On November 29, 2013, the US Postal Service formally announced that they would delay the requirement for Full Service Intelligent Mail Requirements for Automation prices. The implementation requirement was originally scheduled to take effect January 26, 2014.
What does this mean?
All Mail Service Providers who are not yet utilizing Full Service and do not transition by January 26, 2014 will still have the ability to claim automation pricing using Basic Intelligent Mail Barcodes.
What are the advantages to transitioning anyway?
Despite this delay, in their press release, the US Postal Service states that they remain “strongly committed to Full-Service adoption for all mailers. The value of Full-Service is well known and helps the mailing community to get the best value-added experience for its mail. The Postal Service will continue moving aggressively to achieve 100 percent visibility in the mail through Full-Service.”
We at Brooks Litho have already begun the transition to Full Service and will continue this transition for all mailings we process for our customers. Doing so will result in an additional discount per piece that is mailed.
Full Service Intelligent Mail offers many benefits to those who adopt the technology including the ability to track mail service performance through the available scan information and reporting, and address correction information providing Change of Address information and Nixie (or undeliverable-as-addressed) information.
What is the Intelligent Mail Barcode?
The Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMb) was developed as a result of the US Postal Service’s desire to include more information within one single barcode rather than requiring one barcode with the delivery information and a separate barcode for address correction services. Rather than using a combination of tall and short vertical bars, the IMb uses a combination of four different vertical bar types to encode all of the information. We will provide more information on the Intelligent Mail Barcode and Full Service in future News releases.
Is your company prepared for the transition?
With Brooks Litho as your Mail Service Provider, your company is already prepared. That is why Brooks Litho is your Total Marketing Solutions Provider! If you have specific questions about the Intelligent Mail Barcode or Full Service, we’re here to help. For more information, contact us online or call (631) 789-4500 today!