Postage Statement Wizard Mail.dat Web Services

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The 1, 2, 3 of Electronic Postage Documentation

• Postage Statement WizardMail.datWeb Services

Presented by (Janet Cook)
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Content
Introduction
Getting Access
Methods of Electronic Submission Postage
Statement Wizard Mail.dat
Web Services
Customer Support
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Introduction

• The United States Postal Service is using the
  newest technology to modernize and improve its
  overall efficiency in mail processing and
  delivery. The PostalOne! system that manages
  business mailing transactions is designed to use
  the Internet to streamline the mail acceptance
  process by facilitating the electronic exchange
  of mailing information between you and the
  Postal Service.
• This presentation is designed to inform you how
  the PostalOne! system enables you to
  electronically submit postage statements and
  supporting documentation to your acceptance unit.
  It will provide you with an understanding of the
  various methods of electronic information
  exchange available.
• These electronic services will benefit you by
  expediting the acceptance of your mail and
  providing online visibility into the mailing
  process.

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Introduction
Audience This presentation is for those using
Bulk Business Mail or providing mailing services
to people performing business mailings to reach
their customers Prerequisite Hold a business
mailing account at an acceptance unit And/Or
prepare and present business mailings to an
acceptance unit And/Or provide bulk business
mailing services to their own customers
Assumptions Computer with Internet connection
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Old Process
Manual Completion and Hard Copy Submission of
Mailing Information Most mailers provide paper
postage statements and supporting documentation
to the Postal Service. Mailers who use software
to prepare mail typically generate postage
statements and documentation right from the
software. Some mailers handwrite postage
statements and provide typed or handwritten
supporting documents with their mailings.
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Old Process
Manual Completion and Hard Copy Submission of
Mailing Information When you present your mailing
and documents to mail acceptance personnel, they
manually key your postage statement information
into the PostalOne! system and provide you with
a hard copy receipt. This process of using hard
copy and manual entry of information is costly
(in both time and supplies) and prone to
errors. We are introducing a new way of working
with the Postal Service electronic submission
of postage statements and supporting
documentation.
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New Process
Electronic Submission of Mailing
Information Using the PostalOne! system over the
Internet eliminates the need to print and
provide a hard copy postage statement with your
mailing. You simply send your mailing
information electronically to the acceptance
unit where it is available when you bring in your
mailing. Once you arrive, acceptance personnel
verify and accept your mail and youre done. You
can view your mailing transaction online any
time. Having online access to your mailing
account also enables you to check your available
funds to ensure you have enough for your mailing.
You can also view past transactions to track your
mailing and cost trends.
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New Process
What You Get With Online Access

• As a Mail Owner, you will be able to view
• Balances and Fees for permits

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New Process
What You Get With Online Access

• As a Mail Owner, you will be able to view
• Postage transactions
• Electronic statements submitted online, that
  have not been processed
• Mail quality reports

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New Process
What You Get With Online Access

• As a Mail Owner, you will be able to view
• Postage transactions and detailed postage
  statements

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New Process
What You Get With Online Access

• As a Mail Owner, you will be able to view
• Pending Postage Statement Wizard statements

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New Process
What You Get With Online Access

• As a Mail Service Provider, you will be able to
  view
• Mailing information for the customer mailings
  you are preparing, including
• postage statements, supporting documentation,
  and other mail status reports

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Getting Access to PostalOne!

• In order to submit your mailing information
  electronically you must first obtain a
  PostalOne! account. To apply for a PostalOne!
  account call PostalOne! Customer Support at
  1-800-522-9085 or follow the application
  instructions below
• Access www.usps.com
• Select All Products Services
• Select PostalOne!
• Select New Customers
• Select Apply Online
• Once you complete and submit the application, the
  Customer Support Center will send you a welcome
  kit with instructions on completing and
  returning the required documentation. Upon
  receipt of the required documentation, you will
  be provided a login ID password.

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Methods of Electronic Submission

• There are three methods that allow you to submit
  postage statements electronically
• Postage Statement Wizard
• Mail.dat
• Web Services
• The following slides provide a description of
  each approach and identifies criteria for
  selecting a particular format. You will also
  understand what postage documents can be
  submitted using each method.

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Postage Statement Wizard
The Postage Statement Wizard (PSW) is a tool that
provides you a secure way to submit a postage
statement online, through your PostalOne!
account. The Postage Statement Wizard verifies
information as you complete an online postage
statement. The PSW automatically populates the
Permit Holder section of the postage statement
based on the account number you provide. It
guides you through the items you need to complete
based on information you provide along the way.
When you enter mailing information through PSW,
it automatically calculates the postage and
validates the mailing information you enter.
Once you complete the postage statement online,
you can submit these electronic statements
directly to your acceptance unit from your
computer.
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Postage Statement Wizard Process
Log on to PostalOne!
Select a Form

• Enter
• Permit
• User Information
• Mailing Characteristics

Go to the Appropriate Section
Complete Sections Review
Submit Online
Mailer Presents Mail to USPS
USPS Accesses Information in PostalOne!
USPS Accepts and Verifies
USPS Deducts Postage
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Postage Statement WizardUser Profile

• The typical user of the Postage Statement Wizard
  falls into one or more of the following
  categories
• Mailer who typically writes or types postage
  statements
• Mailer who does not use software to generate
  mailing information
• Mailer who typically mails less than 2000
  mailpieces a month

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Postage Statement Wizard

• All domestic postage statements can be typed into
  the PSW tool and electronically submitted.
• First-Class Mail Priority Mail PS Form
  3600
• Periodicals - PS Form 3541
• Standard Mail - PS Form 3602
• Package Services - PS Form 3605
• No supporting documentation can be typed into
  PSW. You still need to provide hardcopy
  supporting documentation when presenting your
  mail.

