Intelligent Mail® — Doing it Right the First Time Around
Intelligent Mail Barcode Transition
As early as 2009, the U.S. Postal Service® (USPS®) plans to replace the POSTNET™ and PLANET Code® barcodes with its new Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB).
Because of this upcoming transition, mailers are starting to look at what it will take to successfully make this change. Mailers have a choice — do the bare minimum needed to comply with a mandated migration to the IMB, or fully embrace IMB now to further improve the mailing and address management processes.
Minimum IMB Compliance
For minimum IMB compliance for letter mail, mailers must create the IMB using their Mailer ID (previously Business Entity ID), other static information, and the ZIP Code™. They must also modify their print streams to include and print the new barcode.
IMB Benefits for the USPS
Though the USPS benefits from such rudimentary implementation, the mailer does not. The IMB allows the USPS to measure a mailer's undeliverable–as–addressed (UAA) mail to determine whether Move Update requirements are being met. Unless there is a unique identifier in the IMB on the mail piece, it will do little to help the mailer. That is why mailers planning their migration to the IMB should do so in a way that allows them to derive the maximum benefits.
OneCodeACS™ Increases IMB Benefits for Mailers
You are now probably familiar with OneCodeACS. This automated version of the USPS Address Change Service allows letter mailers, using the IMB, to get the first two electronic forwarding or return notices free, and then pay only five cents thereafter.
For Standard Mail® letters, the first two notices are only two cents, with each additional electronic notice being fifteen cents. This means big savings for ACS™ users.
ACS Valuable for Enterprise Address Mail Management
The data returned by ACS can be extremely useful by using the IMB to uniquely identify the addressee. In most cases, nine digits are not long enough to accommodate both customer account codes and identify the source of data, such as business line or product.
You can overcome this by assigning the Mailing ID to a sequential number. You then create a cross-reference file that includes the ID number, or the entire IMB, the account information, and any other data required. The address record can then be located.
When electronic ACS notice information is returned, the source mailing list records are easily retrieved for updating or triggering a process of obtaining consent to change the address, if needed. This makes OneCodeACS a valuable part of an Enterprise Address Mail Management strategy.
Broad Uses of IMB
With Addressing Processes
By assigning an IMB number that is unique to an addressee, that number is used by any addressing process — CASS™, NCOALink®, FASTforward®.
The unique IMB then provides changes and corrections to the enterprise for updating or other action, no matter where in the data flow those corrections and changes take place.
With ACS & Confirm®
Another use of the IMB is the USPS OneCodeConfirm™ program. The IMB uniquely identifies the mailing ID, with or without the addressee, depending on what you are looking to accomplish with Confirm.
Typical uses of Confirm include service performance tracking, predicting mail delivery, proof of mailing applications, or track and trace on high value mail.
Mailers must ensure that the Business Entity ID and Mailing ID pair in the IMB is unique across all jobs for at least 30 days — preferably longer. This allows mailers to utilize both OneCodeACS and OneCodeConfirm, all in one pass.
Unique IMB Provides Advantages
Making the IMB unique to both the mailing and addressee has additional advantages. It can be used to identify mail pieces in file based inserting and production audit systems, even before the piece is mailed, providing downstream trans-promotional support.
Advanced IMB Implementation
The use of the IMB, to achieve this level of benefit, may prove challenging to some mailers. However, given cross channel messaging, user demand for multi-channel account management, or simply reducing costs, going beyond the IMB bare minimum can be turned into a competitive advantage.
Migrate to the IMB Cost-Effectively
Even if mailers have no immediate interest in using the IMB to improve address management, facilitate proof of mailing, or support trans-promotional marketing efforts, choosing to implement the IMB, with unique addressee mailing IDs, is a smart move.
When mailers migrate to the IMB, they should do so in a way that makes it easiest to profit from every possible benefit that Intelligent Mail offers, now and in the future.
The bottom line: It does not cost much more to do it right the first time.
Group 1 Solutions Help Mailers Leverage IMB
Pitney Bowes Group 1 Software helps make a big difference. Our products and Professional Services are geared specifically to help mailers decrease costs and increase profits — by transforming a regulatory burden into an opportunity to leverage new technology to improve addressing and mail delivery.
USPS Information on Intelligent Mail
The USPS provides additional information on Intelligent Mail.