We have a dedicated team of expert professionals who not only provide outstanding technical support, but we help keep you up to date. Staying abreast of the ever-changing rules and regulations, policies and procedures in the mailing and shipping industry is a daunting task at best. We hope you will find this blog filled with pertinent information you can use to run your business more efficiently and profitably. As always, we welcome your feedback and comments.
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If you need assistance with the USPS FAST system, you can submit your issue via email to FAST@usps.com. Or, depending on the date, you can call one of the two numbers below:
- Prior to August 30, 2010 – call 1-800-522-9085
- After August 30, 2010 – call 1-877-569-6614
** If you are having any problems with your Customer/Supplier Agreements (CSAs) – you must log these issues with the FAST Help Desk via one of the methods listed above. **
Wallace Vingelis
Director, Postal Industry Practice
Window Book, Inc.
Phone: (617) 395-4569
email: wvingelis@windowbook.com
This group was formed by the Mailers Technical Advisory Group (MTAC) to discuss and work through any FAST-related issues that were tabled and passed to it by MTAC 122 – as well as new issues that have come up since the announcement of this group forming. The first meeting was held this past week on Wednesday afternoon. If you are interested in joing this User Group, please contact the Industry Co-Chair Michelle Billman of ALG Worldwide Logistics at mbillman@algworldwide.com.
Here are a few highlights from that initial meeting:
There is a “patch release” (14.3.0) coming out on August 15 (FAST is trying to follow the overall PostalOne! release schedule.) Here is some helpful info from the latest DMM Advisory:
*** FAST Release 14.3.0 and Scheduled Outages (August 15-16, 2010): FAST® Release 14.3.0 will deploy to the production environment on Sunday, August 15, 2010. Updated release notes for FAST 14.3.0 are available on RIBBS>Site Index A-Z>FAST/Surface Visibility>Important Links>FAST Release Notes. The FAST production system will not be available from 4 a.m. through 8 a.m. (CDT) on Sunday, August 15, 2010.
FAST Release 14.3.0 will deploy to the Test Environment for Mailers (TEM) on Monday, August 16, 2010. The FAST TEM system will not be available from 8 a.m. through 12 Noon (CDT) on Monday, August 16, 2010. ***
The pre-release notes available on RIBBS were updated to include information about the new Help Desk set up for FAST. The industry seems a bit hesitant (I’m being nice here) about how helpful this will be. They are concerned that if they have a truck full of mail at the dock that is not being accepted, they will more than likely still have to go through their current escalation routine to get the mail accepted as opposed to just calling the Help Desk for resolution. The USPS says those calls will route to a Manager on Duty at that facility. The problem there is that the normal escalation process inside the facility already includes contacting that manager, so that Help Desk routing could end up with a mailer saying “Hello Manager John – I need to complain about Manager John I was just talking to.” (Could be a touchy situation!)
Last discussion item was about the open issues handed off from MTAC 122 and how to open new issues moving forward. It was decided to table that until next meeting when Ed Wanta (USPS) would be on the call.
As we hurtle along towards 2011 and increased postage prices due to the USPS exigency filing, IDEAlliance formally published the Mail.dat 11-1 specification for the industry’s review. This new specification is designed to take into account new items being requested by the industry and the USPS for better communications amongst ourselves and with the USPS via PostalOne! Although, truth be told, it’s more the latter than the former. With the publishing of the final spec, there are a few things/dates people need to know:
- All reviews must be complete and comments turned in by Friday, 08/06/10. Due to the compressed schedule for publishing this spec requested by the USPS, there is only 1 week to dig into and review this new spec.
- The “must-catch” date is 12/02/10 – This is the date software that receives and reads Mail.dat files (like Window Book’s DAT-MAIL or the USPS PostalOne! system) must be ready to receive (catch) files formatted using the 11-1 spec.
- The “must-send” date is 02/02/11 – This is the date software that creates Mail.dat files must be able to produce files formatted using the 11-1 spec.
- Expected date of exigency price increase is 01/02/11 – These 3 dates create a 60-day window between catch and send dates for Mail.dat with the price increase date right in the middle.
- When reviewing the new spec, it’s easier to start at the back! Find the section in the back that details the changes to the spec between 11.1.0.0 and 9.1.0.3 (page 154) and use that to guide you through your review.
