Trends in Print and Mail

From March 20 through 23, 2016, over 3,500 mailing professionals gathered at the Gaylord Opryland Convention Center in Nashville, TN for the 2016 National Postal Forum (NPF). Attendance was the highest in about 5 years, with about 30% first-time attendees. More importantly, there was a noticeably increased presence of mailing professionals under the age of 30 – a great sign for the future of our industry.

Classes were well-attended, with sizes ranging from 65 to 200 people. Even the last class on the last day at 4:30 in the afternoon, still drew a full house. Of course, the event with the most number of attendees occurred on Monday morning, when the entire NPF gathered to hear the Keynote Address from Postmaster General (PMG) Megan Brennan.

The theme of PMG Brennan’s speech centered on momentum and technology. She explained that there was never a better time to reinvent mail. Listening to their customers, the US Postal Service (USPS) will focus on:

During most of our customer engagements, we usually hear variants of the same question:

The postage rate rollback. Rumors of restarting the network consolidation plan. Invoices based on the Mailer Scorecard. These are just a few of the issues attendees will be discussing at the upcoming National Postal Forum (NPF), March 20 – 23, 2016 in Nashville, TN.

The most anticipated moment of the NPF is when Postmaster General (PMG) Megan Brennan delivers the keynote address to the attendees on Monday morning. It will be interesting to hear her take on the continual financial and operational issues facing the USPS, and the lack of congressional action to fix the problem. PMG Brennan has been straightforward with mailers in the past, and we expect the same next week. We also look forward to the opportunity to ask direct questions to her and her leadership team. And receive direct answers.

For us, the NPF will start on Saturday, as we’ll be part of the crew working on the Habitat for Humanity project. Volunteers will be putting up trim, installing doors and painting. It will be a great way to give back to the Nashville community.  (Note: If you didn’t pre-register, but still want to participate, contact Mark directly.)

“What's measured improves” - Peter F. Drucker

Well documented policies. Quality control procedures based on lean manufacturing and Six Sigma. Job information files that track piece-level information throughout the print and finishing processes. Full-service intelligent mail to trace pieces as they move through the US Postal Service.

All attributes of a high-performing operation.

All useless without a high-performing staff to execute.

Last week, I attended a seminar on mailpiece design hosted by my local Postal Customer Council (“PCC”). The presenter was a US Postal Service (“USPS”) employee whom I’ve known for decades. John has held a variety of roles, including an automation specialist, Business Mail Entry Unit (“BMEU”) supervisor and a Mailpiece Design Analyst (“MDA”).

I first became a customer of John’s back in the 1990s. One company I worked for redesigned statements to print the postnet barcode in the address block of our bills. John helped set up tests on the automated barcode evaluator – or ABE – as we were working through the design. Later, his staff provided training for my operators when we purchased a letter sorter. And we never ordered business reply envelopes without getting camera-ready artwork from John’s office.

When the USPS moved the MDA process out of the local districts, John didn’t let his customers down. He led classes on how to use the new online system. And if you got stuck, he would still take your calls. If he couldn’t solve your problem, he would find someone who could.

As I listened to John last week, I thought of the other USPS employees who’ve helped me over the decades. Not just in the Boston area, but wherever my business took me. People who not only knew the regulations, but who had built networks of experts within the USPS.

Lately, those networks have started to fall apart. A large percentage of USPS employees are “baby boomers”. Baby boomers is the term used for people born during the demographic post–World War II baby boom – generally considered between the years 1946 and 1964. That means their ages range from 52 to 70 years old. Many are deciding to leave the USPS – either to retire or to start the next phase of their careers. And the pace of retirement announcements seems to have picked up.

Consider the knowledge that’s leaving with these people. Letter carriers who built relationships with the people who live on their routes. MDAs who help business mailers prepare mail properly. Entry clerks making sure that the mail is compatible with postal equipment. Postmasters that are involved with their local communities.

The USPS needs to plan on how best to transfer this knowledge to their new employees. Replacements should spend time shadowing the veterans during their work day. Staff assigned to the business service network need to set up appointments with mailers and actively participate in the local PCC. New postmasters should introduce themselves to the local Chamber of Commerce and other community groups. And everyone needs to network with their fellow USPS employees – craft and management.

New blood and new ideas are good for any organization, especially large entities. At the same time, there’s distinctive value in the experiences of long-term employees. A good plan for the future will integrate these complementary strengths of the USPS.

Next month, thousands of mailing professionals will gather in Nashville, TN for the 2016 National Postal Forum (“NPF”). From Sunday, March 20th through Wednesday, March 23, attendees will be able to attend educational classes, interact with vendors in the exhibit hall and meet with senior US Postal Service officials. And just as importantly, network with fellow industry managers.

Whenever I attend the NPF, I always follow the advice of my good friend, Paul Balbastro, for getting the most out of a conference: the "30-30-30-10 Rule". Paul says you should spend:

On Friday, February 5, The United States Postal Service (“USPS”) released the draft postage rates for the rollback of the Exigent Rate Increase in April. While there remains some uncertainty around the implementation date, this is good news for mailers.

Following best practices for maintaining and updating mailing addresses seems to be a logical aspect of good business management. However, when we recommend process improvements to clients that will improve their address databases, we’re often faced with pushback. The most common reasons:

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On January 17, 2016, U.S. Postal Service (“USPS”) will be raising shipping rates for the first time in 3 years. However, the rate adjustments are only part of the story.

Although the word “Mail” is used in most of their products, the USPS categories Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express as shipping services. That means they are considered competitive products and not subject to the same pricing constraints as First Class Mail, Standard Mail and Periodicals.