Local User Group chapters provide a networking opportunity for Group 1 customers. Attend a meeting most convenient to you and meet fellow users of MailStream Plus, CODE-1 Plus, SortStream Canada, and many other Group 1 products. Meetings are informative and give users a chance to exchange ideas on and knowledge of Group 1 products. They are also a great place to discuss what is happening in the industry and how it might affect your organization.

DENVER

Location:	Reed Business Information, 8878 South Barrons Blvd, Highlands Ranch, CO
Date:	Thursday, May 1, 2003
Time:	1:00 p.m.
Topic:	TBA
Contact:	Dennis Roy - DROY@reedbusiness.com

PENNSYLVANIA AREA

Location:	UGI Utilities, Inc, 225 Morgantown Rd, Reading PA
Date:	Wednesday, April 30, 2003
Time:	9:00 a.m.
Topic:	Please send any items you want on the agenda to Susan Miller by April 18, 2003.
Contact:	Susan Miller - smmiller@ugi.com

Major changes have been made to the Group 1 Service Source. The Service Source outlines all of the customer services provided by Group 1's technical post-sales departments and provides guidelines to help you use Technical Services as effectively as possible.

The new Service Source is maintained online and is available by selecting Service Source Online from the Support site menu. It is also available in Adobe PDF format by visiting www.g1.com/support/orientation/servicesource.pdf.

Recent changes include:

• Revised Enhancement Request procedures;
• Revised Customer Escalation and Notification Procedures;
• New Internet Support section that details how you can best utilize the Support site for self-help;
• Revised Professional Services section that describes the services currently offered;
• Updated listing of Group 1 University Regional Training Centers; and
• Revised Product Distribution Services (PDS) section.

Horizons 2003 - what is it? It's a forum for all Group 1 users to come together to learn more about the Group 1 products they currently own and use, to network with other Group 1 users, and to meet and interact with Group 1 associates. But there's more! Visit the Solutions Center and meet Group 1 partners and vendors. Stop by the Group 1 booth to see a demonstration of the latest and greatest Group 1 products. The Technical Help Center will be staffed by some of Group 1's best to answer any questions you might have about the various products we offer.

You haven't registered for the conference? Click here to go to the Group 1 Web site and find all the latest information on the conference. There are session descriptions for your review along with a biography of the keynote speaker, Martha Rogers. Register before April 30, 2003 and take advantage of our "3 for 2" offer (register three attendees and only pay for two). Don't hesitate; register today - July is coming quickly and you wouldn't want to miss out on Horizons 2003!

In order to accommodate the wide variety of Group 1 users, the Enterprise Solutions Documentation Department has decided to change the format of our end-user documentation. Our User's Guides have been split into three smaller, spiral-bound books, grouping similar information together for easier reference and greater clarity.

The first book in the suite is devoted to the beginning user of the product. It includes conceptual information about the features and functions, and step-by-step tutorials for setting up jobs in the Dispatcher4/GUI, batch, and interactive components. The second book in the suite is for users with some familiarity of the product, and includes step-by-step tutorials on using the more advanced functions of the product. The third book in the suite includes all reference information including parameter record references, interactive screen reference, and a listing of all reports.

In addition to the format changes, we have removed some information from the user guides and made it available on the Internet only. This should improve your access to rapidly changing product information, ensuring that you get the most accurate information possible. These include:

• InstallSizeReq.doc - Contains details on software and database file size requirements for all products. This
  was formerly found in the product installation instructions.
• JCL/Job Script Reference Guide - Contains sample exec scripts and JCL. This was formerly found in the
  "Using Different Platforms/Environments" chapter.
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - Helps to resolve various problems (such as error messages) and
  provides answers to questions presented to the Technical Support group. This was formerly an appendix
  in the product User's Guides.
• File Organization Information - Lists and describes files (such as database and masterfiles) shipped with
  the software application; includes information such as file block sizes, formats and content descriptions.
  This was formerly found in the product installation instructions.
• Change Page Packets - Contains update pages and posting instructions for a specific User's Guide.
  These were formerly mailed as hardcopy.

To access any of the files above, go to the Support area of the Group 1 Web site, and click on Documentation > Technical Product Info.

CODE-1 Plus International Version 1.6.1

Version 1.6.1 of the international address coder is now available for general distribution. This version incorporates the highest number of foreign postal databases available in any product of this type today. A new functionality allows for processing of dual code pages. Previous versions of CODE-1 Plus International only supported the DOS standard of code page 850. Now, our users can select the processing of code page 8859-1. This is the de-facto standard for UNIX systems. This feature also supports all the alphabetic special characters used in the MS Windows 1250 code page (current standard for Windows based systems). Users can change their code page settings from 850 to 8859-1 by way of a parameter setting. The functionality is also usable in client/server and integrated implementations.

