Are you still using POSTNET barcodes?
Tuesday, 07 August 2012 08:46
Are you still using POSTNET barcodes?
Starting in January 2013, the U.S. Postal Service will no longer accept POSTNET barcodes for automation discounts. To receive the discounts, you must use the Intelligent Mail barcode (IMB). If you’ve been looking for a reason to starting using the more fully featured IMB, now you’ve got one.
Starting in January, if you try to use POSTNET, your mail will get stopped at the counter and you will be charged the difference between automated and non-automated pricing before your mail can go any further. If you are working with a middleman who is dropping the mail at a Bulk Mail Center (BMC) or other location, you could end up with delays as those all along the postal chain work to resolve the issue.
If you use the Full-Service Intelligent Mail barcode, you gain advantages even beyond postal discounts. Full-Service offers free Start-the-Clock (mail tracking), deeper discounts than Basic IMb, and free address quality updates. Starting in January 2014, Basic will be discontinued and only Full-Service IMBs will be accepted by the U.S. Postal Service.
To avoid mail delays and take advantage of the benefits offered by IMBs, you can start implementing them now. If you need some extra incentive, here are five more reasons:
1. Being able to track your mail enables you to monitor campaigns with critical in-home delivery dates. If the mail gets stalled, you’ll know it and be able to nudge it along.
2. If you know when your mail hits the local post offices, you can time phone calls, emails, texts, or other follow-ups to the campaign to boost response.
3. Because you know when the mail will hit, you can plan and staff your fulfillment operations more efficiently.
4. Because Full-Service IMbs allow you to track every individual mail piece, you know what payments are coming in. This helps with cash flow.
5. For companies like insurance companies, knowing which payments are on the way means that you can avoid unnecessary policy cancelations.
Are you ready to explore the transition to Intelligent Mail barcodes? Let us walk through the options with you.
