Editor's Note: The USPS has just announced the 4-state barcode will be mandatory as of January 1, 2009.
If you're in the mailing business, you've probably heard at least one of these mail terms thrown about: Intelligent Mail, OneCode Vision, 4-state barcode, Confirm, and if you are really hip, 4-CB. You probably have a sense that these are important to your business. Well, they certainly could be, and you would be wise to understand what they are about and how they might make your mail more effective.
Who Doesn't Want Mail to Be Intelligent?
Intelligent Mail is probably the broadest umbrella that encompasses all of these terms. Intelligent Mail can be followed as it nears delivery and can take different actions based on how it's coded. The key to making mail intelligent is in giving it an identity. This is simply accomplished with a barcode. Barcodes are nothing new in mailing we all know and love the PostNET code that
carries our ZIP+4 and delivery point information and the PLANET code used for
tracking. The secret to the Intelligent Mail barcode is that it has a lot more digits. That's it. But it's also what it does with those digits that matters.
In order to get additional digits in a comparable space, the Postal Service has developed a new barcode symbology the 4-state barcode. The existing PostNET and PLANET barcodes are considered 2-state barcodes they have tall bars and short bars, the two "states." Four-state codes have tall bars and three different short bars differentiated by their relative vertical position top justified, bottom justified and floating in the middle. By having four different states, it is possible to fit 31 digits in the same number of bars used for 12 digits in 2-state symbology. Unlike PLANET and PostNET codes, there is more to the code than a font. The naked eye cannot look at a 4-state code and decipher it. The barcode is created by encoder, a small program available from the Postal Service. Also different from the 2-state codes, no check digit is required for 4-state codes. The error correction is built into the barcode by the encoder. The important thing is the number of digits available.
The Postal Service plans on using the 4-state barcode symbology for more things than mail tracking. The 4-state code used for routing and tracking mail is called the 4-CB code (CB stands for customer barcode).
What Does One Do with So Many Digits?
How all of those digits get used is the key to Intelligent Mail. Currently, there are two barcodes that may be used on a single piece of mail. The PostNET code is a barcode version of the ZIP+4, delivery point (typically the last two digits of a street address number) and a check digit. The barcode is unique to the address and is used by barcode sorters at the post office to sort and route mail.
The PLANET code is an optional barcode that identifies the mailer and mailing, allowing the Postal Service to notify the subscriber when the mailpiece is traveling through sorting machines. The PLANET code contains a service ID that identifies the type of mail and tracking service, a subscriber ID that tells them where to send the data, four digits that the subscriber can use to identify a particular mailing (mailers can optionally use six digits, but this makes for a very long barcode) and a check digit. When a barcode sorter sees a PLANET code, it then sends the PLANET code number and PostNET number of the mailpiece to the subscriber. The · subscriber uses this information to identify where the mail is and when to anticipate delivery. This tracking service goes under the name of Confirm service at USPS. That is the current service available from the two existing barcodes routing and tracking, with a somewhat limited tracking service due to the small number of available digits.
Intelligent Mail, using the 4-CB, offers a number of added services that may have great value to some mailers. It may also add some complexity, so it is important to understand the differences and decide how they meet all of your business requirements.
The new symbology of the 4-CB allows for 31 digits in roughly the same space as the PostNET code:
Intelligent Mail Advantages
There are a number of possible advantages that can be derived from all of those digits:
1. One barcode can serve for both mail routing and tracking. Mailers do not need to print a separate PLANET code to track a mailing. This is the Postal Service's OneCode Vision. Some marketers feel a single barcode provides a better response rate than using two barcodes on a mailpiece.
2. The additional digits will allow mailers to uniquely number each mailpiece for enhanced tracking. Even when the mail is forwarded, its unique identity will
still remain.
3. Additional services will be available to subscribers through the information in the barcode. Initially, Address Correction Service (ACS) subscribers, in some cases, will be able to request address corrections by using the appropriate service ID in the 4-CB code rather than the unwieldy ACS code currently used by subscribers to the service.
Other services may be offered in the future, keyed by the 4-CB. If you track your mail and would prefer not to have a second barcode, 4-CB can meet that need. If you need to uniquely track every piece in a mailing, 4-CB can meet that need as well. And if you are maintaining a mailing list and need to get corrections to that list, 4-CB may be able to meet that need. However, if you don't have those needs, existing barcode technologies may better meet your needs for now.
Intelligent Mail Challenges
As you consider your own Intelligent Mail strategies, there are some challenges you should take into consideration:
1. The 4-CB is a new barcode does your mailing software support it? It is more than a font a special encoder is required to create the code, so make sure your software vendor can support it.
2. Do you really need to uniquely track each piece? How will you handle the data? Many marketing mailings just need a sampling tracked to get good delivery information. Are you willing to accept the cost and data management requirements of unique piece tracking? Will it enhance your business?
3. Do you want to use the 4-CB to get address corrections? Are there better means? ACS service through the 4-CB does offer a simplified way of getting address changes, but there are potential risks as well as other methods that may be more cost-effective, such as NCOALink or FastForward. There is a fee associated with every "hit" on an ACS mailing. Accidentally requesting ACS service on a rented list, for example, could be a very expensive mistake.
Intelligent Mail can be a powerful tool, but make sure you have the resources and the need to use it.
You Don't Need to Change Yet or Even Soon
If the current PLANET code/PostNET code arrangement is working for you, you do not need to change. There are no current plans to do away with either of these barcodes in the foreseeable future. Adapt to 4-CB as your software and needs allow it. In the meantime, you are fine using the existing technologies.
David S. Lewis is the President as well as co-founder of trackmymail.com. Lewis is responsible for providing the primary leadership and vision for the trackmymail.com team. He can be reached at 888-444-9972 ext.1006 or email dlewis@trackmymail.com.
