Window Book Postal Concierge--The United States Postal Service® (USPS®) announced in a January 24, 2014 Federal Register notice that Phase 2 of the planned network consolidation and corresponding adjustment of delivery service standards has been postponed. As we reported in earlier e-Tips, the USPS originally laid out their Network Rationalization plan in 2011 with a phased approach to closing and consolidating various postal facilities and making the necessary service standard adjustments to correspond with the new service network. Phase 2 of that plan was scheduled to be implemented on February 1, 2014. The USPS goal in closing a large number of processing facilities is to cut costs and optimize their processing network to more closely align with the decreased volumes of mail.
Network facility changes
The first phase of the network optimization plan began in July 2012 and involved 48 facilities. The USPS halted closures during the busy mailing season of September through December 2012, but resumed the first phase closure plans in January 2013. The USPS again halted the closures after July 2013 for the busy mailing season through the end of the year, and then planned to resume Phase 2 in early 2014. The Phase 2 plan has now been postponed to a future date, which will be announced using a Federal Register notice.
The Plan
The USPS provides detailed information regarding the planned facility consolidations and closures on the RIBBS web site. Their Mail Move Plan is available in Excel spreadsheet format, and is updated on a weekly basis. The USPS also provides information on these planned consolidations on its main web site.
What it means for mailers
So, what does all this mean for mailers? As the consolidations and closures take place, mailers will need to make sure their mailing software solutions - both presort and post-presort - are updated with the most recent postal destination data updates. This includes Labeling Lists, destination drop ship data files (including re-directions), etc. Mailers will also need to pay close attention to the changes in the USPS service standards and monitor mail delivery so that any necessary adjustments can be made to mailing schedules. Stay tuned for further updates as this initiative progresses.
Your Solution
Window Book's software allows you to easily keep your USPS destination data files, including Labeling Lists and drop ship data, up to date automatically. Our Automatic Postal Data Updater is a complimentary feature in our software, which requires only a one-time configuration in the Window Book Automation Scheduler. Contact our technical support team for more details on how to configure your Window Book software for these automatic updates.
Getting Help From the Experts
Call us at 1-800-524-0380 to find out about Window Book's NEW Product for Mailers: eDM2
Network facility changes
The first phase of the network optimization plan began in July 2012 and involved 48 facilities. The USPS halted closures during the busy mailing season of September through December 2012, but resumed the first phase closure plans in January 2013. The USPS again halted the closures after July 2013 for the busy mailing season through the end of the year, and then planned to resume Phase 2 in early 2014. The Phase 2 plan has now been postponed to a future date, which will be announced using a Federal Register notice.
The Plan
The USPS provides detailed information regarding the planned facility consolidations and closures on the RIBBS web site. Their Mail Move Plan is available in Excel spreadsheet format, and is updated on a weekly basis. The USPS also provides information on these planned consolidations on its main web site.
What it means for mailers
So, what does all this mean for mailers? As the consolidations and closures take place, mailers will need to make sure their mailing software solutions - both presort and post-presort - are updated with the most recent postal destination data updates. This includes Labeling Lists, destination drop ship data files (including re-directions), etc. Mailers will also need to pay close attention to the changes in the USPS service standards and monitor mail delivery so that any necessary adjustments can be made to mailing schedules. Stay tuned for further updates as this initiative progresses.
Your Solution
Window Book's software allows you to easily keep your USPS destination data files, including Labeling Lists and drop ship data, up to date automatically. Our Automatic Postal Data Updater is a complimentary feature in our software, which requires only a one-time configuration in the Window Book Automation Scheduler. Contact our technical support team for more details on how to configure your Window Book software for these automatic updates.
Getting Help From the Experts
Call us at 1-800-524-0380 to find out about Window Book's NEW Product for Mailers: eDM2