What is Seamless Acceptance?
Seamless Acceptance helps mailers improve the efficiency of mail preparation standards through automation of the mail induction process and provides end-to-end visibility via mail piece scan data, account management, balances, and generated reports based on mailings.
Postage rates are rising, and it is important to mitigate this by reducing postage costs whenever possible. On January 24, 2021, the USPS incentivized mailers to participate in Seamless Acceptance by providing a discount of $1.00 per 1,000 qualifying mail pieces. This incentive stacks with the Full-Service discount of $3.00 per 1,000 qualifying mail pieces and can be combined with other promotions for additional savings. On top of this, the Permit Fee is waived for Seamless Acceptance Mailers, regardless of Full-Service Eligible mailings.
Seamless Acceptance requires the participation in Full-Service because it uses the electronic documentation (eDoc) and Intelligent Mail barcodes (IMb) on Containers, Handling Units, and mail pieces to confirm mail is prepared properly for (1) the discount claimed and (2) postage paid in the eDoc. This is done by verifying the eDoc information to mail piece scans from Mail Processing Equipment (MPE) and hand-held scanning samples.
Mail owners and mail preparers that participate in Seamless Acceptance can view the results of these scans in the Seamless Tab of their Mailer Scorecard on the USPS Business Customer Gateway; results are compiled over a one-month period and can be compared against previous results going back 13 months to analyze any improvements that have been or need to be made to increase efficiency.
Who is required to participate in Seamless Acceptance?
Mailers with a Detached Mail Unit (DMU) and Full-Service eligible mail are required to enroll in the Seamless Acceptance Program, and Full-Service mailings entered at Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU) must be verified using automated verification processes.
How do I get started with Seamless Acceptance?
Before mailers can sign up for Seamless Acceptance, they must participate in Seamless Parallel. Seamless Parallel enables mailers to receive feedback on eDoc and barcode requirements without the repercussions of additional postage assessments for any possible mistakes. Mailers can sign up for Seamless Acceptance on the USPS Business Customer Gateway. Please see the instructions here for additional information.
In conclusion, participating in Seamless Acceptance and eInduction can help businesses streamline the mail process, reduce costs via additional discounts, and gain valuable insights into their mailing to increase efficiency overall.
Roxanne Johnson is the Product Operations Manager, Mailing Division at Melissa (www.melissa.com), a provider of global data quality and address management solutions. Melissa is an NCOALink Full Service Provider licensee of the USPS and its MAILERS+4 postal automation software is USPS PAVE Gold Certified to presort mail to qualify for postal discounts on First Class, Marketing Mail (Standard Mail) and Periodicals. Connect with Roxanne at roxanne.johnson@melissa.com or Linkedin.
