It was a tumultuous year in the mailing industry — declining mail volume and revenue as well as a lack of a Board of Governors meant that there was much discussion about the future of mail. As we look back on 2017, it’s interesting to see what stories most caught our readers’ attention. Overall, the articles on our top-10 list portray one common theme; no matter what the state of the industry is, mailers will continue to educate themselves and strive to make their mailing operations as successful as possible. Enjoy!
10. Connecting Your Postage Meter to the Network? What You Need to Know
By Adam Lewenberg
The mailing equipment providers are now requiring new postage meters to be connected to the network instead of using typical analog phone lines. Overall, this is a good change as it will reduce the costs associated with analog lines, and it will provide faster transmissions that allow meters to do more things. The issue is, of course, how do you get this done? Adam explains the logistics of it in this article.
9. Understanding the Benefits of IMb Tracing
By Trista Niswander
This easy-to-read piece explains the benefits of IMb tracing and how mailers could use this data to improve their operations. (Editor's Note: Of course, it's now official that Informed Visibility will be replacing IMb tracing, but that doesn't change the fact that this was one of our most popular articles last year!)
8. How to Save Money with Presort Services
By Adam Lewenberg
Presort services can be an excellent way for mailers to save money on their postal operations. Adam lays out what to take into consideration as you decide if this step is right for you.
7. 11 Common Mail Mistakes That Could Be Impacting Your Bottom Line
By Adam Lewenberg
No one likes to make a mistake on the job, but we all do from time to time. Luckily, the mistakes listed in this article are fairly common ones, which means they are fairly simple to rectify.
6. The Key to Postal Facility Identification
By Jeff Peoples
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has thousands of postal facilities across the country. To aid in the proper identification of postal facilities, particularly in eDoc, the USPS has assigned unique identification codes, called locale keys, to each postal processing and delivery facility. This allows for very precise identification of the postal facilities that mailers are using for their origin entry and for any additional entry points at which mail is entered. Jeff explores this in more detail in the number-six article on our list.
5. Three Trends in the Market You Didn’t Think Affected the Mail Center… and How to Capitalize on Them
By Bob Brock
Sometimes it’s amazing to think of all the factors that affect our industry, especially when those factors are not necessarily obvious ones. In this piece, Bob explores three trends in the market that affect the mail center and what mailers can do to capitalize on these trends.
4. Undeliverable Mail Today: The Cost Is Up (Part One)
By Jeff Stangle
Undeliverable-as-Addressed mail is one of the most pressing problems facing mailers. In part one of this series, Jeff explores why exactly costs are going up when mail volume is going down and explains what mailers can do to combat this rise. (If you are interested in reading part two of the series, you can do so here).
3. Avoiding the Top 10 Mistakes in Mail Piece Design
From the USPS PCC
The Postal Customer Council (PCC) put together a great “workshop in a box” to educate mailers on the top 10 mistakes in mail piece design — and, more importantly, how to avoid these mistakes. Since design mistakes can cost mailers big bucks, it’s no surprise that this piece was one of our top articles this year.
2. How Will the January 22, 2017 USPS Price Increase Impact Your Budget?
By Adam Lewenberg
Rate changes are a big deal for mailers — they are one of those things that we have no control over, yet they can significantly impact our budgets. This analysis was a great tool for mailers as they decoded how the price increase last January would affect their bottom lines.
1. Postal Terms Glossary
By Mark Rheaume
Not surprisingly, this postal terms glossary is always one of the most referenced articles on our site. The terms thrown around on a daily basis in the mail industry can be confusing to even the veteran mailers, never mind those who are new to the sector. If industry terms have you scratching your head, this glossary is a great place to start.
Amanda Armendariz is Editor, Mailing Systems Technology media. A leading industry resource for over 30 years, Mailing Systems Technology prides itself on delivering the information mailers need to make their operations a success at all stages of the mail cycle. Follow her on Twitter @MailSystemsTech or email amanda.c@rbpub.com.
