion on the Incentive Programs Service within the Business Customer Gateway. The Direct Mail Mobile Coupon/Click-to-Call promotion will run from March 1 to April 30. This promotion is designed to encourage customers to integrate hard-copy coupons in the mail with mobile platforms for redemption, and increase consumer awareness and usage of mail with mobile barcodes that provide click-to-call functionality. The Earned Value Reply Mail promotion will run from April 1 to June 30. This promotion will be offered to mailers who use First-Class Mail Business Reply Mail (BRM) and Courtesy Reply Mail (CRM) enclosures. To participate, mailers must register on the Business Customer Gateway with their permits, Mailer IDs (MIDs), and the Permit Imprint account to which future earned credits will be applied. Award amounts or credit will be applied to mailers’ Permit Imprint accounts. Mailers may apply the earned credit to future mailings of First-Class Mail Presort and automation letters and Standard Mail letters. Registration for promotions and incentives can be made through our web portal for USPS® business services: http://gateway.usps.com. A recorded educational webinar about promotion registration and a demo of the Business Customer Gateway is available: https://ribbs.usps.gov/mobilebarcode/general.htm 2013 Promotion Calendar: On November 16, 2012, the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) approved the 2013 Promotions Calendar, a year-long lineup of Postal Service promotions designed to encourage innovation and use of technologies that can make mail more interactive and add value. Included on the 2013 Promotions Calendar are the following: - Direct Mail Mobile Coupon and Click to Call - Earned Value Reply Mail - Picture Permit Promotion - Product Samples - Emerging Technology - Mobile Buy It Now Moving full speed ahead, USPS will be hosting a FREE webinar on the program overview and an in-depth review of the promotions first up on the calendar, Direct Mail Mobile Coupon/Click-to-Call and Earned Value Reply Mail. 2013 Promotions Calendar Webinar December 19, 2012 at 12 noon EST Click here to register or go to: https://usps.webex.com/mw0306lb/mywebex/default.do?siteurl=usps Registration Required - lines are limited, and seats fill quickly! Save these dates - Details to follow: January 11th at 12:30pm -2:00pm EDT - Intelligent Mail Barcode Tool, by Jim Cochrane, Vice President Product Information January 16th at 12:00pm-1:30pm EDT - Every Door Direct Mail by, Ed Newhook - Marketing Specialist Brought to you by the PCC Advisory Education Committee INDUSTRY ALERT
IMPORTANT CHANGE TO THE RELEASE CYCLES FOR LABELING LISTS AND MAIL DIRECTION FILES Dear Industry Stakeholders: The Postal Service wants to take a minute during this busy mailing season to remind you of an important change to the release cycles for Labeling Lists and Mail Direction files. The 2013 labeling list and mail direction file structured release cycle will go into effect beginning December 15, 2012. Labeling lists changes will be published four times per year to align with Postal Quarters. Mail direction file updates will occur six times a year: four of the updates will be on the same cycle as labeling lists, and two will occur outside of the Postal Quarters (the dates of the two out-of-Quarter updates will be provided at the end of each year for the following year). Mailers will be notified 15 days prior to upcoming labeling lists changes. The effective date of the labeling list will occur on the first day of a Postal Quarter. Mailers will have a 30-day period during which they may use either the old or the new labeling list to pre-sort the mail. Mailers will also have a 30-day period during which they can enter mail at the old or the new re-directed facility per the mail direction file. After the 30-day compliance period ends, mailers will need to use the new labeling list and mail direction file to properly induct the mail into the Postal Service’s mail processing network. For more information on the structured release file schedule, please visit, https://ribbs.usps.gov/intelligentmail_schedule2013/facilitiesprofile.cfm Intelligent Mail® barcode (IMb) Planning Tool Available Now on RIBBS!
