Address Quality Services

When CASS Certified™ address-matching software cannot match an address to the ZIP + 4^® Product, the address becomes a candidate for Address Element Correction (AEC). AEC is a service that corrects and standardizes address elements. AEC processing may transform problem addresses into accurate, standardized addresses, which allows mailers to take full advantage of automation discounts.

AEC focuses on correcting address element deficiencies such as misspellings, nonstandard abbreviations, incorrectly joined elements, improperly ordered elements, address lines containing data other than the actual address, and missing elements. After resolving address element issues, AEC matches the address against the ZIP + 4 Product using CASS Certified address-matching software, resulting in a correct, standardized address.

AEC II™ is the next generation of AEC. AEC II uses Delivery Force Knowledge™ to correct the errors in addresses that are not correctible by existing programs. Delivery Force Knowledge leverages the efforts of local delivery unit employees who review bad addresses and enter corrections into an AEC II electronic process for return to the submitting customer. AEC II participants must process their file through AEC first.

For additional information contact the National Customer Support Center at 800-238-3150 or visit the AEC website on RIBBS^®. Click the appropriate link below to view the AEC & AEC II User Guide.

Links
AEC & AEC II User Guide PDF

Related Links
Get Adobe Acrobat ›

Address List Sequencing Service is a manual process that is a prerequisite to the electronic process of list sequencing, Computerized Delivery Sequence (CDS). Address List Sequencing is a service provided to mailers who have mailing lists containing at least 90 percent—but not more than 110 percent— of the total possible deliveries in a 5-digit ZIP Code™ area. The Postal Service receives cards from the mailer containing mailing addresses and sequences the addresses in delivery order. The mailer can then place mail in sequence and present it to the Postal Service as carrier-ready mail.

The Postal Service does not compile mailing lists: Address List Sequencing is designed primarily for use in high-density or saturation mailings to a particular area for mailers who already maintain a list. The following levels of address sequencing are available:

• Sequencing of address cards (DMM 507.7.3.9)
• Sequencing of address cards, with blank cards added for missing addresses (DMM 507.7.4)
• Sequencing of address cards, with cards added containing missing and new addresses (DMM 507.7.5).

Customers are expected to incorporate the changes in their mailings within 75 days after they receive the sequenced cards.

Address List Sequencing provides mailers:

• Cleaner mailing lists
• Reduced handling of mail due to the elimination of non-deliverable mailpieces
• Increased revenue potential due to addresses added to mailing lists
• More timely and consistent delivery

For more information about Address List Sequencing Service, contact the National Customer Support Center at 800-238-3150.

Timing the delivery of advertising is critical to the success of marketing materials and advertisements. Advertisers and publishers depend on the United States Postal Service to honor their requests for delivery of advertisements or periodicals within specific time frames. The ADVANCE program was developed to meet this service expectation. ADVANCE utilizes state-of-the-art technology to notify delivery units of time-sensitive mailings and monitor their performance in meeting the customer's requested in-home delivery dates.

Through ADVANCE, mailers can provide information about upcoming, timesensitive mailings to the National Customer Support Center (NCSC) to ensure timely delivery. In addition to information about where they will be mailing, advertisers provide the actual mailpiece.

ADVANCE allows the NCSC to increase customer satisfaction and recognition of the USPS among the advertising and direct marketing communities and enhances the reputation of the USPS as a dependable service provider.

For more information about ADVANCE, contact the National Customer Support Center at 800-238-3150.

Related Links
Adobe Acrobat Reader Info/Tips/Download

Confirm is a service available from the United States Postal Service that uses the PLANET™ barcode to electronically track First-Class Mail^®, Periodicals, and Standard Mail™ letters and flats.

There are two types of Confirm service that let you know where your mail is, and when it will be delivered. Both provide you advance notice of when your mailpieces will arrive.

Destination Confirm service (for outgoing mail) gives you advance information about when your mailpieces will reach their destinations.

Origin Confirm service (for incoming mail) lets you anticipate when customers' checks, replies, or orders are on the way back to you.

Before you start using Confirm service to track mailpieces, you decide what information you need:

• If you use Confirm service to track outgoing mail (Destination Confirm service), you can use PLANET Codes to identify different attributes you wish to track.
• If you use Confirm service to track incoming mail (Origin Confirm service), you can use PLANET Codes to identify the mail sender.

Each mail piece should contain a POSTNET™ and a PLANET barcode. The Postal Service™ sorting equipment reads both barcodes and makes them available to a centralized network server. The mailer then receives data electronically and learns when outgoing mail is nearing delivery or when reply mail is on its way to you.

To learn more about subscription options for Confirm service and to obtain pricing information, please visit Mail Tracking & Reporting or contact a Confirm representative at the National Customer Support Center at 800-238-3150.

Electronic Address Sequencing Service (EAS) is available to mailers who wish to have their address lists electronically processed under one of three options:

1. DMM^® 507.8.3.9 – Sequenced and non-existent addresses removed,
2. DMM 507.8.4 – Sequenced, non-existent addresses removed, and
    missing address locations identified, or
3. DMM 507.8.5 – Sequenced, non-existent addresses removed, and
    missing addresses added, if qualified.

Fees are associated with processing all levels. DMM 507.8 is required for Computerized Delivery Sequence (CDS) product qualification.

To obtain additional information about EAS contact the National Customer Support Center at 800-238-3150 or visit the RIBBS^® website at ribbs.usps.gov. On RIBBS you can view the EAS User Guide and other related documents.

