1 Full Service™ ACS™ and Intelligent Mail® Barcoding Lisa West, USPSApril 13, 2010

2 In the beginning, there was ACS™  Early-1980s, ACS™ designed and deployed  Provided enhanced address correction process  Address corrections generated and distributed in an electronic format  Reduced USPS cost for address correction collection and delivery  Reduced mailer costs partially automating mailing list updates Full Service ACS™

3 Traditional ACS™  Mailer completes a profile, selecting various treatment options  USPS ® assigns a Participant ID -- 7 alpha characters  Mailer prints Participant ID and optional keyline at the top of the address block on each mailpiece requesting service  Mailer send samples to (National Customer Support Center) NCSC for review and approval  Mailer prints ancillary service endorsement on each piece where required  Records pulled by mailer from RIBBS, or mailed on CD Full Service ACS™

4 OneCode ACS™  In 2006, OneCode ACS™ introduced  Designed as part of the Intelligent Mail ® barcode  Required same setup, class and endorsement assignments  Record format same as Traditional, with an added field  Records pulled by mailer from RIBBS  Scanners added to Computerized Forwarding System (CFS)  Postal Automated Redirection Service (PARS) could either read and interpret text, or read the barcode Full Service ACS™

5  In May of 2009, Full Service ACS™ was introduced  New setup process  Provided new data format  Delivered in new ways – records viewed/pulled from Gateway, pulled from site, or pushed from USPS  Free for First-Class Mail ® participants  Limited no charge records for other classes Full Service ACS™

6 Generation of Records  Depends on several conditions  Readable barcode  Mailer ID set up for records from barcode  Mailer ID set up for records from traditional  Service Type ID requesting service  Ancillary Service Endorsement printed where required Full Service ACS™

7 Unreadable or Invalid Barcodes  Unreadable Intelligent Mail ® barcodes disqualify the IMb™ services requested, i.e.  OneCode Confirm ®  OneCode ACS ®  Full-Service ACS™  Services indicated on the mailpiece would be applicable at their regular costs  Traditional ACS ™  Ancillary Service Endorsements Full Service ACS™

8 Common Barcode Print Issues  Inkjet on piece less successful than paper labels  Reported barcode inadequacies:  Printing is very light, or light and dark in sections  Voids in the bars  Waviness or curvature in the bars  All or some bars smeared Full Service ACS™

9 Barcode Production Issues  Barcode placement too close to address info or to edge of white space  Entire address block skewed off the white space  Barcode is not entirely on paper label or in address white space  Glue attaching label to piece oozes over barcode or makes it lumpy Full Service ACS™

10 MID  Mailer ID  Assigned to a company  One MID can only have one Customer Registration ID (CRID)  One CRID can have one or more MIDs  6 Digit or 9 Digit designed for IMb™ focus on customer identification  authorization of electronic transactions  required for third party data distribution in eDocs and in MID profiles Full Service ACS™

11 Service Type ID (STID)  Intelligent Mail ® service level  Full-Service, Basic, or non-auto  Class of Mail*  First-Class Mail ®, Periodicals, Standard Mail ®, Bound Printed Matter  Additional services requested  For example, OneCode Confirm ® or OneCode ACS ® * While the STID does have a class identity, in Undeliverable-as- Addressed (UAA) processing, the actual class of mail is determined by the postage field of interest or other elements on the piece that indicate class. Full Service ACS™

12 Choosing a STID  Data Feedback  Address corrections – Yes or No?  OneCode Confirm ®  Mailpiece disposition  Costs  Use “The Guide To Intelligent Mail Letters and Flats”, Appendix A, for making these decisions and assessing business risk Full Service ACS™

13 Full Service ACS™ Class of MailAddress Correction Option Basic option 1 or Non-auto 2 w/o Confirm Basic option 1 or Non-auto 2 w/ Confirm Full- Service w/o Confirm 1 Full- Service w/ Confirm 1 First-Class Mail® No Address Corrections Manual Corrections * Traditional ACS – ASR * Traditional ACS – ASR Opt 2 * Traditional ACS – CSR * Traditional ACS – CSR Opt 2 * OneCode ACS – ASR OneCode ACS – ASR Option OneCode ACS – CSR OneCode ACS – CSR Option Full-Service ACS – ASR Full-Service ACS – ASR Opt Full-Service ACS – CSR Full-Service ACS – CSR Opt