The January 28, 2013 date for the transition to Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb) is fast approaching. The USPS wants to remind everyone that after this date, letters and flats presented with POSTNET barcodes will no longer qualify for automation prices. And, the use of full-service Intelligent Mail will be required for automation letter and flat prices beginning in January, 2014. Visibility into the flow of mail through the postal mail stream enables enhanced diagnostics of service performance for mailers using full-service Intelligent Mail. Full-service mailings play an integral part in the Postal Service’s ongoing strategy to provide cost-effective and service-responsive mailing services. The USPS is investing in technology to provide industry with a planning tool using Intelligent Mail scan data to monitor USPS plant conditions and assist in your mailing program planning process. These are just a few of the many benefits of using this tool: - Easily plan the timing of drop shipments - Effectively manage delivery expectations - Quickly view facility trend, variance, median and on-time % This tool is available now on RIBBS at: https://ribbs.usps.gov/imb_planning_tool INDUSTRY ALERT
October 18, 2012 Dear Mailing Industry Stakeholders: Every Door Direct Mail-Retail On Monday, October 15, 2012, the Federal Register published the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) final rule that establishes the retail option of Every Door Direct Mail-Retail® (EDDM-Retail) as a formal product offering within Mailing Services, ends the market test period for this initiative, and contains revisions to mailing standards that are adopted to implement the changes. The effective date is January 27, 2013. The complete final rule Federal Register can be found on the Federal Register website at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-10-15/html/2012-25059.htm and on the Postal Explorer® website at pe.usps.com. INDUSTRY ALERT
October 18, 2012 Dear Mailing Industry Stakeholders: Implementation of Full-Service Intelligent Mail Required for Automation Prices The Postal Service's proposed rule to modify eligibility requirements for mailers to obtain automation prices for First-Class Mail®, Standard Mail®, Periodicals®, and Bound Printed Matter® when mailing postcards, letters, and flats was published in yesterday’s Federal Register. Effective January 2014, use of “full-service” Intelligent Mail® would be required to obtain automation prices. The Postal Service is interested in receiving stakeholder feedback, which is due no later than November 16, 2012. Information on where to provide written comments is contained in the Federal Register notice. The Federal Register notice provides advance information to help mailers prepare and plan for the transition to Full-Service (use of unique Intelligent Mail barcodes applied to letters, postcards, flats, trays, sacks, and containers such as pallets and submission of electronic mailing documentation). Initiatives are proposed to limit the impact on customers who enter small volume mailings, particularly customers who mail infrequently and have limited resources to adopt new mailing practices. INDUSTRY ALERT
Dear Mailing Industry Stakeholders: The Transitioning to Intelligent Mail webinar series for August has been rescheduled. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. The updated webinar schedule is provided below. Links to the webinars will be posted on RIBBS -- https://ribbs.usps.gov -- on Tuesday, August 14, 2012. All webinars are on Thursdays, and each of the three webinars in the series will be offered twice. We hope you will join us for the Transitioning to Intelligent Mail webinars on the new dates. -- Consumer & Industry Affairs INDUSTRY ALERTWebinar
1:Building the Intelligent Mail barcode – Initial Steps for Mailers Thursday, August 16, 2012, and Thursday, September 6, 2012 To help you get ready for the January 2013 retirement of the POSTNET barcode, this webinar will provide an understanding of how you can continue to take advantage of automation pricing. The webinar will cover the steps for migration to the Intelligent Mail barcode. You will learn the building blocks for creating the Intelligent Mail barcode; this includes obtaining a Mailer ID, knowledge on the different Service Type Codes and how to use for your mailing needs. Webinar 2:The World of MIDs, CRIDs, and the Business Customer Gateway Thursday, August 23, 2012, and Thursday, September 13, 2012 Focus will be on Customer Registration IDs (CRIDs), Mailer IDs (MIDs), and how you can obtain MIDs and CRIDs. You will learn about the multiple ways Mail Owners and Mailing Agents can acquire an MID, when and how it is used in the Intelligent Mail barcode, electronic mailing information and receipt of Full-Service data. Webinar 3:Reaping the Benefits of Intelligent Thursday, August 30, 2012, and Thursday, September 20, 2012 Learn how to reap the benefits of Intelligent Mail and Full-Service feedback. This webinar will cover Service Type IDs (STIDs) and how they can help you keep your address list up to date, the various Full-Service feedback reports available and where you can find them. INDUSTRY ALERT
