There is an aggressive and ongoing collaborative effort between the USPS and the mailing industry to utilize new innovations and intelligence, and to create new marketing concepts to engage with customers leveraging the use of mail. This effort is geared towards increasing the value of mail to consumers.

The industry, as a whole, is focused on uniting the physical world (USPS mail communications) with the digital world (internet, social media, smart phone applications, etc.) This became apparent to us while attending this year’s National Postal Forum (NPF) in Nashville, TN, from March 20-23.

The 2016 NPF
There were over 120 workshops and educational opportunities available that were geared toward many different industry groups, mail users and service providers. The general sessions were filled with updates on initiatives which have been focal points, much of which is focused on creating efficiencies of mail acceptance and the ability to track mail at the piece level, from production through final delivery.

One specific session of particular interest to our customers was an overview and update on the USPS einduction and Seamless Acceptance.

USPS einduction and Seamless Acceptance
The workshops often identify common issues that many other mailers and service providers are experiencing. It can also offer new innovations to address and in some cases eliminate these issues. Improving mail acceptance efficiency and acute tracking of mail pieces are critical in the marketplace.

These initiatives help to increase the value of the use of mail to communicate with customers. The ongoing collaborative effort to help mold these programs is a key for the industry.

Additional points of interest
The continual effort to build and maintain a bridge between the USPS and customers is perhaps more visible than ever.

Membership of the PCC (Postal Customer Council), which is growing, is an excellent avenue for information exchange and industry collaboration in a clearly joint effort between the USPS and the mailing industry.

Over the past year in particular, mailers are actually implementing and experiencing many of the enhancements which have seemed to be in continual development at past NPFs. For example, the evolution of the use of intelligent mail and mail tracking continues to move forward.

At King Solutions, our team will continue to work with our customers to change their internal processes to accommodate their transition, and make sure our services can remain ahead of the curve as they are implemented.

Looking to the future
The NFP is in awesome time to connect with customers and the industry. The networking opportunities are unlimited. The NPF is an excellent opportunity to both learn and have a chance to provide input.

The NPF is an extraordinary opportunity to experience and participate in the continued evolution of the mail industry, developing new and exciting ways to leverage and grow the value of mail in the marketplace.

We look forward to seeing the changes implemented throughout this next year, and we’ll see everyone at next year’s NPF!