Package Payment and Visibility

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Package Payment and Visibility
Mailers Technical Advisory Committee
Meeting November 17-19, 2009
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Package Payment and Visibility Agenda

• Electronic Verification System (eVS)
• Vicki Bosch
• Manager, Business Mailer Support
• Product Tracking System Update
• Juliaann Hess
• Manager, Product Information Requirements
• Package Visibility Initiatives
• Jeffery Freeman
• Manager, Intelligent Mail Implementation

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Package PaymenteVS MTAC Update
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• Current Status of eVS
• Customer Growth in eVS
• Recent eVS changes
• Future planned changes

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Current Status of eVS

• Benefits of using eVS
• Master permit for payment
• Electronic files for postage payment
• Streamlined acceptance
• Elimination of paperwork
  
  (hard-copy manifests, postage statements, and PS
  Form 8125s)
• Online mailing data
• Monthly reconciliation

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Current Status of eVS

• Available mail classes
• Express Mail
• Priority Mail Single Piece and all Flat-Rate
  Packaging
• First-Class single piece and presorted
• Parcel Select Destination Entry, BMC Presort,
  OBMC Presort, Nonpresort
• Standard Mail regular and nonprofit (no CR-RT)
• Bound Printed Matter Presorted and Nonpresorted
  (no CR-RT)
• Media Mail single piece and presorted
• Library Mail single piece and presorted

NEW AUGUST 2009
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Current Status of eVS

• eVS supports Parcel Return Service (PRS)
• PRS
• Machinable
• Nonmachinable
• RDU
• RBMC
• Priority Mail
• Single piece
• All Flat rate packaging

eVS/PRS ABIILITY TO MANIFEST TO RDU NOVEMBER
2009
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Current Status of eVS

• Mailer Identification Numbers (MIDs)
• Unique to eVS
• Tied to payment in eVS
• Package and File Uniqueness
• Package Identification Codes (PICs) must remain
  unique for 180 days
• Electronic File Numbers (EFNs) must remain unique
  for 180 days
• Manifest Files
• Transmitted through the Product Tracking System
  (PTS)
• File format
• Flat file format for version 1.4 OR
• EDI format
• Via secure file transmission mechanism
• AS2
• SFTP with PGP
• Note We have some customers who are still using
  ftp for file transmissions, we will be moving all
  customers to secure file transmission

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Current Status of eVS

• Monthly Reconciliation
• Postage Adjustment Factor (PAF) exceeding 1.5
  per mail class
• Un-manifested packages
• DDU Mis-shipped packages
• Manifest Errors per mail class

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Customer Growth in eVS
Electronic Verification System
FY Live mailers Total Pieces Total Postage
2005 3 12,668,666 18,154,255.43
2006 7 27,333,902 43,433,768.73
2007 7 84,460,882 141,123,066.28
2008 9 123,217,130 232,367,165.23
2009 39 319,868,572 555,106,737.47
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Recent eVS changes

• November 2008
• Postage Adjustment Factor separated by mail class
• March 2009
• Destination Entry Validation for BMC, SCF, and
  DDU
• eVS re-priced packages if they were planned to be
  deposited at the incorrect facility
• Manifest Errors
• Packages with invalid rate ingredients appear on
  the Manifest Error Report and are charged an
  average per piece charge based on the mail class
• Packages appearing on this report can be
  resubmitted in new files to correct

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Recent eVS changes

• August 2009
• All eVS postage statements will be set to a
  status of NAP on the dashboard in PostalOne!
• Transaction ID will appear in CAPS when used in
  eVS header record to allow for end-to-end
  reconciliation.
• eVS finance number will require customers to
  change the Post Office of Account ZIP Code in
  their file. Updated file format 1.4c is
  available on RIBBS and includes changes for
  Express Mail.
• eVS began validating the ZIP Code on all parcels
  if the incorrect zone has been claimed in the
  file, a variance will result. Both zones will
  appear on the variance report.
• Express Mail available in eVS
• Manifest Errors
• Rejected headers will appear on the Manifest
  Error Report
• Invalid PICs and invalid STCs no longer appear in
  the Manifest Error Report, but instead appear as
  warnings instead of errors in the Manifest
  Confirmation Report

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Recent eVS changes

• November 2009
• PRS fully integrated in eVS
• New Rate ingredients must be used by PRS
  customers or records will filter to manifest
  errors report
• Reports available to eVS customers are available
  to PRS customers
• All eVS adjustments will apply to PRS except
  mis-shipped
• Destination rate validation for BMC, SCF and DDU
  implemented using the Mail Direction File
• For 2 weeks, parcels that are not planned to ship
  to the appropriate facility will appear as
  warnings
• After Dec 1, all parcels entered at BMCs or SCFs
  will be re-priced for non-destination entry
  prices when planned to ship to the incorrect BMC
  or SCF facility
• At a later date (TBD), DDU validation will also
  result in re-priced parcels for non-destination
  entry rate prices
• Patch to eVS finance number should allow use of
  the new finance number. Customers will be
  contacted when we are ready to migrate them to
  use the new ZIP Code in the manifest file.
• Updated variance report to include destination
  rate validation information and display file and
  sub file number.