Dear Industry Stakeholders: Permit Imprint Indicia is now live on USPS.com! Picture Permit allows customers to use logos, trademarks, and brand images in the permit imprint indicia area of their mailpieces.Information about the Picture Permit program and registration requirements is available at: https://www.usps.com/picturepermit Potential benefits of Picture Permit include immediate recognition of your company’s logo, product promotions and brand, which can boost the mailpiece’s value and visual impact, including open rate. The premium for First-Class Mail letters and postcards will be 1 cent per piece, and for Standard Mail letters and cards, 2 cents per piece. Commercial mailers and mail service providers who want to use Picture Permit on automation First-Class Mail or Standard Mail letters and postcards (must be part of Full-Service Intelligent mail barcode mailings) may register immediately. Customers interested in using Picture Permit close to the June 24, 2012, implementation date are encouraged to register as soon as possible, since it may take several weeks to complete the approval process. Applications for Picture Permit image designs must conform to USPS specifications, be approved in advance, and include sample mailpieces for testing prior to final approval. To learn more about program requirements – and find a fact sheet, design template and frequently-asked questions – please go to: https://www.usps.com/picturepermit Please share this with others in the mailing community who would find this of interest. The Postal Service appreciates you, and your business! INDUSTRY ALERT PCC Representatives: The Postal Regulatory Commission today issued an order approving the implementation of Picture Permit Imprint Indicia as price categories for First-Class Mail and Standard Mail letters and cards. Picture Permit will be available beginning June 24, 2012. The offering will be available for commercial mailers of presorted First-Class Mail letters and cards and Standard Mail letters using Full-Service Intelligent mail barcodes (IMbs). The premium for First-Class Mail letters and cards will be 1 cent per piece and for Standard Mail letters 2 cents per piece. Picture Permit allows commercial mailers to include logos, trademarks, and brand images in the permit imprint indicia area of their mail. This provides immediate recognition of companies’ logos, products promotions and brands, and boosts the value and visual impact of First-Class Mail and Standard mailpieces. Applications for Picture Permit image designs must conform to USPS specifications and be approved in advance. In addition, sample mailpieces are required for testing and approval prior to mailings. Details are available in the April 27 Federal Register at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-04-27/pdf/2012-10014.pdf. Additional information on Picture Permit, including registration and program requirements, is expected to be posted on RIBBS and usps.com by mid-May. INDUSTRY ALERT DearPCC Representatives: Starting May 16, lithium batteries and electronic devices containing lithium batteries will be prohibited from being mailed internationally. They also will not be allowed in shipments to or from Army Post Offices, Fleet Post Offices and Diplomatic Post Offices. Lithium batteries already are prohibited in mail shipments on international commercial air transportation under International Civil Aviation Organization and Universal Postal Union regulations. Shippers and mailers are advised that:
Please share this with others in the mailing community who would find this of interest. INDUSTRY ALERT Mobile Commerce and Personalization Promotion approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) On March 26, 2012 the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) issued an order approving the Postal Service’s Notice of Price Adjustment for a 2012 Mobile Commerce and Personalization Promotion scheduled to run July-August 2012, with registration beginning May 1, 2012. The 2012 Mobile Commerce and Personalization Promotion will provide business mailers with an upfront 2 percent postage discount on Standard Mail® and First-Class Mail® letters, flats, and cards (presort and automation only) that include a two-dimensional (2-D) barcode or print/mobile technology that can be read or scanned by a mobile device. The barcode or similar technology must lead the recipient to either: (1) a webpage that allows the recipient to purchase a product or service on a mobile device, or (2) a personalized URL, which leads to a web page that is unique to an individual recipient. Best practices such as directional copy and mobile optimization are also required. More information can be found in the program requirements document that can be downloaded from RIBBS at: https://ribbs.usps.gov/index.cfm?page=mobilebarcode INDUSTRY ALERT
Mailing Industry Stakeholders: Postmaster General Pat Donahoe issued a letter and video today to assure mailers that the Postal Service is not going out of business or be privatized. The Postal Service plays a vital role in America’s economy and society. This past year USPS delivered 167.6 billion pieces of mail and sustains a $1 trillion mailing industry that employs 8 million people. This communication will bring you the up-to-date steps the Postal Service is taking on the legislative, network optimization and wages and benefits fronts to ensure the financial health of USPS now and in years to come. The PMG continues to urge Congress to allow the move from six-day delivery schedule to five days per week. On the retail front, the USPS is studying whether to close up to 3,700 retail facilities, and we continue to consolidate delivery routes. USPS is also developing a proposal to adjust service standards and Critical Entry Times for First-Class and Periodicals to allow the streamlining of the mail processing network. This is a very important message that needs to be shared with your members and co-workers. Please feel free to distribute and post on your website. Please click to view the video and letter. Also, the video can be downloaded for your convenience. Susan M. LaChance Vice President Consumer and Industry Affairs |
