BCC Blog: Why Comail?

Mailers are continually looking for new ways to increase efficiency and reduce postage costs, and one option several companies in the industry are considering is combining different mailings through comailing.

Paula Stoskopf, Director of Product Management, discussed why more people are comailing and what you should know if you're considering it for your business in a recent post at Mailing Industry News, the BCC Blog. Check out this regularly updated page for the latest commentary and insights from BCC thought leaders.

Important PAF Reminder

With the one-year anniversary of the changes to Move Update requirements approaching, all the Processing Acknowledgement Forms (PAFs) submitted at that time are now coming up for their annual renewals. The Data Services department would like to remind customers of the importance of making sure that these forms are filled out accurately, and that the information is entered into Mail Manager exactly as it appears on the PAF.

The company name, address and PAF contact on the PAF must match what is entered as the List Owner in Mail Manager. All details about NCOA^Link® List Owners, as required by the USPS, are electronically stored in our system under the List Owner. Please be advised that if a List Owner name in Mail Manager does not match the corresponding PAF, processing may be delayed while the discrepancy is investigated. (Delays on jobs fitting those criteria may be greater when submitted after hours or overnight.) This also applies to new paper PAFs that must be matched to recently submitted jobs. The most common instances of mismatches are related to inconsistencies in the company name and flip-flopping your company's role as Broker Agent or List Administrator.

For an actual example of how incorrect PAF information can impact your processing, and an explanation of how to avoid it, read this recent User Forum post by Vice President of Marketing and Data Services Mark Higgins in the Customer Portal.

We would like to ask for your patience during this busy PAF renewal period, and suggest faxing your PAF to (585) 272-7778 at the time you submit a file. The ePAF option (easily activated in the Mail Manager Data Services Wizard) enables faster processing and reduced paperwork for you and your customers, and easier confirmation of this required data on BCC's end of the transaction. We know your lists are important, and we will get them back to you as soon as we possibly can.

BCC Attends MTAC

Executive Vice President Chris Lien, Vice President of Software Engineering Bob Schimek and Director of Product Management Paula Stoskopf are attending the Mailers' Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) meetings this week (Nov. 18-19) in Washington, D.C.

Topics on the agenda include the financial state of the Postal Service, as well as future growth opportunities; the status of the Flats Sequencing System (FSS); and barcode readability and Intelligent Mail® updates. Look for an MTAC recap next week on the BCC Blog, Mailing Industry News.

Week of November 16, 2009

Recorded TDM Webinar
Now Available

A free recording of the one-hour session, Truck Direct Mail: Going the Distance, hosted by BCC and Direct Logistics, Inc., is available in the Customer Portal. In just an hour you'll learn how use Truck Direct Mail to request free drop-ship quotes via Mail Manager, and how to save up to 30% on some mailings with destination-entry drop shipments.

Reminder: March 2010
OS Consolidation

Beginning in March 2010, BCC will discontinue support for Windows 98, NT and ME operating systems to streamline development priorities and help guide ongoing programming efforts. BCC products will continue to run on these platforms, but new software installations will no longer be tested on them.

Upcoming Free
Express Learning Sessions

Track N Trace
Tuesday, Dec. 1, 3pm ET

Mailing Basics 101
Wednesday, Dec. 2, 3pm ET

Introducing Mail Manager
Thursday, Dec. 3, 3pm ET

 Contact BCC for more details on any of the information in this issue of the BCC eBulletin. Just Let Us Know: How Can We Help?