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Window Book and Bell and Howell Announce Expanded Relationship

Posted by  on 4 March 2013, 8:11 pm

Alliance delivers the Full-Service benefits of the
Intelligent Mail barcode today

March 4, 2013 – Cambridge, MA – Window Book, a leading provider of mailing and shipping software, and, Bell and Howell, a leader in delivering innovative solutions and services for paper-based and digital messaging, today announced an expanded relationship that enables mailers to achieve the full range of benefits available through the Intelligent Mail® barcode.

“By having both of these industry-leading products integrated in your mailing operation, BCC Mail Manager users can save thousands of dollars on postage and labor while eliminating barriers to Intelligent Mail Full-Service that many mailers encounter,” said Jeffery Peoples, Window Book’s CEO. “We are extremely pleased with the expanded alliance with Bell and Howell and the benefits it brings to mailers.”

“We are very pleased to fully endorse Window Book DAT-MAIL and e-Doc Monitor solutions for our BCC Mail Manager™ customers, which provides them with an expanded Full-Service Intelligent Mail solution,” said Christopher Lien, Bell and Howell vice president of postal software marketing. “Our partnership with Window Book will enable mailers to easily and immediately leverage the enhanced benefits of the IMb today. Waiting to convert to Full Service is not a smart business decision.” The business synergy between Window Book and Bell and Howell products will result in improved product and workflow processes that can benefit many of the companies’ mutual customers. This workflow integration will make it even easier for Bell and Howell clients to utilize Window Book capabilities and vise versa, providing added benefits for pre-presort, presort, and post-presort processes.

For more information about Window Book and/or DAT-MAIL / eDocs Monitor products, visit www.windowbook.com/4youNow, call 1-800-524-0380 or email postalspecialist@windowbook.com.

For more information about Bell and Howell, visit www.bellhowell.net, call 1-800-220-3030 or email marketing@bhemail.com.

###

About Window Book
Window Book has been helping clients manage their operations more profitably since 1989, and is the leader in mailing and shipping software for letter shops, corporate mailers, service bureaus, and mail owners. Window Book’s best-in-class postal solutions include: Intelligent Mail Full-Service, PostalOne!, eDoc, Mail.dat, Mail.XML, FAST, Bound Printed Matter, post-presort data management, entry planning, drop shipping, postage accounting, postal documentation and statements, meter and stamp management, Express Mail® and Priority Mail Open and Distribute, New Commercial Plus rates, eVS, Delivery Confirmation, and manifesting shipping systems. For more information, visit www.windowbook.com. To request more information about putting our combined Bell and Howell / Window Book solution to work for you OR for a personalized Intelligent Mail Readiness Analysis, visit www.windowbook.com/4youNow

About Bell and Howell
Bell and Howell, LLC is a leading provider of solutions and services for paper-based and digital messaging. The company’s portfolio includes products that reduce production and postage costs, increase operational efficiency, message impact and relevancy, and ensure integrity and quality. Supporting these solutions is one of the largest dedicated service organizations in the industry. The company is headquartered in Durham, N.C., and maintains facilities in Wheeling, Ill., Bethlehem, Pa., and Rochester, N.Y. For further information, please visit www.bellhowell.net, or email marketing@bhemail.com

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Some members of the media are calling attention to the meetings industry in a spotlight that blurs the benefits of face-to-face events.

Posted by  on 21 February 2013, 2:56 pm

PCMA News

The latest commentary on what’s happening in the industry from tech and tools to people and places.

February 19 2013
Investing in Education
By Deborah Sexton, President and CEO

usps2_news
Some members of the media are calling attention to the meetings industry in a spotlight that blurs the benefits of face-to-face events.

A report from California-based KTVU on Monday, February 18, highlights that the United States Postal Service will be spending upwards of $2 million to send the Postmaster General and 400 USPS employees to the National Postal Forum in San Francisco. The Washington Times picked up the story with a headline that reads “Broke U.S. Postal Service pays $2M for conference, golf, party.”

While the USPS has yet to release an outline of the expenses that comprise this budget, the organization has made it clear that it is not covering all of its attendees’ personal expenses. Employees will shoulder the costs of golfing fees along with some additional costs.

