DMM Advisory – Intelligent Mail Services Update

Submitting Postage Statements between November 15 and November 29, 2009:  On November 15, the Postal Service will deploy software to support Full-Service prices.  These new prices will apply starting November 29.  Postage statements have been modified to support Full-Service and other changes. Starting November 15, the Postage Statements generated from Full-Service Electronic Mailing Information using Mail.dat, Mail.XML, or the Postal Wizard will include a line for the number of pieces claiming the Full-Service prices.  The price cell will be set to zero (0) between November 15 through November 28.

The Full-Service Intelligent Mail prices will be available on Sunday, November 29, 2009.  At this time Postage Statements generated from Full-Service Electronic Mailing Information using Mail.dat, Mail.XML, or the Postal Wizard will include the Full-Service prices for the pieces claimed using Full-Service.

Non-Full-Service mailings may be submitted using the November 2009 Postage Statements on November 15 or using the current postage statements as follows:

PS Forms 3602-R and 3602-N:  The July 19, 2009 versions may be used until January 4, 2010 when the November 29, 2009 versions must be used.

For all other postage statements, the May 11, 2009 versions may be used until January 4, 2010 when the November 29, 2009 versions must be used.

Authorized Manifest Mailing System mailers will follow the same schedule.

Plant-Verified Drop Shipment (PVDS) Mailings between November 15 and November 29, 2009:  Mailers submitting Full-Service PVDS mailings on or after November 29 can submit the electronic documentation for those mailings after November 15 in non-ready to pay status.  Mailers can only send electronic ready to pay status for Full-Service PVDS mailings on or after November 29.

November 2009  postage statements can be accessed at usps.com.  Scroll down the page to Related Links and click on Postage Statements.

Publications Update:  The following publications have been posted on RIBBS as ‘drafts’ for industry review.  Recommendations sent to imb@usps.gov and received by 5:00 PM EST on November 10 will be considered.

Test Environment for Mailers (TEM) Checklist & Troubleshooting – This document will help prepare customers to use electronic documentation to submit qualification reports and postage statements through Mail.dat and Mail.XML (commonly called eDoc) by guiding them to a test process in the Test Environment for Mailers (TEM).  Though prepared primarily for customers who wish to participate in the Intelligent Mail Full-Service option, this document also covers the preparatory steps for eDoc participation.  This document replaces the Full-Service and Electronic Documentation Checklist.

Postal Service Mail.XML Technical Specification for Postage Payment and Reporting (eDoc) – The specification was updated to correspond with Mail.XML version 7.0C.  The error codes were update and elaborations were added.

Postal Service Mail.XML Technical Specification for Appointment Scheduling (FAST^®) – This volume was updated to correct error codes and some business rules.

Postal Service Mail.XML Technical Specification for Profiles and Full Service Feedback – This document was updated to elaborate on ACS functionality.

PostalOne! Release 22.0 (November 15):  The release notes for PostalOne! Release 22.0 are posted on RIBBS>Intelligent Mail Services>Latest News>Important Links.  This release will address functionality to support the prices for Full-Service and enhanced Mail.XML^® capabilities.

Assistance: Please call the PostalOne! Help Desk at 1-800-522-9085 if you have any questions or problems accessing the Business Customer Gateway, your accounts, or submitting electronic documentation.  The PostalOne! Help Desk is accessible from Canada at no charge.

The Domestic Mail Manual (DMM^®) is available on Postal Explorer (pe.usps.com). To subscribe to the DMM Advisory, send an e-mail to dmmadvisory@usps.com. Simply indicate “subscribe” in the subject line.

DMM Advisory – Intelligent Mail Services

PostalOne! – FAST Production and Test Environment for Mailers (TEM) Outage – Sunday, November 8: The Business Customer Gateway, which includes the PostalOne!® production and FAST® systems, will experience a system outage on Sunday, November 8 from 4:00 AM CST – 8:00 AM CST , during the normal maintenance window. During this outage, mailers cannot access PostalOne! applications or submit Mail.dat files for processing. Mailers cannot access FAST to schedule or update appointments. Mailers cannot access the Test Environment for Mailers (TEM).

