Transcript No Slide Title

Postage Statement Wizard
Mail.dat
Web Services
The 1, 2, 3
of
Electronic Postage
Documentation
Presented by: (Janet Cook)
Content
Introduction
Getting Access
Methods of Electronic Submission
Postage Statement Wizard®
Mail.dat®
Web Services
Customer Support
2
Introduction
The United States Postal Service® is using the newest technology to modernize
and improve its overall efficiency in mail processing and delivery. The PostalOne!®
system that manages business mailing transactions is designed to use the Internet
to streamline the mail acceptance process by facilitating the electronic exchange of
mailing information between you and the Postal Service™.
This presentation is designed to inform you how the PostalOne! system enables you
to electronically submit postage statements and supporting documentation to your
acceptance unit. It will provide you with an understanding of the various methods
of electronic information exchange available.
These electronic services will benefit you by expediting the acceptance of your mail
and providing online visibility into the mailing process.
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Introduction
Audience:
This presentation is for those using Bulk Business Mail or providing mailing services
to people performing business mailings to reach their customers
Prerequisite:
Hold a business mailing account at an acceptance unit;
And/Or prepare and present business mailings to an acceptance unit;
And/Or provide bulk business mailing services to their own customers
Assumptions:
Computer with Internet connection
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Old Process
Manual Completion and Hard Copy
Submission of Mailing Information
The postage
The
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Statement&&
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documentation
documentation
isready
is
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go
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toto
thethe
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Office.
Most mailers provide paper postage statements
and supporting documentation to the Postal Service.
Mailers who use software to prepare mail typically generate
postage statements and documentation right from the software.
Some mailers handwrite postage statements and provide
typed or handwritten supporting documents with their mailings.
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Old Process
Manual Completion and Hard Copy
Submission of Mailing Information
When you present your mailing and documents to mail
acceptance personnel, they manually key your postage
statement information into the PostalOne! system and
provide you with a hard copy receipt.
This process of using hard copy and manual entry of
information is costly (in both time and supplies) and prone
to errors.
We are introducing a new way of working with the Postal
Service – electronic submission of postage statements and
supporting documentation.
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New Process
Electronic Submission of Mailing Information
Using the PostalOne! system over the Internet eliminates the need to
print and provide a hard copy postage statement with your mailing.
You simply send your mailing information electronically to the
acceptance unit where it is available when you bring in your mailing.
Once you arrive, acceptance personnel verify and accept your mail
and you’re done. You can view your mailing transaction online any time.
Having online access to your mailing account also enables you to
check your available funds to ensure you have enough for your mailing.
You can also view past transactions to track your mailing and cost trends.
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New Process
What You Get With Online Access
As a Mail Owner, you will be able to view:
• Balances and Fees for permits
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New Process
What You Get With Online Access
As a Mail Owner, you will be able to view:
• Postage transactions
• Electronic statements submitted online, that have not been processed
• Mail quality reports
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New Process
What You Get With Online Access
As a Mail Owner, you will be able to view:
• Postage transactions and detailed postage statements
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New Process
What You Get With Online Access
As a Mail Owner, you will be able to view:
• Pending Postage Statement Wizard® statements
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New Process
What You Get With Online Access
As a Mail Service Provider, you will be able to view:
• Mailing information for the customer mailings you are preparing, including
postage statements, supporting documentation, and other mail status reports
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Getting Access to PostalOne!®
In order to submit your mailing information electronically
you must first obtain a PostalOne! account. To apply for a
PostalOne! account call PostalOne! Customer Support at
1-800-522-9085 or follow the application instructions below:
• Access www.usps.com
• Select All Products & Services
• Select PostalOne!
• Select New Customers
• Select Apply Online
Once you complete and submit the application, the
Customer Support Center will send you a welcome kit
with instructions on completing and returning the required
documentation. Upon receipt of the required documentation,
you will be provided a login ID & password.
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Methods of Electronic Submission
There are three methods that allow you to submit
postage statements electronically:
• Postage Statement Wizard®
• Mail.dat®
• Web Services
The following slides provide a description of each
approach and identifies criteria for selecting a particular
format. You will also understand what postage
documents can be submitted using each method.
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Postage Statement Wizard®
The Postage Statement Wizard (PSW) is a tool that provides
you a secure way to submit a postage statement online,
through your PostalOne! account.
The Postage Statement Wizard verifies information as you
complete an online postage statement. The PSW
automatically populates the Permit Holder section of the
postage statement based on the account number you provide.
It guides you through the items you need to complete based
on information you provide along the way. When you enter
mailing information through PSW, it automatically calculates
the postage and validates the mailing information you enter.
Once you complete the postage statement online, you can
submit these electronic statements directly to your acceptance
unit from your computer.
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Postage Statement Wizard® Process
Log on to
PostalOne!
Select
a Form
Go to the
Appropriate
Section
Enter
• Permit
• User Information
• Mailing Characteristics
Complete
Submit
Sections &
Online
Review
Mailer Presents
Mail to USPS
USPS Deducts
Postage
USPS Accepts
and Verifies
USPS Accesses
Information
in PostalOne!