As the news unfolds, leaders in the meetings industry must take time to fully understand the circumstances and give all parties the opportunity to demonstrate their rationale and the business benefits of their strategy and decisions. While headlines may lead to negative assumptions from a public that has seen plenty of headlines of massive losses and reductions in delivery service, the reality is that participating in this kind of conference is what will help the USPS determine a path to return to profitability.

The NPF offers four days of education that will undoubtedly play a role in shaping the future of mail delivery. The session lineup includes courses such as “The Digital Journey: Shaping the Future of the Postal Industry”, “Enhancing the Value of Print” and “Securing Your Business in an Insecure Digital World.” As more people pay their bills online, these sessions are very relevant for those 400 employees who will be on-site.

If the Postal Service is going to determine a way forward, it’s not going to happen in a silo behind closed doors. It’s going to happen by meeting new customers, strengthening relations with current customers, gaining new knowledge and searching for new solutions to reduce costs in the digital age. All of these activities can occur in one place: a face-to-face meeting.

Make Your Voice Heard

The meetings industry is no stranger to scrutiny, and this news reinforces the need for all meeting professionals to show their support for the real benefits of bringing people together. Meetings are not parties or golf outings; they are idea exchanges that, when designed effectively, power prosperity and business success. For businesses like the USPS that have been facing significant financial struggles, meetings and events can be the key to laying a foundation for a strong future.

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Intelligent Mail Package Barcode IMpb Requirements for January 28, 2013 Made Easier to Understand With New White Paper

Posted by  on 25 January 2013, 3:16 pm

Window Book, Inc, previous publisher of 5 very popular mailing industry related white papers, is pleased to announce the publication of their 6th white paper, which focuses exclusively on the Intelligent Mail Package Barcode (IMpb) for people who ship parcels and packages via the United States Postal Service (USPS): “Intelligent Mail® Package Barcode (IMpb): Meeting the January 28, 2013 Requirements.” With just a few days remaining until the January 28, 2013 implementation deadline for the IMpb, this paper could not be more timely! This white paper is available for free download at: http://www.windowbook.com/Intelligent-Mail-Package-Barcodes/?ls=390.

Effective January 28, 2013, the USPS is replacing the Confirmation Services (Delivery Confirmation and Signature Confirmation) barcode with the Intelligent Mail Package Barcode (IMpb) for tracking parcels and for Extra Services. In addition, in order to claim valuable presort discounts and drop ship rates (destination entry pricing) the following parcel mail – excluding Standard Mail – will be required to use an IMpb: First-Class Package Services, Parcel Select, Parcel Select Light Weight, Library Mail, Media Mail, Bound Printed Matter parcels.

This white paper specifically addresses the new IMpb requirements, challenges shippers face, provides a check list for shippers to follow, and discusses various solutions available in order to be eligible for shipment tracking, Extra Services, presort discounts, and drop ship rates.

Here is a look at the Table of Contents from Window Book’s newly published white paper:

Introduction Page 4
Intelligent Mail Package Barcode (IMpb) Page 6
IMpb Label Page 7
Why IMpb and the Benefits Page 8
Onboarding Steps Page 9
Check List for IMpb Page 14
Your Challenges for IMpb Page 15
Consequences for NOT Implementing the IMpb in 2013 Page 16
MUST READ !!! Page 17

“Besides printing the IMpb on your label, there are a lot of other steps you must take in order to fulfill the new IMpb requirements. These steps include getting certified or re-certified for electronic manifest (SSF) and all your printers. We found that some of the biggest challenges the shippers are facing are generating the Shipping Services files in version 1.6 or later and including ZIP+4’s or the destination addresses in the SSF file,” said Jeffery Peoples, Window Book’s President and CEO. “We are extremely pleased to address those challenges in both our white paper and the solutions we offer to the marketplace.”

IMpb On-Ramp Service & Intelligent Mail On-Ramp Service
As the industry-leading provider of mailing and shipping software, Window Book has already gone through the steps of getting certified for IMpb, eDoc, PostalOne!, and Intelligent Mail Full-Service, so they are fully aware of the process for getting approved by the USPS. Those who need help getting ready for IMpb and Full-Service Intelligent Mail are encouraged to take advantage of their “IMpb On-Ramp Service” and “Intelligent Mail On-Ramp Service.”

