The Postal Service this year will dramatically revamp its Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU) operations to improve customer service, standardize processes and improve efficiencies, according to Pritha Mehra, vice president, Business Mail Entry and Payment Technologies.

"A decades-old system of doing business must be propelled into the 21st century to meet evolving customer needs," said Mehra, who presented USPS plans last week during the latest in a series of weekly webinars. "We need a new model, and we will roll it out this year."

BMEUs are postal facilities that accept and process bulk business mail submitted by mailers who take advantage of work-sharing incentives to qualify for discounted postage rates. BMEU acceptance employees are responsible for verifying that mailings are prepared correctly and that the correct postage is paid.

Handling more than 57 percent of postage revenue (and 79 percent of all mail volume) is easier said than done. That's about to change, though.

BMEU managers and employees during the next three months will receive training and new equipment - along with systems to support best-business practices and improve operational efficiencies - that will greatly improve customer experiences for business mailers, provide greater transparency and better feedback to mailers on the status of their mailings.

How is this being accomplished? Each BMEU will establish a "team" mail acceptance process to organize tasks, and realign equipment and workstations to improve efficiency. In addition, initiatives include a new Performance Based Verification (PBV) model, and providing Mail Quality and Performance Measurement reports. Business mail acceptance site employees also will be trained in preparation for the May 2009 deployment of Intelligent Mail which lays the foundation for greater visibility and a streamlined mail supply chain.