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Postage Statement Wizard Benefits

• Eliminates hard copy postage statements
• Saves preparation time
• Rate calculations done by PSW
• Online verification of information reduces errors
• Reduces wait times at acceptance units since
  Postal Service employees do not have to manually
  type in postage statements
• 24/7 online access to financial information
  reports
• View print statements as well as receipts

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Mail.dat
Mail.dat is a tool that allows you to
electronically submit files that contain your
mailing information straight from your computer
to the PostalOne! system. Unlike the Postage
Statement Wizard, you do not have to perform data
entry of postage statements through your
PostalOne! account. Your computer generates
Mail.dat files from your mailing software.
These files are transmitted to the PostalOne!
system. You may send these files from a desktop
browser or a computer batch processing system.
The PostalOne! system receives the file and
generates the necessary postage statements and
supporting documentation. Data exchange testing
with the PostalOne! Help Desk is necessary prior
to activation.
http//www.idealliance.org/
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Mail.dat - Process
Send Mail.dat file
Customer
Mailer Presents Mail to USPS
Data Available to Mailer for Online Viewing
USPS Accesses Information in PostalOne!
USPS Accepts and Verifies
USPS Deducts Postage
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Mail.dat User Profile

• Typical user of Mail.dat falls into one or more
  of the following categories
• Use software programs to prepare and produce
  mailings
• Performs transportation planning drop-shipping
• Mails large volumes and complex presorts
• Anyone that uses presort software that produces a
  Mail.dat output can use this method. You will
  need to register with IDEAlliance and pay a user
  license fee to use this file specification.

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Mail.dat

• Postage statements that can be submitted using
  Mail.dat
• First-Class Priority Mail - PS Form 3600 (Dec.
  2006)
• Periodicals - PS Form 3541
• Standard Mail - PS Form 3602
• Package Services - PS Form 3605 (Dec. 2006)
• Supporting documentation that will be generated
• Qualification Report (Available)
• Customer Mail Report (Dec. 2006)
• Summary ZIP Destination Report (Dec. 2006)
• Postage Summary Report (Dec. 2006)

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Mail.dat - Benefits

• Streamlines every aspect of high volume mail
  preparation
• Eliminates hard copy postage statements and
  supporting documents
• Reduces administrative costs for printing
  storage
• Provides dashboard access to all mailing
  activity for multiple accounts
• Electronically inspects mail files for
  formatting and field requirements

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Web Services
Web Services provides you another secure way to
electronically transmit postage statements and
supporting documentation. This option enables
you or your software vendor to convert mailing
information into an XML¹ format that can be
transmitted directly to the PostalOne! system.
Web Services files are generated from your
computer. Data exchange testing with PostalOne!
Customer Support is necessary prior to
activation. ¹ - eXtensible Markup Language
(XML) language
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Web Services - Process
Send Web Services File
PostalOne!
Customer
Mailer Presents Mail to USPS
Data Available to Mailer for Online Viewing
USPS Accesses Information in PostalOne!
USPS Accepts and Verifies
USPS Deducts Postage
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Web Services User Profile

• Typical mailer
• Uses presort software programs
• Mails all volumes
• Mails frequently (daily/weekly)
• However, you must have presort software that has
  PostalOne! Web Services capabilities or has
  technology to produce XML outputs.
• To obtain more information about Web Services
  you should speak to your mailing software vendor
  or may contact PostalOne! Customer Support at
  1-800-522-9085 to obtain information on how you
  develop your own Web Services capabilities.

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Web Services

• Postage statements that can be submitted using
  Web Services
• First-Class Mail Priority Mail - PS Form 3600
• Periodicals - PS Form 3541
• Standard Mail - PS Form 3602
• Package Services - PS Form 3605
• Supporting documentation that will be generated
• Qualification Report

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Web Services - Benefits

• Eliminates hard copy postage statements and
  supporting documents
• Saves preparation time
• 24/7 online access to financial information
  reports
• Reduces wait times at acceptance units since
  Postal Service employees do not have to
  manually type in postage statements
• Enables mailer to develop own browser look
  feel
• Enables software vendors to provide additional
  value-added customer software offerings
• Postal Service controlled specification that
  requires no fee for use

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PostalOne! Customer Support
If you have questions or need additional
assistance you may contact PostalOne! Customer
Support at 1-800-522-9085
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Welcome!
PostalOne! Welcomes You To The World Of
Electronic Submission
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Questions Answers

• Thank You!