Window Book’s new IMpb On-Ramp Service will help shippers get certified to meet all the new requirements for using the IMpb while their already popular Intelligent Mail On-Ramp Service will help mailers go through the process of getting certified for eDoc and/or Intelligent Mail Full-Service for Letter and Flat size mail.

“Window Book has always been the leader in educating business mailers about the latest postal trends and innovative solutions they can utilize to meet new requirements. I am certain that package mailers and shippers will find this free white paper very resourceful and helpful during their transitional period to the IMpb,” said Peoples.

Window Book’s new white paper, “Intelligent Mail® Package Barcode (IMpb): Meeting the January 28, 2013 Requirements,” is the 6th in a series of complimentary educational white papers they have published since 2010, and joins other efforts to educate the mailing/shipping Industry on Intelligent Mail Full-Service, eDoc & PostalOne!, Mail.dat® and Mail.XML™, and Presort and Post-Presort software. Each of the previous 5 papers garnered nearly 1,500 downloads apiece, and early indications are that this new paper will amass well over 2,000 downloads.

Window Book is constantly updating their software solutions to be compliant with the ever-changing USPS regulations and options as well as meeting their clients’ needs. DAT-MAIL includes Intelligent Mail solutions to help mailers comply with Full-Service requirements, including Intelligent Mail barcoded sack/tray tags and pallet placards, eDoc using Mail.dat and Mail.XML, and FAST® web services for drop-ship appointment setting. Postal Package Partner is manifest shipping software that parcel mailers can use to export Shipping Service Files (SSF), print labels before submitting the file to the USPS Product Tracking System (PTS), etc. PPP can also collect tracking extract files, provide tracking reports and do e-mail notification.

“Intelligent Mail® Package Barcode (IMpb): Meeting the January 28, 2013 Requirements” is available for free download at: http://www.windowbook.com/Intelligent-Mail-Package-Barcodes/?ls=390

About Window Book:
Window Book has been helping clients manage their operations more profitably since 1989, and is the leader in shipping and mailing software for Lettershops, Corporate Mailers, Service Bureaus, and Mail Owners. Window Book’s best-in-class postal solutions include: IMpb, Express Mail® and Priority Mail® Open and Distribute, New Commercial Plus rates, eVS, Delivery Confirmation™, manifesting shipping systems, Intelligent Mail Full-Service, PostalOne!, eDoc, Mail.dat, Mail.XML™, FAST®, Bound Printed Matter, post-presort data management, entry planning, drop shipping, postage accounting, postal documentation & statements, and meter and stamp management.

Contact information:
Window Book, Inc.
300 Franklin Street
Cambridge, MA 02139-3781
Ph: 800-524-0380
Fax: 617-395-5900
postalspecialist@windowbook.com
www.windowbook.com

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Foldfactory.com Releases Fast and Effective “Crash Course” on USPS Folded Self Mailer Regulations

Posted by  on 21 January 2013, 4:53 pm

As the grace period for the new USPS Folded Self Mailer regulations expired and penalties for non-compliance went into effect on January 5th, Trish Witkowski of Foldfactory.com went into action. “I was concerned about all of the confusion I was seeing, and I was getting a lot of emails about it, too” she said, “As someone who researches direct mail and promotes folded materials every day, I thought that a video could be a great way to quickly summarize the most important changes and general guidelines for everyone.”

The 7-minute video, featuring Trish in one of her signature t-shirts, briefly reviews the unchanged rules, and then dives into the rest of the key changes by category, hitting size, tabbing requirements, fold placement, and finally flaps. She uses props to visually illustrate key concepts, and her lightly humorous tone makes the video entertaining and easy to watch.

“The FSM Crash Course is a powerful educational tool,” said David Steinhardt, President and CEO of IDEAlliance. “IDEAlliance currently works cooperatively with the USPS to improve mail preparation and distribution through the development of specifications and best practices. We look forward to collaborating with FoldFactory.com on the development of similar educational programs to support the industry in the application of new technologies and best practices in the postal supply chain.”

The video, entitled “USPS 2013 FSM Guidelines: A Crash Course,” is posted on foldfactory’s YouTube channel and is free to watch and share. Watch the video now: http://youtu.be/fK4CkcZTN6Q

“As Trish mentions in the video, it costs USPS 11 times more to process a mail piece by hand than by machine, so we are supportive of education to get good information out to our members who produce and send mail. We want you to have success with mail, and to achieve the best rates possible. This video supports that goal and helps our members educate their customers,” shared Ken Garner, President and CEO of the Association of Marketing Service Providers (AMSP).

