Part 1 of an Eight-Part Series
Click here for parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight
By Monica Lundquist, Window Book, Inc.
When it comes to mailing, there are two essential types of software: presort software and post-presort software. Mailers who use presort software alone often do not realize the benefits and the tremendous advantage that can be achieved by utilizing post-presort software in conjunction with their presort software. Presort software focuses on the mailing list, address verification, address quality, and mail sortation. Post-presort software specializes in managing data describing the mailing (piece weight, thickness, entry point, etc.), reports, and automating the process of transmitting the data to PostalOne! for Intelligent Mail Full-Service, FAST, mail verification, distribution, and postage accounting.
In order to optimize your mailing operation and stay abreast of changes in mailing requirements, it is essential to use both presort and post-presort software. By using post-presort software you will be able to:
· Easily edit and generate updated Mail.dat and Mail.XML data
· Build your postal documentation to reflect what you actually mailed vs. building your mailing to your initial planned documentation
· Avoid paying for spoilage or mailpieces that did not get mailed
· Generate and manage Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMb) for trays and pallets
· Process partial mailings and co-palletization efficiently
· Reduce the cost of mailing by analyzing entry points for drop-ship discounts
· Automatically get updated labeling lists and drop-ship data for the date of mailing
· Share mailing and postage data in an industry-standard format with partner companies in the mailing supply chain (transportation companies, mail owners, mail agents and the Postal Service).
In this series of articles, we will discuss the differences between presort and post-presort software while also discussing how they work together and why you need both in order to optimize your mailings and comply with postal regulations. At the very least, you need to understand both so you can make an educated decision regarding your software investment and more importantly, ensure that your mailings are optimized.
Presort Software
Presort software is loosely defined as the group of software utilities that manipulate the name-and-address records for a mailing prior to the physical preparation of the mail. Because these processes are performed BEFORE the mail is physically prepared and/or sorted, the term “Presort” is used to describe these software tools. This group of software tools includes:
Address Hygiene
Address hygiene software focuses on the Three C’s of Address Quality: Complete, Correct and Current. Mailers will first use United States Postal Service (USPS) CASS Certified software to make sure their addresses are complete and correct. This happens as the software reads in the address records and compares them against the USPS databases to confirm, correct and/or append address elements such as:
§ Street information
o House number
o Pre-directional
o Street name
o Post directional
o Street suffix
§ ZIP Code
§ ZIP + 4 code
§ Delivery Point Code
§ Carrier Route Code
§ Enhanced Line of Travel (eLOT) code
CASS Certified software, using the USPS DPV file, will also be able to validate whether the delivery point (input address) is an actual deliverable address. One last piece of CASS Certified software is the inclusion of the USPS LACSLink (Locatable Address Conversion System) database. LACSLink tells the mailer if an address has been “converted.” The most common conversion is that of a Rural Route/Box Number address to a street-style address (i.e., Rural Route 10 Box 4 to 123 Main Street).
The last step of the address hygiene portion is to make sure the addresses are current. Mailers will use, either in-house or through a licensed service provider, a certified NCOALink interface to compare the input name-and-address records against the USPS change-of-address database to see if the intended recipient has moved, and if so, will change the address to the most current one on file with the Post Office.
In Part 2 of this series, we will continue the discussion of Presort Software, including Move Update and mail sequencing.
Monica Lundquist is Postal Affairs Manager for Window Book, Inc. She can be reached at mlundquist@windowbook.com. Window Book has been helping clients manage their operations more profitably since 1989, and is the leader in mailing and shipping software for Lettershops, Corporate Mailers, Service Bureaus, and Mail Owners. Window Book’s best-in-class postal solutions include: Intelligent Mail Full-Service, PostalOne!, eDocs, Mail.dat, Mail.XML, FAST, Bound Printed Matter, post-presort data management, entry planning, drop shipping, postage accounting, postal documentation & statements, meter and stamp management, Express Mail and Priority Mail Open and Distribute, New Commercial Plus rates, eVS, Delivery Confirmation™, and manifesting shipping system.
Window Book, Inc.
300 Franklin Street
Cambridge, MA 02139-3781
Ph: 800-524-0380
Fax: 617-395-5900
www.windowbook.com
postalspecialist@windowbook.com
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