Association for Postal Commerce
"Representing those who use or support the use of mail for Business Communication and Commerce"
"You will be able to enjoy only those postal rights you believe are worth defending."

THE SUCCESS OR FAILURE OF IMB LIES IN THE POSTAL SERVICE'S HANDS

The following is a perspective by postal veteran James Schemmel--a long-time member of the IDEAlliance and PostCom.

The Postal Service offer of "Free ACS" to users of Full Service IMB has the potential to be the most important initiative in the long standing USPS efforts to reduce the UAA volumes in the system.  If successful it will be recognized as a brilliant strategic move.

From an industry perspective there should be a concern that this effort is not foiled by the USPS placing too many restrictions and obstacles into its implementation and process.

The proposed limits on time frames for "Free ACS" are examples of potential obstacles. The 60 day limit on Periodicals is somewhat problematic. The truth is any periodicals mailer will always have a second issue in the production stream before the ACS transaction from the issue being forwarded is available to apply to the file. ...true on monthly mailings; weekly mailings; daily mailings.

The users of Standard Mail come in many different flavors, most of which will suffer greatly from the proposed 30 day limit for "Free ACS." Especially with this period defined with a start timing of day one equal to the day the information on a change is "provided" to the mailer. This plan provides no recognition of the need to provide time for receipt and application of the new address to a file. A mailer using a list in a series mailing -- e.g. magazine renewal notices on a 30 day mailing cycle -- is in the same position as the Periodicals mailers. The second piece is in the production stream before the provided notice is available for application. Those mailing lists using selected names and addresses for multiple purposes -- e.g. direct marketing source lists -- are even more difficult to provide for all the activities needed to make these mailings (merge/purge, unduplication, NCOA Link)  within this 30 time frame.

In addition the Standard Mail community has long been driven from the ACS user, by the mechanics of the process -- especially the physical return of Nixies at the 'weighted fee.' Paying two or three dollars each, for APC loads of envelopes, to learn only that someone does not live there anymore, is a once in a lifetime mistake. Only one of the failures. The inability to process these returns to the source of the address, rather than the payers of the postage, is even a greater failure to getting expanded user buy-in.

In the long view the IMB Full Service Free ACS is a marvelous initiative. I suggest it is imperative for the Postal Service to look at it in this view, and work hard to remove any -- and all -- obstacles that exist in the past,  and future,  to permit the Standard Mail and First-Class community to become enthusiastic users of the ACS option. ...the ultimate key to the long running campaign to reduce the UAA volume.