“The video is a great example of how education is changing” states Patti Groh, Director of Marketing Communications for Sappi Fine Paper, a company known not only for paper, but also for its educational content and environmental advocacy. “People want to get to the point as quickly as possible and get back to work. Anything that can succinctly inform people about the power of mail and help them prevent costly mistakes is good for the industry.”

“I hope the industry finds the video helpful and worth sharing” says Janice Reese, CEO of Network PDF, and strategic business partner of foldfactory.com. “We have to educate not only our industry, but also our customers so that everyone can get the most benefit out of this highly efficient mailing format. It’s a terrible waste to spend more than you have to on postage – and the truth is USPS gets no joy from it, either. Anything that isn’t machinable is a money-loser for them, too. The trick is keeping up with the regulations. Watch the video and you’ll be up to speed in no time.”

Contact:
Janice Reese
Network PDF/Foldfactory.com
615-584-7440
www.foldfactory.com

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Full-Service Intelligent Mail Made Easy for First-Class Mailers

Posted by  on 18 January 2013, 5:43 pm

Window Book, Inc. is pleased to announce their publication of a new book titled, Implementing Full-Service Intelligent Mail, which is dedicated to First-Class mailers. In anticipation of the obstacles they may face during their transitional period to Full-Service Intelligent Mail, this book addresses specific challenges as well as solutions available to them from the mailing industry including Window Book and Whittier Mailing Products.

Here is a look at the Table of Contents from Window Book’s newly published book:

Forward iii
The Challenge of Full-Service Intelligent Mail 5
Specific Challenges and Solutions 13
Presort Software Users 13
Printing Intelligent Mail Barcodes (IMb’s) on inkjet printers 13
Assigning Full-Service Compliant Intelligent Mail Barcode Numbers 14
Manifesting Challenges 17
Spoilage Issues with eDocs 18
Managing eDoc Submissions 21
Documenting Overflow Trays 24
Including Pallets in eDocs 25
CSA Palletization 27
Challenges Unique to MLOCR Users 29
Associating Physical Trays and Pallets to Logical Trays and Pallets 31
Challenges Common to both MLOCR and Presort Software Users 32
eDocs Related Challenges 32
Copalletization 35
Dealing with Impact of Postalone! Transportation Management System (TMS) 37
Dealing with the Needs of Continuous Mailers 39
By/For Identification 40
Optimizing Presort Discounts 41
Unlocking the Value of Full-Service Intelligent Mail 43
What are Your Challenges? 44

Get a copy of Implementing Full-Service Intelligent Mail:
For those who are interested in getting a copy of this valuable book, please call 800-524-0380 or email postalspecialist@windowbook.com.

“In the two-plus decades that I have worked with the mailing supply chain, no other USPS regulatory change has been as ambitious or challenging for so many to implement. AND, each segment in the mailing industry has different challenges!” said Jeffery Peoples, Window Book’s Founder and CEO. “Window Book has always been on the leading edge of educating business mailers about the latest postal trends and how they can comply with new requirements to achieve their corporate business goals. I am certain that all First-Class mailers will find this book very valuable and resourceful during their implementation of Full-Service Intelligent Mail,” added Peoples.

This is the first of a series of books that describe the challenges of implementing the U.S. Postal Service’s Full-Service Intelligent Mail program and provides insight into how to overcome these challenges. Mailers of Standard, Periodicals, and Bound Printed Matter mail will face different challenges during the Full-Service transitional period as well, and Window Book plans to publish future books in this series that address challenges and solutions for those environments.

About Window Book:
Window Book has been helping clients manage their operations more profitably since 1989, and is the leader in shipping and mailing software for Letter shops, Corporate Mailers, Service Bureaus, and Mail Owners. Window Book’s best-in-class postal solutions include: IMpb, Express Mail® and Priority Mail® Open and Distribute, New Commercial Plus rates, eVS, Delivery Confirmation™, manifesting shipping systems, Intelligent Mail Full-Service, PostalOne!, eDoc, Mail.dat, Mail.XML™, FAST®, Bound Printed Matter, post-presort data management, entry planning, drop shipping, postage accounting, postal documentation & statements, and meter and stamp management.

