Note: The following article was published in the October 2002 BCC Bulletin and may not represent the most up-to-date information on this topic.

(Click here to download the entire issue in .pdf format).

USPS to UAA: Drop Dead!
The Postal Service wants to make Undeliverable As Addressed mail extinct. Here’s why they should succeed — and how we can help

What did you do this summer? The United States Postal Service spent the warm-weather season working on a new proposal that it hopes would make Undeliverable As Addressed mail pieces obsolete — permanently — with significant changes to the Domestic Mail Manual’s stance on Move Update and address matching requirements.

It’s your basic “good news/bad news” scenario. The proposed changes, while sweeping, wouldn’t occur for at least 18 months after the plan is approved, if it’s approved at all. And USPS claims no specific DMM changes are planned at this time. But in these times of mounting rate increases and ever-tightening regulations, smart money says at least some of their suggested revisions taking place — sooner, not later.

In fact, “smart money” is what it’s all about. The intent of the proposed changes is to cut back on the staggering amount of UAA mail processed annually — undeliverable letters, parcels and mailpieces that cost the industry an estimated $1.5 billion each year. USPS picks up that check up front, but passes it on to mailers in the form of rate increases like the one put into place earlier this year. (The costs hit even more painfully close to home with five-figure fines that can be handed out to mailers caught signing off on non-NCOA-compliant lists.)

All in all, UAA mail is a burden for everyone, regardless of how clean your or your clients’ address lists might be. Each rate case drives home the point that when it comes to good mailing, we’re all in this together.

How Can We Help?
No one can guarantee that advance self-regulation will keep Postal Service “wolves” from our doors, but there are steps we can take to help lessen the need for excessive new regulations, and save money in both the short and long terms. Following are some tactics you can try now (or at least in the near future):

• DPV (Coming Soon) — Delivery Point Validation is a much-talked-about new feature that enhances ZIP+4 encoding by verifying that an address is not only accurate, but actually exists as a mail-accepting destination. BCC Software has received USPS certification for its DPV engine, with licensing approvals pending that will soon allow us to add this option to Mail Manager 2010 software. (Note: DPV was released as a Mail Manager 2010/LE option in 2003.)
  


• Update Your Lists — Regardless of whether USPS eventually requires more frequent MOVE Updates, it’s undeniable that more up-to-date data means fewer UAA mailpieces. Don’t let the 180-day requirement be the deciding factor about whether to update lists before an important mailing. Remember: the more accurate your list, the more recipients will actually get your message.
  


• Install, Install, Install — The list update data you receive with this BCC Bulletin are the freshest, most reliable information available from the Postal Service. Until it’s installed in your computer, however, it’s just another CD. Make it a priority to install the disks as soon as possible after receiving each Mail Manager 2010 update. Your bottom line, and your mail recipients, will benefit. (Coming soon: Monthly ZIP+4 updates — a new option for Mail Manager 2010 users. Watch the BCC Bulletin for details.) (Note: ZIP+4 Monthly was released as a Mail Manager 2010/LE option in 2003.)
  


• Educate Your Clients — If you’re a mailing service provider, be sure to let your clients know what’s going on. Make sure they understand the benefits of proper list maintenance (and the financial pitfalls of letting list accuracy slide). They’ll save money, and they’ll have you to thank.