14 Full Service ACS™ Service Type ID081 Class of MailFirst-Class Mail ® ID IMb™ Service OptionFull-Service ACS ® Detail Record Provided to Mailer Y Confirm ® ServiceNone Mailpiece DispositionForwardable mail forwarded with separate notice of new address provided. All other UAA returned with reason for non-delivery affixed. Requires an On-Piece, Text Printed ASE N Recommended ASE Printed on Piece Electronic Service Requested (A) Allowable Ancillary Service Endorsement Printed on Piece Address Service Requested (B) Type Address Change Service (ACS™) Option Option 1 (see Constraints) FeesOneCode ACS ® pricing unless disqualified for Full-Service Provides data that can be used to meet the Move Update Requirement Y ConstraintsOnce Mailer ID established as Address Service Requested Option 1, the same Mailer ID cannot be used for ASR Option 2 or CSR Option 2 NotesSeparate address correction provided for forwarded pieces only. Action taken if barcode is unavailable (A) If ESR, no separate ACS or hard copy notice provided, mail forwarded and returned as appropriate. (B) If ASR, hard copy, manual correction to be provided at manual correction fee on forwarded pieces only.

15 Common STID Issues  May never be all zeros, all nines or blank  Must match the STIDs in the ACS™ Guide  Some presort software will change the Service Type Identifiers for the non-auto portion if desired  When extra services are requested other steps may be needed to use specific Service Type IDs  Common invalid STIDs:  234 (Where entire barcode appears to be  345 (Where entire barcode appears to be Full Service ACS™

16 Full Service STID on Basic/Non-Auto  No free Full-Service ACS™ data for the Basic and non-automation portions will be provided  Postal Service™ cannot commit to a specific time when ACS™ data, and the appropriate charges, might be available Full Service ACS™

17 After Records are Generated  PARS and CFS generate ACS™ records (Traditional or OneCode)  Records transmitted to NCSC  NCSC performs several edits and deduping processes on COA-related records to validate the record for delivery  NCSC fulfills and bills for Traditional and OneCode ACS® records  All OneCode records bearing a Service Type ID indicating Full-Service are sent to Full-Service for verification Full Service ACS™

18 Full Service Record Matching Full Service ACS™

19 STID in the Documentation  As part of the total IMb™  Piece Detail Record (.pdr)  Manifest Individual Record (.mir)  If it's not in one of those two records, it's not in the Mail.dat Full Service ACS™

20 Full Service Data Distribution  Mail Owner and Mail Preparer must be identified in the By/For section of the Full-Service electronic documentation  Full Service ACS™ is distributed to One Entity:  Mail Owner or Delegate Full Service ACS™

21 Full Service Feedback  Submit eDoc with the Mail Owner and Mail Preparer identified  CRID  PERMIT Number (not Publication Number)  Mailer ID  If the Intended recipient wishes to retrieve the data you can use one of the three options above to identify the Mail Owner/ Mail Preparer  If the intended recipient wishes to delegate the data to a Third Party they should use the Mailer ID in the By/For in the eDoc Full Service ACS™

22 CRID  Customer Registration ID  Assigned to a company at a unique location  Every Location has a unique CRID  A Permit should only have one CRID  You can have multiple Permits for one CRID  CRID is used for company identification and authorization of electronic transactions  CRID is the master ID Full Service ACS™

23 Managing Full Service ACS™ Data  Who gets Full-Service ACS™  Mail Owners  Mail Owners can Delegate to One Party A MID can be delegated to an affiliate (Business Entity). The new delegate would then control the data distribution. Full Service ACS™

24 Full-Service ACS™ Free Records  First-Class Mail®  All COA and Nixie address correction records without additional charge for subsequent notices  Must meet Move Update requirements  Standard Mail®  The first unique COA/Nixie notice at no additional charge  Subsequent notice at no additional charge for 30 days  Must meet Move Update requirements  Periodicals  The first unique COA/Nixie notice at no additional charge  Subsequent notice at no additional charge for 60 days Full Service ACS™