Contact information:
Window Book, Inc.
300 Franklin Street
Cambridge, MA 02139-3781
Ph: 800-524-0380
Fax: 617-395-5900
postalspecialist@windowbook.com
www.windowbook.com

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Consumer Attitudes about Direct Mail vs. Email

Posted by  on 18 January 2013, 4:02 pm

More than 60% of people surveyed actually want to see mail in their mailbox, and I mean their postal mailbox, not their email inbox!

Epsilon just conducted a study of Americans and Canadians (2012 Channel Preference Study) to find out if they still love direct mail. And the resounding answer is YES!

To quote their latest report, “direct mail is the preferred channel for U.S. and Canadian consumers to receive brand communications in nearly every product and service category including financial services, insurance, general health, cleaning products, food and charitable causes.”

It seems that PRIVACY motivates people to prefer their mailbox. People simply do not trust the exchange of personal information – such as financial or health details – in an email.

Almost two thirds of respondents enjoy checking their mailbox every day. Half of the people say they pay more attention to direct mail than email And three quarters say they prefer direct mail because they can read the information at their convenience.

Not only do they enjoy getting direct mail, they actually open and read it. The same can’t be said for emails. 73% of Americans and 62% of Canadians said they receive a lot of emails that they simply do not open.

Consumers want a dialogue, a way to express their needs and interests, and they see direct mail as a more trustworthy method of expressing their desires.

So, if you are not in the mail, you have to ask yourself one question: Why are you ignoring the preferred medium of more than 60% of your prospective customers?

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It Fits. It Ships. PMOD Use it for Faster and Cheaper Drop Shipments

Posted by  on 16 January 2013, 10:51 pm

By Jeffery Peoples
CEO & Founder, Window Book, Inc.

Standard Mail® users are always looking for ways to improve delivery times without adding additional cost to their mailings. Many of them employ complex entry point analysis tools to figure out just what is the best way to drop ship their larger mailings, but still struggle with how to best handle their smaller mailings. What many of them don’t know, but a few of them are beginning to discover, is that by using the USPS Priority Mail Open and Distribute (PMOD) service, their mailings can achieve close to First-Class™ delivery standards while paying Standard Mail postage prices.

Standard mailers use freight carriers to transport their large volumes of drop shipped mail. When there are too few trays to make a full pallet for direct entry, many mailers enter the trays locally. The USPS® has a great service called PMOD, which is an excellent tool for drop shipping these smaller volumes of mail. PMOD is an underutilized service that many mailers don’t realize can expedite delivery times, manage in-home dates well (not early, not late) and reduce shipping costs. PMOD lets mailers drop ship presorted mail to postal entry points using Priority Mail as the shipping method rather than a more traditional way such as truckload, less-than-load (LTL) or air freight. In most cases, it is delivered faster and often for less money. Visit DMM for more info on PMOD guidelines.

PMOD is a smart way to drop ship to entry points, especially for small to mid-size mailers. The recipients receive mail sooner, on a more predictable date (less variation than the standard non-expedited Postal transportation) compared to mail they receive when the mailing is entered locally. After all, isn’t it vital for time-sensitive materials such as dated coupons, sale-dated flyers, and limited-time offers to get delivered on time?

Mailers also use PMOD to drop ship the remaining origin entry level sacks or trays after the majority of the mail has been drop shipped using traditional transportation. This helps keep in-home delivery more consistent without paying expensive minimum charges to transport only a few sacks or trays. Mailers with small volumes who thought they didn’t have enough volume to drop ship may be able to take advantage of PMOD to obtain drop ship discounts.

Shipping to Alaska or Hawaii?
If you are experiencing delivery delays to remote or distant locations (e.g. Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico), or any location for that matter, PMOD can be a great way to shorten the delivery time. Priority Mail has delivery standards of 2-3 days, so the mail gets entered into the postal entry points much more quickly than if the mail was locally entered at the printing plant or letter shop. You can mail at the less expensive Standard Mail rates, but get close to First-Class delivery standards.