International 4th Quarter Postal Database

This new database, available for both version 1.6 and 1.6.1 of CODE-1 Plus International, includes the majority of the UPU postal data. We now support addresses from 54 category A, 134 category B and 36 category C countries. A total of 188 countries are supported by postal data. Category C countries will be upgraded to either category A or B in subsequent updates of the database. A complete list of countries and their current level of support is listed below:

Category 'A' Countries (54 countries/dependencies effective 3/2003)

Group 1 has received confirmation that Congress has passed HR735, the Civil Service Retirement Reform Bill. This vote, coupled with the Senate passing their version of the bill (S380) last week, ensures that the United States Postal Service will not initiate a new rate case before 2006. This is great news for the entire mailing industry! At Group 1 we are celebrating because we will now be able to focus our efforts on a number of exciting projects with MailStream Plus and accompanying mailing efficiency products over the next couple of years without having to break stride to put new rates in the software.

One USPS initiative that we will be following closely is the Product Redesign effort, which had previously stalled while a rate case was hurriedly being put together, but will now gain momentum again. We will make sure to pass along any and all solid information about Product Redesign as we get it. We are also looking forward to our annual User's Conference in July, where Cheryl Beller from the USPS will deliver a presentation about Product Redesign.

Take a look at some of the recent updates and additions that have been made to this valuable section of our Web site. The FAQs are listed by product so you can easily find the questions that apply to your specific products. There is also a link to the FAQ Submission Form if you have a question/answer you would like to have considered. Below are a few of the most recent additions and update to this area.

What causes SortStream Canada not to produce a keeper tag?

Please click here for the answer to this SortStream Canada question.

How do I turn off PLANET coding processing?

Please click here for the answer to this MailStream Plus question.

What is included in the 80-byte Sort Sequence Control Field?

Please click here for the answer to this SortStream Canada question.

What is the meaning of the new 'Level of Value', as seen on the ALG LV (position 28) and PL LVL (position 32) parameter records?

Please click here for the answer to this question.

For a complete list of all available FAQs, please visit the FAQ area of the Support Web site at www.g1.com/support/faq.

For those of you planning to attend next week's National Postal Forum in New Orleans, LA, please stop by Group 1's booth (#1140 - in the USPS Consultation Center) and see our brand new interface to support the Postal Service's Residential Delivery Indicator (RDI) product. Group 1 will have all its postal product managers there to showcase RDI, MOVEforward, CODE-1 Plus, Delivery Point Validation (DPV), MailStream Plus, CODE-1 Plus International, and Dispatcher-4 - Group 1's leading-edge workflow-management tool. Come to the booth and get some Group 1 Mardi Gras beads!

(Oh, yeah. You also have a chance to win $10,000.)

Back issues of NewsCast are being archived. Click previous issues to go the NewsCast homepage to review any prior issues.

Below are some links that may be of interest to our customers:

Group 1's Web Page - http://www.g1.com. The Group 1 Software Web site provides customers with valuable information concerning different areas of the company. From this Web site, you can access education information, recent press releases, support, and much more useful information.

USPS Web Site Business Section - http://www.usps.com/smallbiz

The USPS Web Site - www.usps.gov. This Web site allows customers to check out the latest information regarding postage rates and fees, news and events in the postal community, locations of local post offices, and provides various other links. There is also a place where postal service customers can track the status of a package or access other online mailing forms.

Canada Post - http://www.canadapost.ca/splash.asp. This is the direct link to the Canada Post Web site.

USPS PostalOne - http://www.pilot.uspspostalone.com. This is the direct link to the USPS PostalOne Web site.

USPS Rapid Information Bulletin Board System - http://ribbs.usps.gov. This is the National Customer Support Center for the United States Postal Service. It provides you mail-service updates, current weather conditions, and other interesting facts pertaining to the Postal Service.

Postal Rate Commission - http://www.prc.gov. The Postal Rate Commission Web site provides information about the organization, its function and procedures, along with postal rates and fees. It also provides a location where you can voice your opinion to the Consumer Advocate.

Nonprofit Mailers - http://www.nonprofitmailers.org. The Alliance is the primary representative of nonprofit mailers before the Postal Rate Commission, at the United States Postal Service's (USPS) Headquarters, and on Capitol Hill.

Postcom - http://www.postcom.org. Postcom is the Association for Postal Commerce. Its Web site provides you with up-to-date information regarding what is going on in the "postal world." It includes links to other helpful sites, as well as a place to contact your US Senators or Representatives.