USPS Employees Asked To Advise Customers On 2011 Barcode Requirements
The Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb) first became available for both letters and flats in May 2007. Since then, customers have mailed nearly 40 billion IMb mailpieces.
Beginning May 2011, to be eligible for automation discounts on letter-size and flat-size mailpieces, mailers will need to use the IMb instead of the PostNet barcode using the Full Service or Basic options.
USPS also will retire next May the PLANET Code barcode, used with Confirm Service for mail tracking. To receive Confirm service after May 2011, mailers will have to use the IMb.
“The PLANET Code and PostNet barcodes have served us well for decades,” said Tom Day, senior vice president, Intelligent Mail and Address Quality. “But now it’s time to encourage customers still sitting on the fence to begin the transition to the Intelligent Mail barcode. This will assure better service and increase the value of the mail to their businesses.”
Day says that customers can meet the new requirement by signing up for Intelligent Mail Basic. With Basic, customers only need to use the IMb on their mailpieces. An Intelligent Mail barcode is not required to be placed on trays and pallets like it is for Intelligent Mail Full Service.
Day recommends Full Service for a more sophisticated level of service, including electronic postage statements and start-the-clock — which lets customers know when their mail enters the postal network. “Basic is a good start for customers considering Full Service down the road,” added Day.
Like the PostNet barcode, the IMb contains all routing and sorting information but also offers customers the opportunity to select additional tools — like address change service and mail tracking — all in one barcode. With Intelligent Mail Basic, customers can receive OneCode Address Change Service (ACS) information for a lower price than traditional ACS. With Full Service, ACS is free.
Customers interested in mail tracking can select OneCode Confirm (Confirm Service with the IMb).
“The IMb’s huge data capacity allows individual mailpieces to be uniquely identified, which is necessary for tracking,” says Day. “And because the IMb can hold three times the data as the PostNet barcode, only one barcode on the envelope is needed, leaving plenty of room for marketing messages.”
For more information about Intelligent Mail services, customers can go to RIBBS. They also can sign up for the weekly webinar series, “Migrating to IMb.” The webinar schedule will soon appear on the RIBBS website.