There are many instances where the total cost, PMOD postage and the destination-entered Standard Mail postage, is less expensive then locally entered trays. So you can actually prepare presorted mail with postage applied at the destination entry rates, then add the cost of PMOD transportation and get better service for a lower price. Yes, the total cost will still be less than bringing the mail to the local Post Office! Mailers can also take advantage of drop ship discounts at entry points with low mailing densities (i.e, Butte, MT or Fargo, ND).

PMOD made easy
In the past, mailers shied away from PMOD because it involved a lot of manual labor – mail had to be physically separated and tagged with PMOD tags. Then a postage statement had to be generated by hand. Now, there are software solutions that allow these procedures to be automated, making PMOD much more time and cost-effective to use.

Robust shipping software will let you automatically import Mail.dat® files, analyze which trays are best sent PMOD, print PMOD labels and the appropriate sack labels while also generating the required manifest reports and postal statements – AND provide valuable tracking services, e-mail notification and delivery information. In addition, it will eliminate the work of having to generate a meter strip for each tray or sack by generating a manifest for PMOD sacks and trays. This will account for each piece so a mailer can track the progress of the delivery of each container. Ideally, the shipping software should also be able to maintain a central database to keep track of it all.

The best shipping software will also let users:
 Prepare mailings ahead of time by allowing them to pre-date their mailings and have them mailed on the date they are entered in their system, without needing to reprint meter strips
 Automatically get updated Drop Ship & Labeling List data as changes are made on the USPS website
 Generate accounting reports, sorted by what was mailed and how much postage was paid for each client.

High volume Open and Distribute mailers
Mailers who process Mail.dat files and send high volumes of Open and Distribute mailings should invest in post-presort Mail.dat management software that can interface with their shipping software to automate the mailing and PMOD process and perform cost analysis as well.

PMOD postage
The PMOD postage essentially replaces the shipping costs that freight carriers normally charge when more traditional drop shipping methods are used. Presorted bulk mailings are then drop shipped to a facility closer to where the mail is to be delivered. Mail is transported within one to three days and is delivered faster at a reasonable cost.

Mailers who drop ship smaller volumes of mail and pay high shipping costs and experience long delivery times owe it to themselves to give PMOD a try!

About Window Book:
Window Book has been helping clients manage their operations more profitably since 1989, and is the leader in shipping and mailing software for Lettershops, Corporate Mailers, Service Bureaus, and Mail Owners. Window Book’s best-in-class postal solutions include: IMpb, Express Mail® and Priority Mail® Open and Distribute, New Commercial Plus rates, eVS, Delivery Confirmation™, manifesting shipping systems, Intelligent Mail Full-Service, PostalOne!, eDoc, Mail.dat, Mail.XML™, FAST®, Bound Printed Matter, post-presort data management, entry planning, drop shipping, postage accounting, postal documentation & statements, and meter and stamp management.

Contact information:
Window Book, Inc.
300 Franklin Street
Cambridge, MA 02139-3781
Ph: 800-524-0380
Fax: 617-395-5900
postalspecialist@windowbook.com
www.windowbook.com

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New White Paper “Preparing for January 2013 & 2014 Intelligent Mail Options: Adopt or Fold”

Posted by  on 10 January 2013, 4:24 pm

With the clock ticking down to USPS Intelligent Mail implementation dates in January 2013 and 2014, Window Book has published a free informative white paper titled, “Preparing for January 2013 & 2014 Intelligent Mail Options: Adopt or Fold.” This white paper specifically addresses the new Intelligent Mail requirements that mailers and shippers will need to adopt in 2013 and 2014 in order to retain the best postage rates (i.e., automation presort rates for letters and flats, and presorted drop ship pricing for parcels)while still having access to additional benefits and incentives offered by the USPS.

Here is a look at the Table of Contents from Window Book’s newly published white paper:

Introduction – Page 5
Getting Ready for IMb Requirements: January 28, 2013 – Page 7
IMb for Mailpieces (Letters and Flats) – Page 7
Check List for Mailers – Page 9
Postal Education – Page 11
Getting Ready for IMpb Requirements: January 28, 2013 – Page 12
Benefits – Page 12
IMpb (Intelligent Mail Package Barcode) – Page 13
Your Challenges for IMpb – Page 14
Check List for Shippers – Page 16
Postage Saving Incentives and Promotions for 2013 & 2014 – Page 17
Your Consequences for NOT Implementing IMb or IMpb for 2013 – Page 18
Getting Ready for January 2014 Intelligent Mail Full-Service – Page 19
Check List for Full-Service – Page 21
Full-Service Technology Credit (“Tech Credit”) – Page 23