Webinar:  Submitting Postage Statements between November 15 and November 29 (November 4, 2:00-4:00 PM EDT): PostalOne! release 22 will deploy on November 15 in support of the Full Service discount effective November 29. Postage Statements have been modified in support of the Full Service discounts and other changes. This webinar will explain how Postage Statements will be handled in the timeframe between November 15 and November 29, especially in support of Full Service. It will address the timeframe when the new Postage Statements can be used. It will explain the process for submitting Full Service postage statements on or prior to November 29 for Plant Verified Drop shipment (PVDS) mailings that will not be entered in the mail system until after November 30.  The link, phone number, and meeting ID for this presentation will be posted on RIBBS under Intelligent Mail Latest News. .

Webinar: Full-Service ACS™ Update (November 6, 2:00-4:00 PM EST): This webinar will describe the different address correction services such as ACS®, OneCode ACS®, and Full-Service ACS . It will describe how the Postal Service processes Change of Address and Nixie records. It will address the typical issues being experienced by Full Service mailers such as multiple notices and anomalies in receipt of address correction records. Mailers can express concerns and ask questions at this webinar. The link, phone number, and meeting ID for this presentation will be posted on RIBBS under Intelligent Mail Latest News

Full Service Intelligent Answers: We conduct weekly telecons entitled Full-Service Intelligent Answers on Fridays from 1:00-2:00 PM EDT. These calls are for customers who are testing the Full-Service option and are experiencing issues in the transition. Mailers who are testing in the Test Environment for Mailers (TEM) or who have migrated to using Full-Service in production and have questions or are experiencing issues are encouraged to participate. Mailers can exchange information among themselves, and postal experts are available to answer questions. Answers are provided in meeting minutes for questions not answered during the call.

During these calls we provide an update on the current list of software anomalies that are noted in the system, impacts, schedules for resolution, and workarounds if available. The issues are captured in the “PostalOne! ® Critical Issues List” posted on RIBBS ™ under the Intelligent Mail®Latest News link. To keep this list up to date, the Postal Service conducts biweekly reviews of unresolved issues recorded with the PostalOne! Help Desk that require software upgrades and includes these items on the list. Mailers are encouraged to review this list, ensure that their critical items are included, and participate in the calls to highlight issues that are not listed. As a reminder, mailers should report all issues with the PostalOne! Help Desk. Please contact the PostalOne! Help Desk at 1-800-522-9085 if you wish to join these calls.

RIBBS New Features: Two new tools have been added to enhance the RIBBS Website. Check them out on RIBBS.

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National Postal Forum: Save the date. The 2010 National Postal Forum is scheduled for April 11-14 in Nashville TN.

Assistance: Please call the PostalOne! Help Desk at 1-800-522-9085 if you have any questions or problems accessing the Business Customer Gateway, your accounts, or submitting electronic documentation. The PostalOne! Help Desk is accessible from Canada at no charge.

DMM Update – PostalOne Outages

PostalOne! Production Outage:  Sunday, October 25, 4:00am - 8:00am CT - PostalOne! Release 21.0.3, will deploy on Sunday, October 25, 2009 to the PostalOne! production environment. This release is in support of the new Postal district realignments. The outage for PostalOne! production will be within the normal scheduled maintenance window (4:00am – 7:00am CT). The PostalOne! application will experience intermittent outages during the 3 hour deployment.

Note: The PostalOne! and FAST applications will be available for mailers to submit electronic files and make appointments during this outage.

PostalOne! TEM Outage:  Sunday, October 25, 7:00am – 10:00am CT – PostalOne! Release 21.0.3 will deploy to the PostalOne! TEM on Sunday, October 25. The outage for PostalOne! TEM will be approximately 3 hours. The outage will occur on Sunday, October 25 from 7:00am CT – 10:00am CT. During this time, users will have intermittent access to the PostalOne! TEM environment.