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Future Planned Changes

• January 2009
• Price Changes
• Support new rate ingredients for Priority Mail
  and Express Mail.
• March 2009
• New Intelligent Mail Package Barcode will be
  supported
• New file to support IMPB version 1.5
• Allow support for containerization
• File format restructured permit information will
  be in detail record
• We will continue to support file version 1.4

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Product Tracking System (PTS)Update
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Intelligent Mail Package BarcodeNew Format
Features

• GS1-128 symbology
• More flexible specification tolerances
• Commercial, online, retail barcode constructs
• 5- or 9-digit routing information required
• AIs that associate barcode with payment
• 3 digit Service Type Code for packages and
  Special Services
• 9-Digit Mailer ID and 6-Digit Mailer ID
• Unique serial number
• Requires new electronic file version 1.5

On an exception basis Unique mailer ID for
packages different from mailer IDs used for
letters and flats
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Intelligent Mail Package Barcode Barcode
Elements New Format
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?
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Application Identifiers (AI) 92 - Commercial
with 9-Digit Mailer ID 93 - Commercial with
6-Digit Mailer ID 94 - Online 95 -
Retail Must include AI in label number when
tracking
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Intelligent Mail Package BarcodeCustomer
Benefits

• Better tracking data
• Consistency among mail classes and products
• Enhanced service performance measurement
• Adds value to products to meet customer needs
  and grow business
• One barcode per package

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Intelligent Mail Package BarcodeOutstanding
Issues

• Address Correction Service Identification
• Barcode or indicator in file
• Legacy DUNS Mailer IDs not compatible
• Customer input needed
• Workgroup volunteers solicited
• Meetings to be scheduled

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Intelligent Mail Package BarcodeFirst Success
Click-N-Ship
94 Online Application Identifier
055 Three digit Service Type Code
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Proposed Implementation Timeline
When Milestone
May 2008 Introduce new Intelligent Mail Package Barcode w/ Enhanced Service Type Code
May 2008 June 2010 Systems Development Cycle
January 2010 Publish Intelligent Mail Package Barcode Advance Notice
March 2010 Publish Intelligent Mail Package Barcode Federal Register Notice
June 2010 Publish Intelligent Mail Package Barcode Final Rule
November 2010 All Postal Systems Ready for Intelligent Mail Package Barcode
June 2011 Intelligent Mail Package Barcode Required for Commercial and Online Customers
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Visibility Enhancements New Out-for-Delivery
Event and More!
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Product Tracking System Update Label
Precertification Program

• Implemented June 2009
• Eliminates requirement to submit Confirmation
  Services/eVS labels for certification before
  shipping
• Supports ease of use
• For consolidators and vendors
• Transmit manifest data using same parent (master)
  mailer ID for all child mailer IDs
• Certify software once
• Manage ongoing quality with data
• Manually keyed labels less than 1.5 percent
• No duplicate label numbers

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Product Tracking System Update Key Enhancements

• September 2008
• Intelligent Mail Package Barcode Phase 1 changes
  implemented for PTS
• August 2009
• Out-for-Delivery Events
• Express Mail in eVS
• September 2009
• Intelligent Mail Package Barcode Phase 2 changes
  implemented for PTS Version 1.5 file format
• Integrated Carrier Pick-Up Form
• October 2009
• Track and Confirm goes Mobile!
• November 2009
• Upgrade mainframe processing capacity
• January 4, 2010
• Price change for Shipping Services products
• March 28, 2010
• International visibility enhancements

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USPS Product Visibility Initiatives

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Product Visibility

• Goal is to provide End-to-End visibility
  desired by shippers
• Target scans of key value to customers
• Leverage existing equipment investments

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In The Beginning

• Limited to events captured at Delivery
• March 1999 - Delivery Confirmation service
• July 2000 - Electronic signature capture
• Expanded barcoded labels and visibility to
  Registered Mail, Certified Mail, Insured Mail,
  Return Receipt for Merchandise in addition to
  Express Mail Confirmation Services
• 312,577 Handheld scanners currently provide
  delivery status events
• Delivered, Attempted, Return to Sender, etc.

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Building the Capability

• Enabling Mail Processing Equipment to Provide
  Scans

Equipment Number Activated
BMC/NDC sorters 21 2003
PDC Package Sorters APPS SPBS 74 230 2005 2005
PDC Flat sorters AFSM100 UFSM1000 538 230 2006 2006
Overhead scanners 28 2008
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Leverage the Infrastructure

• Implement policies and additional investments to
  provide value added scans

July 2009 Implemented Arrival at Unit scanning for all trackable products Scanning has improved from 67 to 89
FY 2010 Deploy additional passive scan equipment to support en route scanning
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Moving Forward

• Deploy additional passive scan equipment to
  capture manually processed pieces
• 109 processing facilities
• Up to 5000 delivery offices
• Monitor new scans to drive performance to world
  class levels
• Arrival at Unit
• Origin en route
• Explore extending visibility to transportation
  network using nesting capabilities on existing
  scanning equipment

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Package Payment and Visibility
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