“The Postal Service has been moving the mailing industry to adopt Intelligent Mail practices for the past several years, and, unfortunately, many mailers are just now realizing that they are not going to back off of these new deadlines. What may be more alarming, though, is that some mailers are still not completely aware of how they will be affected if they do not implement Intelligent Mail technologies,” said Jeffery Peoples, Window Book’s President and CEO. “Window Book has always been on the leading edge of educating business mailers to work smarter, not harder, to achieve your corporate business goals. This paper not only addresses how you can work smarter, but the necessity of adopting Intelligent Mail in order to survive and thrive. Not getting automation discounts on top of the normal UPSP postage increase in January can be crippling, if not fatal, for mailers and mail service providers. The bottom line is that these dates with new mandates are only few weeks and months away, so you need to make an in-house strategic plan, work with your vendors, and set a goal date for each step in order to assure a smooth migration to the world of Intelligent Mail,” added Peoples.

Window Book’s new white paper, “Preparing for January 2013 & 2014 Intelligent Mail Options: Adopt or Fold”, is the 5th in a series of complimentary educational white papers they have published since 2010, and joins other efforts on Mail.dat® and Mail.XML™, Presort and Post-Presort software, Intelligent Mail Full-Service, and eDoc & PostalOne! Each of the previous 4 papers garnered nearly 1,500 downloads apiece, and early indications are that this new paper will amass over 2,000 downloads.

Window Book is constantly updating their software solutions to be compliant with ever-changing USPS regulations and options as well as meeting their clients’ needs. DAT-MAIL includes Intelligent Mail solutions to help mailers comply with Full-Service requirements, including Intelligent Mail barcoded sack/tray tags and pallet placards, eDoc using Mail.dat and Mail.XML, and FAST® web services for drop-ship appointment setting. Postal Package Partner is manifest shipping software that presort parcel mailers can use to export Shipping Service Files (SSF), print labels before submitting the file to the USPS Product Tracking System (PTS). PPP can also collect tracking extract files, provide tracking reports and do e-mail notification.

“As the industry-leading provider of mailing and shipping software, Window Book has already gone through the steps of getting certified for eDoc, PostalOne!, Intelligent Mail Full-Service and IMpb ourselves, so we are fully aware of the process for getting approved by the USPS. Those who need help getting ready for meeting 2013 and 2014 requirements are encouraged to take advantage of our “Intelligent Mail On-Ramp Service” and “IMpb On-Ramp Service,” said Peoples.

Intelligent Mail On-Ramp Service will help you go through the process of getting certified for eDoc and/or Intelligent Mail Full-Service, while the IMpb On-Ramp Service will help you get certified to meet all the new requirements for the IMpb.

“Preparing for January 2013 & 2014 Intelligent Mail Options: Adopt or Fold” is available for free download at: http://www3.windowbook.com/Intelligent-Mail-2013-2014/.

About Window Book:
Window Book has been helping clients manage their operations more profitably since 1989, and is the leader in shipping and mailing software for Lettershops, Corporate Mailers, Service Bureaus, and Mail Owners. Window Book’s best-in-class postal solutions include: IMpb, Express Mail® and Priority Mail® Open and Distribute, New Commercial Plus rates, eVS, Delivery Confirmation™, manifesting shipping systems, Intelligent Mail Full-Service, PostalOne!, eDoc, Mail.dat, Mail.XML™, FAST®, Bound Printed Matter, post-presort data management, entry planning, drop shipping, postage accounting, postal documentation & statements, and meter and stamp management.

Contact information:
Window Book, Inc.
300 Franklin Street
Cambridge, MA 02139-3781
Ph: 800-524-0380
Fax: 617-395-5900
postalspecialist@windowbook.com
www.windowbook.com

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The 2013 National Postal Forum (NPF) will be held in San Francisco, CA, March 17-20, 2013.

Posted by  on 14 August 2012, 8:37 pm

Keeping with San Francisco’s reputation as a vibrant and ground-breaking city, this year’s theme is “Delivering Solutions.” Our goal is to develop an NPF program that showcases innovative uses of postal services and inspires participants to explore new opportunities for growing their business.

