Trends in Print and Mail

The Berkshire Company Blog

Certified Email: An Opportunity for the USPS

Posted by Mark Fallon on Apr 18, 2023 4:00:00 AM


The US Postal Service (USPS) is in financial trouble. The decline in mail volumes has accelerated in the last year. At the same time, the USPS is losing market share in the package shipping market. Aging facilities and vehicles hamper efficiencies. Congress appropriated billions for electric vehicles and charging stations, but that will only cover a small percentage of the investment needed. 

The response from the USPS is to raise rates – aggressively. The current plan is to raise rates twice a year, in January and July. The January rate increase will be based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) and the July increase will be CPI-U plus factors for mail density and retirement payments. This tactic is driving down mail volumes at the fastest rate since the Great Recession. 

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Mail Security / United States Postal Service / Technology / USPS / Digital / Postal Reform / Postal Regulatory Commission / Postmaster General

Vote By Mail – Process Integrity and Visibility

Posted by Mark Fallon on May 4, 2020 4:30:00 AM


With the current pandemic, there’s been a renewed call for more states to offer voting by mail. Not as an exception to voting in person, but as the preferred method for elections. There are already five states that conduct elections entirely by mail: Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington and Utah. 21 other states allow voting by mail for certain elections. Expansion of voting by mail seems to be a natural progression.

Election authorities must take action to ensure integrity and visibility throughout the process. That includes a high-integrity production system for printing and mailing, plus using the US Postal Service (USPS) Informed Platform for mailing and receiving ballots.

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Mail Security / United States Postal Service / USPS / U.S. Postal Service / Quality Control / mail / Vote by mail

When Backup Plans Need Backup Plans

Posted by Mark Fallon on Mar 23, 2020 4:30:00 AM


On Sunday, I received an email from a client concerned about his disaster recovery plans. In the first line of his message, he acknowledged it was the weekend and added, “Unfortunately my brain won’t allow me to take too much time off!”

We then exchanged some emails and texts, with plans for a call on Monday morning to review his options. I know he didn’t want to bother me on a Sunday, but he had to start working on the problem as soon as possible.

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Mail Security / Strategy / Leadership / mail / disaster recovery / business continuity

Rethinking Postage Meters

Posted by Mark Fallon on Aug 26, 2019 1:56:36 PM


When I started as a mail clerk in the early 1980s, postage meters were clumsy mechanical devices. We’d use a fan scale to determine postage, and then turn dials by hand to set the amount. For postage refills, I’d pack the meter into a plastic case, and lug it to the post office .With a check in hand, wait in line for a window clerk, who would break the lead inspection seal, reset the meter, attach a new seal, and hand it back.

I was a mail center supervisor when “postage by phone” refills were announced, and scales were integrated with the meters. Several years later, electronic information-based indicia (IBI) meters became mandatory. Meters were then connected to the internet, allowing for remote monitoring and management. Instead of static slugs, users could add digital messages using their meters.

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Mail Security / Technology / USPS / U.S. Postal Service / mail / envelopes

Is Your Data Safe? - Data Security Policy Audits

Posted by Mark Fallon on Jul 22, 2019 12:28:54 PM

It seems that every day, there’s a news story about hackers stealing customer information from a computer system. Most publicized cases involve large companies being hacked for credit card information and passwords for millions of people. Small companies are hacked too, but those stories don’t seem to grab as much attention.

Physical mail is fairly secure and is protected by federal laws enforced by the US Postal Service Inspection Service (USPIS). With a heritage that traces back to Benjamin Franklin, the USPIS aggressively pursues criminals who use the mail to attach or defraud victims. Companies and individuals put great trust in a sealed envelope marked “First-Class Mail”.

In the past, creating transactional mail documents was performed by companies using internal systems. Printers were directly attached to the mainframe computer system. The mail services department was in the same building, if not in the same room. There were tight controls from data to print to insert to delivery to the post office.

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Mail Security / Industry Vendors / Technology / Outsourcing / Strategy / Quality Control

Prevention Not Panic

Posted by Mark Fallon on Oct 25, 2018 8:55:50 AM



In October 2001, an unknown terrorist sent envelopes containing anthrax through the US Postal Service (USPS). The intended targets were news broadcasters and elected officials. One envelope was misdirected, and ended up at the State Department, where several employees were seriously injured.

17 years later, another terrorist is using the mail to attack people. Instead of anthrax, pipe bombs were sent to a cable news company, past presidents and elected officials. One package was misdelivered to the return address on the envelope – the local office of a congresswoman.

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Mail Security / Postal Customer Council / USPS / U.S. Postal Service

Designing a Mail Center – Key Principles and Concepts

Posted by Mark Fallon on Feb 7, 2018 5:00:00 AM



There are diverse types of mail centers ranging from small inbound operations staffed by 3 employees to large production operations that print and mail a million pieces a day. No matter what type of work you process, the layout and design of your mail center has a direct impact on your effectiveness and efficiency.

The 5 key principles and concepts when designing a mail center are:

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Mail Security / Operations Management / Strategy

Mail Center Security: Handling With Care

Posted by Mark Fallon on Aug 8, 2017 5:00:00 AM

“Want of care does us more damage than want of knowledge.” – Ben Franklin

Recent incidents involving suspicious mail highlight the need for an effective mail center security plan, paired with ongoing training. In Kansas City, MO, a suspicious package that smelled like ammonia sickened several people at an IRS building. In Queensbury, NY a suspicious package delivered to the courthouse was sent through an X-ray machine, and officers observed an object that appeared to be a hand grenade.

Security in your mail center is always important, 365 days a year. Increased volumes in packages due to internet shopping can lead to a lax attitude. Managers must take a proactive approach towards security and awareness by reinforcing the basics, reexamining current plans, and increasing the amount of training.

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Mail Security / Operations Management

Disaster Recovery Planning – Do It Now

Posted by Mark Fallon on Dec 16, 2015 5:00:00 AM

It may be warmer than usual in New England, but weather in other parts of the country caused the temporary closure of several U.S. Postal Service facilities in outher parts of the country. Notifications helped alert mailers to adjust their outbound and inbound mail operations. But for many companies, these outages highlighted their own weaknesses and unpreparedness.
 
The lack of a disaster recovery plan is unacceptable in today's environment. It's futile to argue that any company won’t be impacted by weather, natural disasters or terrorist attacks. Everyone must consider what they will do if all or part of their operation can’t function due to outside forces.


Most companies have some sort of Information Technology (IT) recovery plans. These plans range from nightly back up with offsite storage of data; to fully redundant, mirror IT systems established at different locations. However, startling few companies have complete document processing disaster recovery plans.

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Mail Security / Operations Management

Mail Center Security: Handling With Care (Part Two)

Posted by Mark Fallon on Apr 16, 2014 6:00:00 AM

Someone asked Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of scouting, "Be prepared for what?" Baden-Powell replied, "Why, for any old thing."

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Mail Security