- Pay attention to the new “air box” scenario described on page 150. These are containers that mailers are being required to use even though the USPS doesn’t have many technical details about them.
For those of you just getting familiar with Mail.dat (and Mail.XML), Window Book will be presenting a Mail.dat/Mail.XML Webinar on Tuesday, 08/10/10 at 3:00 pm EDT. Interested parties can register at http://www.windowbook.com/WindowBookWebinars.aspx.
Wallace Vingelis
Director, Postal Industry Practice
Window Book, Inc.
Phone: (617) 395-4569
Fax: (617) 395-5969
email: wvingelis@windowbook.com
URL: www.windowbook.com
Window Book Completes FAST Web Services Testing for Mail.XML 6.0
August 25, 2009, Cambridge, MA
Window Book is pleased to announce it has completed FAST Web Services Testing and been certified for Mail.XML 6.0 including Connectivity Testing with PostalOne! and Verification Testing with FAST. Mailers can now use Window Book’s DAT-MAIL and Post Master mailing software to submit appointments in the FAST Production environment using Mail.XML 6.0 Web Services.
FAST currently uses Mail.XML 6.0 facilitate scheduling Drop Ship Destination entry and Origin mail appointments online with the USPS®. FAST enables mailers to create/update/cancel appointments easily via PostalOne! System. It is designed to help mailers save time and benefit from improved induction process and receive automatic tracking of appointments.
“Using DAT-MAIL with Mail.XML 6.0 for making FAST appointments for your drop shipping is a smart way for many mailers to use Intelligent Mail Full Service,” said Jeffery Peoples, Window Book’s CEO.
About Window Book:
Window Book has helped clients manage their operations more profitably since 1989. A 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.
Contact information:
Sooyoung Han
617-395-4573
Window Book, Inc.
Eight Tips for Implementing Intelligent Mail
Go ahead and admit it. You have been procrastinating on the whole United States Postal Service® (USPS) Intelligent Mail® (IM) thing, and now you are starting to panic. The November date for introduction of the IM discounts is just around the corner, and you have not even started your implementation plans.
Don’t worry, you are not alone! There are lots of people who have been putting this off, just like you. Some were skeptical about the whole thing and wanted to wait and see if it was actually going to happen. Others figured there would be lots of changes and revisions to the USPS plans, so they wanted to wait for the dust to settle a bit. And for many of you, quite frankly, IM just scares the bejezzus out of you!
Regardless of what category you fall into, you really ought to start thinking about your implementation plans for Intelligent Mail. Here are some tips for getting started:
1) Do some detailed analysis to determine which level, if any, of IM that you will be using. You will need to do this analysis to first identify whether IM will be of benefit to your organization, and if so, whether Basic Service or Full Service is right for you. The USPS does provide some on-line benefit calculators to assist in this process, but you will likely need to enlist a number of members of your team, possibly in various departments, to get a complete picture. Keep in mind that while IM is currently voluntary, that may not always be the case. There have been statements made by the USPS that the current automation discounts will in 2011 be available only for mailers using the IM barcodes.
- 2) Once you have determined which level of IM service is best for you, you will need to obtain a Mailer ID (MID), or if you use service providers, Customer Relationship ID’s (CRID). Virtually everything under IM will be transacted using the Business Customer Gateway, so you will want to access the USPS presentation on using the Business Customer Gateway if you are not already familiar with it. Once you have reviewed the presentation, you can then go online to apply for your ID’s.
- 3) Start printing the IM barcode on your mailpieces. Even if your internal systems are not yet completely set up to handle the IM transactions with the USPS, you should start printing the IMb’s on your mailpieces as soon as possible. Before you do that, however, you should have some printed samples of your mailpieces containing the IMb reviwed by your local Mailpiece Design Analyst to make sure there are no problems. This includes any sack, tray or pallet tags as well as mailpieces if you are the physical preparer of the mail.
- 4) Become familiar with Mail.dat and Mail.xml if you are not already. These are the two primary means by which electronic transactions with the USPS take place. You will need to make sure that your mailing processes are capable of producing at minimum mail.dat files, and ideally both mail.dat files and mail.xml.