The line up will include exciting new training sessions along with stimulating networking opportunities for mailing industry professionals. To this end, we are looking for exceptional speakers and workshop topics in the following categories:

• Innovative ways to use mail to grow your business and retain customers
• Creative/effective mail piece designs to get high responses
• Shipping solutions for ecommerce
• Using intelligent mail technology to meet business objectives
• How to improve addressing to meet business objectives
• Mailroom manager’s best practices and essential tools
• Professional development/career advancement

If you have a workshop idea you would like us to consider, please go to www.npf.org and fill out the Workshop Presentation Form. The deadline to send in your Workshop Presentation Form online is Tuesday, September 18. NPF and USPS personnel will evaluate all submissions and let you know by mid-October if you have been selected to present.

If you have other suggestions to make this the best NPF ever, please let us know by sending an email to uspspostalforums@usps.gov. All suggestions will be reviewed and considered for this year’s offering at the National Postal Forum.

For any questions or comments regarding the 2013 NPF call for papers, please contact Lori Miller at lmiller@npf.org or call 703-293-2318.

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I Went to Disney World and all I Brought Back was a Mail Design Professional Certification

Posted by  on 15 May 2012, 2:57 pm

Written by Tobey Miller
05/11/12
inShare4seal

So there I was, minutes from the front gate of the most “magical place on earth,” in a class about mail.

The National Postal Forum is held annually, in or near a resort destination, ostensibly because these locations have facilities large enough to handle the thousands of mail mavens that the event attracts. I’m sure it doesn’t hurt attendance either to locate in Orlando as opposed to Pittsburgh, although I heard that class attendance was quite low when the Forum was held in Las Vegas. I suppose they have to strike a balance between attraction and distraction. When I heard that I would be allowed to go to the NPF this year, I was thrilled, but not for the reason that you might expect. Yes, we were literally within walking distance of the gates of Disney World, but I was excited because the NPF was going to offer classes for the USPS Mail Design Professional certification.

If you have ever tested and received this certification, you know that the studying and testing is grueling, let alone the fact that you have to do it on your own. I was positively thrilled when I learned that there would be 8 hours of MDP classes offered at the NPF and I was not disappointed.

My first thought was, how would they condense the multitude of design rules in the Domestic Mail Manual into just 8 hours of class work? The answer came in the form of some very talented instructors who were as enthusiastic about us getting our certifications as we were. They were from the National Center for Employee Development (NCED) in Norman Oklahoma. In short, the NCED provides training and conference services to agencies and business groups nationwide. They have a training center to which an agency or business could send a group of employees to get training or they can bring the training to you. Here is a link if you’d like to learn more: http://www.nced.com/content/about-us

The NCED MDP trainers, Lisa Roth and Kyle Moore, at the NPF were terrific! They were knowledgeable, highly organized, flexible, positive, and humorous. Yes, I said it. They were funny. In my 10+ years in this industry, I have always thought that it helped to have a sense of humor if you work in direct mail. I think most of my colleagues would agree and I was glad to see that the instructors at the NPF embraced that philosophy. The humor definitely made it easier to tolerate the sub-zero temperatures in our conference room. While there’s nothing funny about stage 1 hypothermia, mail piece design can be quite humorous. As we sifted through the numerous “if/then”s of the Domestic Mail Manual, the instructors gave us many helpful insights. For instance, they told us that BMEU stands for But, Maybe, Except, Unless. We knew if we at least remembered that one thing, all would be well.

I did take other classes at the NPF which, while not quite as engaging for me, were packed full of important information and revelation. It’s easy to think that the National Postal Forum with its destination locations and seemingly endless, well-stocked networking receptions would be like one big party. It’s not. In fact, the networking is hard work and I have to give it to our Sales team for being able to be “on” every day, promoting our brand and making numerous connections. I was able to see our team in action at the NPF and I don’t envy them their charge. The things they ask of us pale in comparison to the work it takes to get to that point.

In the end, I didn’t get to Disney World but I did ultimately pass my final exam and received my MDP certification…which expires in two years. So I’ll see you in Washington DC, NPF, where I probably won’t get to experience any of the history but I’ll definitely be getting an education.

For more information on MDP certification, visit: https://www.usps.com/business/get-business-mail-training.htm

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