25 Record Contents  COA: Original IMb™, the Move Effective Date, move type (Family, Individual, Business), parsed name from the COA -not the mailpiece, parsed old and new address  Nixie: Original IMb, the Mailer ID, serial number, old address (if it can be derived from the ZIP data in the barcode), and non-delivery reason code.  Temporarily Away: Original IMb, parsed name from the COA, and “Temporarily Away” message Full Service ACS™

26 Sample COA Report Full Service ACS™

27 Sample Nixie Report Full Service ACS™

28 Record Delivery Methods  Browser based download: Online web page allows downloading of compressed files over HTTPS protocol  Mail.XML Pull: Customer sends Request message invoking USPS Web Services to pull data in XML format  Mail.XML Push: USPS invokes a customer’s Web Service method/URL and pushes XML data to the customer Web Service  Postal Service Mail.XML Technical Specification (RIBBS)  User Access to Mailing Information and Reports (RIBBS) Full Service ACS™

29 Browser Based Download  Select the “Address Correction Service (ACS™)” link from the Full Service Reports page to access the Address Correction Service (ACS™) Reports page  The Download Full Service ACS™ COA report allows the user to search ACS™ records, display sample data, and download the result set in a CSV or excel format  The Nixie Details Report screen allows the user to search Nixie Detail records, display sample data, and download the result set in a CSV or Excel format. Full Service ACS™

30 Mail.XML Pull ACS™ Reports  Submit eDoc with the Mail Owner identified (both By/For is required, ACS™ goes only to owner or designee)  Sign up at the Customer Gateway  Get a Username and Password  Get your CRID for your mailing location  Manage Mailing Activity for access to Electronic Data Exchange (access to XML specs, software tools and TEM)  Mail Owner can assign a designee through MID profiles Full Service ACS™

31 Mail.XML Push ACS™ Reports Set Up Mailer ID Push Subscription Profile  Mailer’s Web Services URL  A username and a password that the USPS can use to connect to Mailer’s computer  Subscription types: Notification Or Delivery  Full-Service ACS™  Full-Service Nixie Full Service ACS™

32 Mail.XML Push Data Setup  Submit eDoc with the Mail Owner identified  Sign up to the Customer Gateway  Get a Username and Password  Get your CRID for your mailing location  Manage Mailing Activity for access to Electronic Data Exchange (access to XML specs, software tools and TEM)  Set up a Subscription Profile by service data in the USPS Customer gateway Full Service ACS™

33 Full Service ACS™ Fulfillment  There are many reasons that a mailing could be disqualified as Full-Service  If any of the requirements are not met, the mailing does not qualify  If the mailing does not qualify, the record-matching process will not occur  ACS ® records will not be provided for non-qualifying mailings or pieces Full Service ACS™

34 DescriptionImpactSteps to Resolve The Intelligent Mail ® barcode on mailpieces was encoded incorrectly Invalid mailpiece barcodes will impact generation of Full- Service ACS TM and Nixie feedback and may trigger in-depth verification. Mailers must include an IMb TM on each mailpiece that accurately encodes the barcode ID, Service Type ID, Mailer ID, serial number, and DP routing code. Reference: Intelligent Mail Barcode Technical Resource Guide Invalid IMb™ on mailpiece Full Service ACS™

35 DescriptionImpactSteps to Resolve The Intelligent Mail ® barcode on mailpieces that were sampled did not match those included in the Mail.dat Container Summary, Piece Detail record or Intelligent Mail Record. Non-matching container, tray, or mailpiece barcodes will impact generation of Full- Service container visibility, ACS ®, and Nixie feedback and may trigger in-depth verification during the sampling process. Mailers must include an IMb™ on containers, trays, and mailpieces that match those submitted in the Container Summary, Piece Detail record or Intelligent Mail Record. Reference: Intelligent Mail Barcode Specification Mailpiece data conflicts with Mail.dat ® Full Service ACS™

36 DescriptionImpactSteps to Resolve Service Type Identifiers (STID) within the scan data are not consistent with data in Mail.dat file. Impacts Full- Service feedback and requested additional or special services, including ACS ®. Valid STID must be printed in the IMb™ on the mailpiece and must match those included in the Piece Detail record. Note: that the Intelligent Mail Range record does not include the STID, but a valid STIDs should still be printed in the IMb on the mailpiece. Reference: A Guide to Intelligent Mail for Letters and FlatsA Guide to Intelligent Mail for Letters and Flats Section Service Type Identifiers (STIDs) Service Type Codes within the data inconsistent with Mail.dat ® Full Service ACS™