Electronic Publication Watch (ePubWatch) is an electronic, web-based, means created for Periodicals publishers to communicate with the U.S. Postal Service regarding delivery issues reported by subscribers. Isolated incidents may be filed as a "complaint". The complaints received will be stored in a database used for analysis and as a service indicator. Or, if the subscriber's delivery problems are ongoing or recurring, an ePubWatch can be filed with the delivery unit (DU). The carrier supervisor will monitor the arrival of the publication at the subscriber's address and provide a report indicating the dates the carrier receives and delivers the pieces.

Entry to the ePubWatch web site is accessible free of charge via a publisher ID and password. You may obtain a Web Access Request Form to apply for a publisher ID and password via the ePubWatch web site at epubwatch.usps.gov. A user guide is also available on this site.

ePubWatch technical support is available from the National Customer Support Center by calling 877-640-0724.

The LACSLink product provides mailers an automated method of obtaining new addresses when:

• a 911 emergency system has been implemented to convert rural-style Addresses to city-style addresses.
• a street address has been renamed or renumbered.

Address Management Systems (AMS) offices across the country collect and transfer information for this database to the National Customer Support Center in Memphis, TN.

The LACS service is available through all NCOALink^® Full Service Provider Licensees and companies utilizing CASS Certified™ software. This service is offered as a stand-alone process or as a front-end process with the NCOALink service to ensure a high quality mailing list.

Input address information provided by a mailer to the licensee is first standardized according to Publication 28, Postal Addressing Standards to conform with U.S. Postal Service^® requirements including the ZIP + 4^® code. Once the address is standardized the input address is considered to be a candidate for matching against the LACSLink data under the following conditions…

• the address matches to a Rural Route or Highway Contract Record on the ZIP + 4 file
• the address matches a record that has an “L” in the LACS Status indicator in the ZIP + 4 file
• the address does not match a record in the ZIP + 4 file

If an exact match is made with the old address information to the LACSLink data files, the new address should be provided to the mailer.

LACSLink benefits include…

• reduces undeliverable mail by providing the most current address information for matches made to the LACS file
• prevents the need for duplicate mailpieces or re-mailings after address corrections are received since the address correction is applied prior to the mailing
• lowers mailer costs by reducing the number of undeliverable and/or duplicate mailpieces by using the most current address information
• provides the opportunity for faster product/service marketing through accurate mail delivery

A ZIP™ Code listing (Microsoft Word Format) contains one column of ZIP Codes and quantities of records on the LACS database. Currently, there are approximately 5.8 million records on the LACS database of addresses that have been converted. (e.g., E-911 changes, etc.)

This listing will give mailers a good indication whether or not an area on their mailing list has undergone conversion based on the ZIP Code of their customers.

NOTE: Just because a ZIP Code is found on this list, mailers should not assume that all the converted addresses have made it to the file. There are parts of the country that have only reported a percentage of their changes and therefore, the LACS database is not yet complete.

For more information, contact the National Customer Support Center at 800- 238-3150.

Links
Licensees

ZIP Code listing of converted address DOC

The Postal Service has redesigned a number of forms and labels for Special Services to incorporate a barcode. This includes PS Form 3800, Certified Mail Receipt,; PS Form 3813-P, Insured Mail Receipt; Label 200, Registered Mail™; PS Form 3811, Domestic Return Receipt, and PS Form 3804, Return Receipt for Merchandise. Special Services barcodes will be scanned upon acceptance and delivery and an electronic record will be created for delivery information.

Certified Mail Receipt Certified mail service provides the sender with a mailing receipt. A delivery receipt, PS Form 3849, "Sorry We Missed You", is signed by the recipient, and the delivery information is kept by the Postal Service. Certified mail is dispatched and handled in transit as ordinary mail.

Insured Mail Receipt for articles insured for more than $200, a delivery receipt (PS Form 3849) is signed by the recipient, and the delivery information is kept by the Postal Service. Insured mail is dispatched and handled in transit as ordinary mail. In addition, the mail must bear the complete names and addresses of both the sender and the Certified Mail™ Service.

Registered Mail is the most secure service that the Postal Service offers. It utilizes a system of receipts to monitor the movement of the mail from the point of acceptance to the point of delivery. Registered Mail service provides the sender with PS Form 3806, Receipt for Registered Mail, as a mailing receipt. A delivery receipt (PS Form 3849) is signed by the recipient, and the delivery information is kept by the Postal Service.

Domestic Return Receipt service provides a mailer with evidence of delivery (to whom the mail was delivered and the date of delivery). A return receipt also supplies the recipient's actual delivery address if it is different from the address used by the sender. A return receipt may be requested before or after mailing. Return receipt service requires one of the following classes or domestic services…

• Certified Mail™ Service
• Collect On Delivery (COD)
• Express Mail^® Service
• Insured Mail (if insured for more than $200)
• Registered Mail™ Service

Return Receipt for Merchandise Return receipt for merchandise service is a type of return receipt service that provides the sender with a mailing receipt and PS Form 3811, Domestic Return Receipt. A delivery receipt (PS Form 3849, "Sorry We Missed You") is signed by the recipient, and the delivery information is kept by the Postal Service™. Return receipt for merchandise also supplies the recipient's actual delivery address if it is different from the address used by the sender. Mail using this service is dispatched and handled in transit as ordinary mail. This service does not include insurance coverage. Return receipt for merchandise may not be requested after mailing, and restricted delivery service is not available.

To learn more about Special Services and to obtain pricing information, please visit Mail Tracking & Reporting or contact a Confirm representative at the National Customer Support Center at 800-279-2651.