Presort and Post-Presort:
Why You Need Both to Optimize Mailings
The Conclusion - Part 8 of an Eight-Part Series
By Monica Lundquist, Window Book, Inc.
Click here for parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six & Seven
In Part 7 of this series, we talked about statement verification and cost-cutting/productivity improving benefits. In this final article of this series, we will introduce Mail.XML, discuss CSA’s and TMS systems and wrap up the series.
Mail.XML™
Currently, there are three ways mailers can upload eDocs to the PostalOne! System:
1. Postal Wizard®
2. Mail.dat
3. Mail.XML
Postal Wizard is designed for low-volume mailers who submit mailings under 10,000 pieces, and that do not need a USPS Qualification report.
As discussed above, Mail.dat is a group of files that represent virtually all the detailed information of a mailing except for names and addresses of the recipients, and is owned and maintained by the IDEAlliance.
The latest specification created and maintained by the IDEAlliance is Mail.XML. Mail.XML can be described as a human-readable data file that describes the mailing data and allows communication between two or more computers over the internet. Essentially it is an extension of Mail.dat in a XML format. Mail.XML uses a data messaging system, which is more conversational in nature, allowing light-weight two-way communication between business parties in the mailing supply chain like data “telegrams.”
The U.S. Postal Service® supports Mail.XML as part of the Intelligent Mail Full-Service option, and since November 2009 has been phasing its use in to provide complete support for IM Full-Service and eDocs.
Mail.XML 8.0, scheduled to be released in March 2010, will have three major functions:
1. eDoc messages including payment with verification with PostalOne!
2. Data distribution and feedback messages (Ex. ACS data)
3. FAST appointment scheduling message
Roadmap of Mail.XML
Note that list of messages supported in Mail.XML 7.0C and Mail.XML 8.0B are same.
Source: Postal Service Mail.XML Technical Specification for Postage Payment and Reporting (eDoc) v 8.8
If you are wondering whether you should use Mail.dat or Mail.XML, the answer is you can use both. Mail.dat is a very robust data file, but if you only need to update, modify or query the job for PostalOne!, it may be quicker and simpler to use Mail.XML to communicate the updated data (updating a FAST appointment for example). This eliminates the need to re-upload an entire Mail.dat file every time a change is made or a new transaction occurs.
Note: Post-presort software can allow you to process both Mail.dat and Mail.XML files for eDocs, FAST and PostalOne!
Customer/Supplier Agreements (CSAs)
The CSA is a negotiated written agreement between the Postal Service and the preparer of business mailings that documents origin-entry preparation requirements, acceptance windows and transportation schedules for origin-entered mail classes.
Mailers with a DMU (Detached Mail Unit) in their facility for mail verification and who use USPS transportation services to truck their mail are required to have a CSA. You can download your CSA via the PostalOne! FAST system. This negotiated Agreement provides a structured format, and is one of the requirements for the Intelligent Mail Full-Service option. Mailers who are not using the USPS carrier system for drop-shipping their mail are not required to use a CSA.
Post-presort software can help you update your Mail.dat or Mail.XML files to reflect the separations you need to follow as defined in your CSA.
Integration with PostalOne! Transportation Management Systems (TMS)
Post-presort software can interface with PostalOne! Transportation Management Systems (such as Carter Control System’s AMPS™ with IMSA) to update the original presort data, perform co-palletization, and produce accurate mailing documentations.
Here’s how it works. Mailers use a TMS to scan tray barcodes and then weigh and sort mailings by CSA entry requirements. Then, post-presort software can import the data from the TMS system, which has all of the nesting information (which trays are on what pallets along with their destinations); update the Mail.dat data, perform co-palletization for trays from multiple Mail.dat files, and generate the final mailing documents to be transmitted to PostalOne!
Note: By using post-presort software in conjunction with presort software and TMS, you can update and produce accurate statements which reflect the final assembly of your trays and pallets in an automated way.
Conclusion
In order to keep pace with the everyday challenges of today’s mailing world, corporate mailers and mail service providers must take advantage of the benefits afforded by post-presort software in conjunction with their regular presort software. To be considered amongst the best in the industry, stay ahead of competitors and acquire new business, mail production facilities must be able to handle complex, large-volume mailings with tight deadlines by incorporating very powerful post-presort software into their operations.
Post-presort software is an essential tool in making a smooth transition to eDocs and the Intelligent Mail Full-Service option where you can automate operational procedures, reduce costs, and be more profitable. Use both presort and post-presort software to increase your efficiency and productivity - save time and money, and optimize your mailings!
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