Providing the most comprehensive and cost-effective services to clients is critical for direct mail service providers that want to add value in what continues to be a very competitive marketplace. Offering the latest in postal expertise and solutions is one very important way to add critical value to client solutions. Very soon that will mean getting approval from the United States Postal Service to be an Intelligent Mail® barcode (IMB) supplier.
IMB is the USPS's most innovative way yet to process mail, offering a dynamic alternative to the more limited POSTNETTM barcode. Over the years, the USPS has moved from five and nine-digit ZIP codes to the 11-digit delivery point POSTNET barcodes in a quest for accurate and efficient mail delivery. With evolving technologies, the USPS added PLANETTM Code for tracking and the Participant Code for changes of address. With all of these features, the face of the automated mailing piece has become increasingly complicated and cluttered. The beauty of IMB is that it consolidates all of these capabilities into a single barcode.
There are two levels of IMB-Basic and Full-Service. Any mailer that does not implement at least Basic IMB will lose automation discounts starting in May 2011, which means that a mailer of any size is going to have to make the move to at least Basic IMB in less than one year. While many in the direct mail industry may be hesitating because they are concerned that the benefits of IMB are not worth the hassle and cost associated with implementation, these concerns often have been unduly magnified. Waiting until the last minute to implement the new technology will only make implementation more difficult.
In spite of the benefits it brings, it is interesting that the movement of print and mail service providers to Full-Service IMB has been anything but hasty. While a conversion to Full-Service IMB does require a commitment of time and resources, the process can be very manageable. Most importantly, here are the major benefits your company and or your client companies will receive:
1. Postal discounts for clients that can be significant. The discounts of $1 per 1,000 Standard pieces or $3 per 1,000 First-Class pieces can add up to a nice savings for clients. Even a slight edge is critical in this competitive marketplace.
2. The ability to offer clients better delivery information, more robust tracking, of their projects.
3. Automated, electronic submission reporting is a significant advantage, which reduces paperwork and saves staff time.
4. Direct monitoring of consolidators, which will encourage higher performance levels.
IMB combines addressing and tracking information into one barcode, thereby saving real estate on the mail piece for clients.
5. Encouraging a company culture to provide total transparency as IMB provides clients direct access to documents.
Full-Service IMB's advantages are significant and are worth the effort on many levels. While the savings may not seem like much at first, for large volume mailings, the savings can add up, and any advantage in this competitive marketplace is important to service providers. Additionally, with Full-Service IMB, service providers can offer clients more robust tracking of projects, proving performance specifications are being met.
The bottom line is Full-Service IMB is where the industry is going for a number of solid reasons. It will help reduce undeliverable mail and, as service providers in the direct mail industry, it is important to participate positively with the USPS to lay a strong foundation for our industry's continued success.
David Henkel is president of Johnson and Quin, located in Niles, Ill. Johnson & Quin is a national leader in targeted full-service direct mail printing and production offering the latest data and personalization technologies and multi-channel marketing capabilities. He can be reached at dhenkel@J-QUIN.com.
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