July 13, 2009

Intelligent Mail^® Services Weekly Update

Intelligent Mail^® Symposiums
Mailers interested in tapping into the power of the mail to reach customers and optimizing their operations can take advantage of an Intelligent Mail University series hosted by the National Postal Forum. The next symposium is on Thursday, July 16 in Fort Worth, TX. Click on one of the links for further information, registration deadlines, and to enroll in the symposium.

Intelligent Mail Barcode Readability
We have revised our barcode readability thresholds for Intelligent Mail barcodes. From now through November 28, 2009, the following readability thresholds for Intelligent Mail barcodes applied to letter- and flat-size automation-price pieces are in effect:

a. A mailing with a barcode readability verification result of 70 percent or higher passes verification.
b. A mailing with a barcode readability verification result of below 70 percent will have additional postage calculated based on 100 percent of the automation-price pieces in the mailing.

For Intelligent Mail barcoded pieces that cannot be read by the USPS, address correction information will be delivered in one of two ways, assuming the mailpieces bear a printed ancillary service endorsement to trigger the address correction (Periodicals do not require the printed ancillary service endorsement to use Traditional ACS):

a. If the mailer applies the ACS participant code/optional keyline on the mailpiece, the address correction data will be delivered electronically and the mailer will be charged per the electronic option.
b. If the mailpiece does not bear the ACS participant code/optional keyline, the address correction information may be delivered via hardcopy or the mailpiece returned and the relevant price will apply.

Refer to Appendix A in A Guide to Intelligent Mail for Letters and Flats posted on our RIBBS Website to understand the endorsements and Service Type Identifiers that apply for Basic and Full-Service mailings.

There are two options in using Intelligent Mail barcodes: Basic Service or Full-Service. Mailers can work with their local Business Mail Entry Units and Mailpiece Design Analysts to ensure their barcodes meet specifications. We encourage mailers to test their Intelligent Mail pieces before their live production runs.

9-digit Mailer ID Renumbering
Mailer IDs are numbers assigned by the Postal Service for mailers to use within Intelligent Mail barcodes. A Mailer ID can be a 6-digit or 9-digit number depending upon the mailer's volume. 9-digit Mailer IDs (MIDs) must start with the number 9. Over the past years, some mailers have been allowed to use their unique Dun & Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (D-U-N-S®) number as a Mailer ID. Although D-U-N-S numbers are 9-digits in length many do not start with the number 9. D-U-N-S numbers that do not begin with the number 9 and are used as MIDs will be replaced with MIDs that start with the number 9. We will issue the new MIDs to mailers beginning in mid-August. Mailers will have 60 days to convert to the newly assigned MIDs. Parcel and Confirmation Services mailers are not affected at this time.

Assistance

Please call the PostalOne! Help Desk at 1-800-522-9085 if you have any questions or problems accessing the Business Customer Gateway or your accounts, or submitting electronic documentation.