- 5) Investigate your internal mailing processes, including any software or hardware, to insure that they are IM compliant. Work with your hardware and software vendors and service providers to assist you with this process. You may need to do some testing and possibly some hardware or software upgrades or replacements. If you have very sophisticated, automated mailing processes, IM integration may require some custom designed systems to insure seamless integration.
- 6) If you plan to take advantage of the free Address Correction Services (ACSTM) in the IM Full Service Option, you should work with your database administrator, fulfillment house, or other service providers to determine how to incorporate the address corrections back into your database. ACS is much more complex under IM Full Service, and there is the potential to receive three different types of corrections, in three different formats, and at three different prices (not all ACS corrections will be free of charge).
- 7) Once you have your mailer ID, you should begin testing some transactions with the USPS using the Business Customer Gateway and the Test Environment for Mailers (TEM). This will allow you to work out any bugs in your internal systems and is also required for USPS authorization for IM Full Service. Once you have passed the TEM testing, you will be running tests in a parallel environment for a period of time until the USPS authorizes you as an IM Full Service mailer.
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If you plan on implementing the IM Full Service option, consult the USPS checklist for IM Full Service mailers. It is an exhaustive list of all the points you need to do in order to qualify for Full Service.
Intelligent Mail is indeed very complex, but it is not as scary as it seems. Take one step at a time, and you will make it through the integration process. Take advantage of the knowledge of others, such as colleagues, service providers, vendors and suppliers, USPS representatives and mailing associations. Most importantly, don’t procrastinate any longer, get started TODAY!
Are you trying to work with eDocs, PostalOne!, Mail.dat or Mail.XML files, Do you need to improve your method of accounting of permits, postage and and meters? Are you needing educational information on USPS TEM, Electronic Mail Acceptance and Entry? Have you ever tried using Priority Mail Open Distribute (PMOD) to make an “In-Home-Date” and reduce postage costs? Did you know you don’t have to pay up front postage for Return Merchandise Labels, you can use a permit! Did you know there is International Commercial USPS Rates – Pricing available. Are you considering switching from optional procedures to Manifest Mailing? PUB 401? Are you trying to work with eDocs, PostalOne!, Mail.dat or Mail.XML files? Do you need to improve your method of accounting of permits, Would you like to know how to shave hours of your day with self populating mailing and financial reports?
Window Book is hosting a ‘Software User Seminar’ on August 4-5, 2009 where you can meet our staff in person and get expert tips on how to better use your program.
Please join us to discover all the new features available for your Window Book software.
Sending eDocs via PostalOne! Mail.dat or Mail.XML
FAST Web Services and Mail.XML for drop shipping
Generating reports to track postage, permits, clients & jobs
Electronic Round Date Grp. ID Stamp (Fall 2009)
How to optimize Freight Planning and Drop Shipping
Priority Mail Open and Distribute Cost/Savings Analysis
Register for your ‘Software User Seminar’ hosted by Window Book, Inc.
Learn all the updated and new software functionalities
Work towards your certificate as a program user
Learn about new service offerings: Postal Concierge & Mailing Services
Day One Everything and anything new – improved – underutilized with DAT-MAILTM, PPPTM and other software
Day Two Advanced users and One-on-one breakouts
When: Tuesday, August 4th, 2009, 8am-5pm
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009, 9am-1pm
Where: Holiday Inn Willowbrook, Chicago, IL
Registration fee: $60.00 per person / Discounted rate of $50 per person for 3 or more attendees same company
Register now
Hotel Information:
Holiday Inn Chicago-Willowbrook-Hinsdale
7800 South Kingery Hwy, Willowbrook, IL 60527
ph: 630-325-6400 | Fax: 630-325-2362
Rates: $98.00 SIG/$109.00 DBL
Group Code: WindowBook
Deadline for Registration: Thu, 7/30/09
Note:
1. You will receive an Attendance Certificate for your participation. Hour(s) will be credited towards becoming a Certified WBI Software User. 2. Registration Fee is non-refundable but may be applied towards future seminars. This is your great opportunity to sharpen your skills and identify your specific needs for your company! Please email us at mailto:postalspecialist@windowbook.com?subject=Join%20Us%20at%20the%20Window%20Book%20Software%20User%20Seminar if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
J. Jeffery Peoples
CEO & Founder
Window Book, Inc.