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Postage Statement Wizard®
User Profile
The typical user of the Postage Statement Wizard
falls into one or more of the following categories:
• Mailer who typically writes or types postage
statements
• Mailer who does not use software to generate
mailing information
• Mailer who typically mails less than 2000
mailpieces a month
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Postage Statement Wizard®
All domestic postage statements can be typed into the PSW tool
and electronically submitted.
• First-Class Mail® & Priority Mail® – PS Form 3600
• Periodicals - PS Form 3541
• Standard Mail® - PS Form 3602
• Package Services - PS Form 3605
No supporting documentation can be typed into PSW. You still need to
provide hardcopy supporting documentation when presenting your mail.
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Postage Statement Wizard® Benefits
•
Eliminates hard copy postage statements
•
Saves preparation time
•
Rate calculations done by PSW
• Online verification of information reduces errors
•
Reduces wait times at acceptance units since Postal Service
employees do not have to manually type in postage statements
•
24/7 online access to financial information & reports
•
View & print statements as well as receipts
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Mail.dat®
Mail.dat® is a tool that allows you to electronically
submit files that contain your mailing information
straight from your computer to the PostalOne! system.
Unlike the Postage Statement Wizard, you do not
have to perform data entry of postage statements
through your PostalOne! account.
Your computer generates Mail.dat® files from your
mailing software. These files are transmitted to the
PostalOne! system. You may send these files from
a desktop browser or a computer batch processing
system. The PostalOne! system receives the file and
generates the necessary postage statements and
supporting documentation.
http://www.idealliance.org/
Data exchange testing with the PostalOne! Help Desk
is necessary prior to activation.
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Mail.dat® - Process
Send
Mail.dat® file
Customer
PostalOne!®
Mailer
Presents
Mail to USPS
Data Available
to Mailer for
Online Viewing
USPS Accesses
Information
in PostalOne!
USPS Accepts
and Verifies
USPS Deducts
Postage
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Mail.dat® – User Profile
Typical user of Mail.dat® falls into one or more of the following categories:
• Use software programs to prepare and produce mailings
• Performs transportation planning & drop-shipping
• Mails large volumes and complex presorts
Anyone that uses presort software that produces a Mail.dat® output can
use this method. You will need to register with IDEAlliance and pay a user
license fee to use this file specification.
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Mail.dat®
Postage statements that can be submitted using Mail.dat®:
• First-Class & Priority Mail - PS Form 3600 (Dec. 2006)
• Periodicals - PS Form 3541
• Standard Mail - PS Form 3602
• Package Services - PS Form 3605 (Dec. 2006)
Supporting documentation that will be generated:
• Qualification Report (Available)
• Customer Mail Report (Dec. 2006)
• Summary ZIP Destination Report (Dec. 2006)
• Postage Summary Report (Dec. 2006)
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Mail.dat® - Benefits
• Streamlines every aspect of high volume
mail preparation
• Eliminates hard copy postage statements
and supporting documents
• Reduces administrative costs for printing
& storage
• Provides dashboard access to all mailing
activity for multiple accounts
• Electronically inspects mail files for
formatting and field requirements
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Web Services
Web Services provides you another secure way to electronically transmit postage
statements and supporting documentation.
This option enables you or your software vendor to convert mailing information into an
XML¹ format that can be transmitted directly to the PostalOne! system.
Web Services files are generated from your computer.
Data exchange testing with PostalOne! Customer Support is necessary prior to activation.
¹ - eXtensible Markup Language (XML) – language
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Web Services - Process
Send
Web Services File
Customer
PostalOne!®
Mailer
Presents
Mail to USPS
Data Available to Mailer
for Online Viewing
USPS Accesses
Information
in PostalOne!
USPS Accepts
and Verifies
USPS Deducts Postage
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Web Services – User Profile
Typical mailer:
• Uses presort software programs
• Mails all volumes
• Mails frequently (daily/weekly)
However, you must have presort software that has
PostalOne! Web Services capabilities or has
technology to produce XML outputs.
To obtain more information about Web Services
you should speak to your mailing software vendor
or may contact PostalOne! Customer Support at
1-800-522-9085 to obtain information on how you
develop your own Web Services capabilities.
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Web Services
Postage statements that can be submitted using Web Services:
• First-Class Mail & Priority Mail - PS Form 3600
• Periodicals - PS Form 3541
• Standard Mail - PS Form 3602
• Package Services - PS Form 3605
Supporting documentation that will be generated:
• Qualification Report
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Web Services - Benefits
• Eliminates hard copy postage statements and supporting documents
• Saves preparation time
• 24/7 online access to financial information & reports
• Reduces wait times at acceptance units since Postal Service employees do not have
to manually type in postage statements
• Enables mailer to develop own browser “look & feel”
• Enables software vendors to provide additional value-added customer software offerings
• Postal Service controlled specification that requires no fee for use
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PostalOne!® Customer Support
If you have questions or need
additional assistance you may contact
PostalOne! Customer Support
at 1-800-522-9085
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Welcome!
PostalOne!
Welcomes You
To The World Of
Electronic Submission
®
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Questions & Answers
Thank You!
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