Mail.XML vs. Mail.dat
Most of us in the mailing industry have become accustomed to the word “mail.dat” and have a good understanding of what it is and the benefits of using it. For those of you still not familiar with the term mail.dat, it is a mailing industry standard specification (established and maintained by IDEAlliance) for a set of relational database files. These files are generated at the time that the mailing list is sorted through postal presort software, or when the mailpieces are sorted on Multi-Line Optical Character Reader (MLOCR) sorters. The set of files together represent just about all the specifics about a mailing with the exception of the mailing names and addresses. These files are used by the mailing industry and the United States Postal Service® (USPS) to share information and facilitate electronic transactions.
Just when we thought we had become pretty smart about mail.dat, along comes Mail.XML. Unless you are a real techie, mail.xml probably seems like a word from a foreign language. Actually, mail.xml is fairly simple, and it represents a really cool method to transmit mailing information. But what does it mean for the average mailer?
As background, Mail.XML is a newer mailing industry standard specification (again established and maintained by IDEAlliance) for informational transmissions. Mail.dat is quite robust and can contain huge amounts of information. This is very beneficial, except when you only need portions of the information that resides in mail.dat files. In these cases, it can be time consuming and a strain on transmission and storage resources to send entire Mail.dat files back and forth between the involved participants in the mailings.
To help understand the difference between Mail.dat and Mail.XML, think of it in terms of the Mail.dat file being the encyclopedia of a Mail.XML given mailing. Then think of Mail.XML being the telegram that you send to someone describing a portion of the encyclopedia. If your recipient only needs a small segment of information, it is much easier (for both of you!) to send them a short telegram than to send them an entire encyclopedia. That is essentially how Mail.XML works in relationship to mail.dat.
One of the ways that Mail.XML will be used is during transactions with the USPS. For example, if you use PostalOne! to transact business with the USPS, you will first upload a mail.dat file for the mailing as a “planned” mailing. Once all the final attributes of the mailing have been determined and all adjustments made to the Mail.dat file, you need transmit only Mail.XML “telegrams” to the USPS to update the mail.dat file that you previously uploaded. This eliminates the need to re-upload an entire mail.dat file every time a change is made or a new transaction required. This allows you to pay postage, make drop ship appointments, and a variety of other transactions using much smaller chunks of data.
Mail.dat is not going away anytime soon, and will certainly not be replaced by mail.xml. Mail.XML is just a very useful tool for use in transmitting smaller chunks of a mail.dat file. You’ll be hearing lots more about Mail.XML, particularly as the USPS proceeds with the integration of Intelligent Mail®.
Monica Lundquist, Postal Affairs, Window Book, Inc.
Mail.XML A Present and Future Tool
Mail.XML is a mailing industry standard specification for light-weight transactions between participants in the mailing process. The Mail.XML specification, as with the mail.dat specification, was established and is maintained by IDEAlliance.
Mail.dat is the powerful foundation for communicating data regarding mailings. It is a suite of relational database files which contain virtually every piece of data about a mailing except for the actual name and address records.
Mail.XML is a communications tool which allows for participants in the mailing process to communicate changes and updates to the Mail.dat file in a fast, efficient manner which is almost real-time. There are numerous transactions that occur during the course of the mailing process which do not require transmission of the entire Mail.dat database. Using Mail.XML for these lighter-weight transactions reduces manual data entry processes and makes these transactions quicker and more efficient.
Mail.dat stores complete information about a mailing as a database. Prior to Mail.XML, the complete dataset was interchanged between the list house, printer/manufacturer, trucking company and USPS.
Mail.dat will not be replaced by Mail.XML. Mail.XML provides an alternative to exchanging the entire Mail.dat database. Mail.XML adds a new light-weight transaction messaging mechanism between mail owner, list house, manufacturer/printer, logistics company and the USPS.
The United States Postal Service® (USPS) continues to move toward a forms-based transaction protocol, to which Mail.XML lends itself beautifully. For example, transmitting postage statements to the USPS for postage payment is a forms-based transaction, for which Mail.XML may be used. Making drop ship appointments through the USPS FAST system is another example.
Mail.dat is not going away and will not be replaced with Mail.XML. Rather, Mail.XML is a powerful tool to make mailing transaction communications much quicker and easier. Window Book offers numerous world-class Mail.XML solutions for communications between mail owners, mail preparers, the USPS and other suppliers. Come join us and tap into the future today!
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