37 DescriptionImpactSteps to Resolve The Intelligent Mail ® container, tray, and piece barcodes must remain unique across mailings for 45 calendar days from the date of the Postage Statement Mailing Date in the Container Summary file. Non-unique barcodes will impact distribution of Full-Service ACS TM data distribution Ensure Serial Numbers within a mail class are not duplicated. Barcode uniqueness at the container, tray, and piece level must be maintained for 45 days. On a mailpiece, the barcode’s uniqueness is determined by the six- or nine-digit Mailer ID and nine- or six-digit Serial Number, along with the mailpiece class in the Service Type Identifier. Reference: A Guide to Intelligent Mail for Letters and FlatsA Guide to Intelligent Mail for Letters and Flats Section Unique Intelligent Mail Barcodes on Full-Service Option Trays/Sacks and Containers Barcodes not unique across mailings Full Service ACS™

38 DescriptionImpactSteps to Resolve The Intelligent Mail ® container, tray, and piece barcodes must be unique within a mailing. Non-unique barcodes will impact distribution of Full-Service ACS TM and Nixie feedback. Ensure that Serial Numbers within a mail class are not duplicated. Barcodes at the container, tray, and piece level must be unique within a mailing. On a mailpiece, the barcode’s uniqueness is determined by the six or nine digit Mailer ID, and nine or six digit Serial Number, along with the mailpiece class in the Service Type Identifier. Full-Service uniqueness for trays and containers is based on the entire 24-digit (trays/sacks) or 21-digit (container) barcode. Reference: A Guide to Intelligent Mail for Letters and FlatsA Guide to Intelligent Mail for Letters and Flats Section Unique Intelligent Mail Barcodes on Full-Service Option Trays/Sacks and Containers Barcodes not unique within the mailing Full Service ACS™

39 DescriptionImpactSteps to Resolve The Mailer ID printed on the piece barcode is invalid. Invalid MIDs in mailpiece barcodes will impact generation of Full- Service ACS TM and Nixie feedback and may trigger in-depth verification during the sampling process. A valid Mailer ID is required in all IMb TM mailpiece barcodes and is used to send Full- Service feedback to the company associated with the Mailer ID. In the IMb, the Mailer ID field is the third field following the Barcode ID and Service Type Indicator. Reference: A Guide to Intelligent Mail for Letters and FlatsA Guide to Intelligent Mail for Letters and Flats Section Mailer ID Invalid MID - piece barcode Full Service ACS™

40 DescriptionImpactSteps to Resolve Mailer identified self as both the mail owner and mail preparer in the Mail Owner and Mail Preparer fields in the Mail.dat ® Mail Postage Account file or Component file or Intelligent Mail ® Range file Impacts distribution of all Full-Service feedback; all feedback generated will be distributed to the CRID ACS ® data goes to Mail Owner or CRID associated to the MID if the Mail Owner has delegated receipt of data to a third party. If the Mail Owner and Preparer are identified with the same MID and/or CRID, feedback will only be distributed to the party that is specified in the Mail.dat as the Mail Owner. Start-the-clock and container visibility is intended to be distributed to both Mail Owner and Preparer. Both the Mail Owner and Mail Preparer must be identified for all Full-Service mailings (with limited MLOCR exceptions). Mail Preparers should populate the Mail Owner field in the Mail.dat MPA or CPT with the appropriate MID and/or CRID of the Mail Owner. Reference: A Guide to Intelligent Mail for Letters and FlatsA Guide to Intelligent Mail for Letters and Flats Section Mail Owner and Mail Preparer Identification in Electronic Documentation Preparer same MID as Mail Owner Full Service ACS™

41 Descriptio n ImpactSteps to Resolve Mailer provided an invalid Service Type Identifier (STID) in the Piece Detail Record IMb TM. Impacts Full- Service feedback and requested additional or special services, including ACS™. Valid STID must be printed in the IMb on the mailpiece and included in the Piece Detail record. Note: that the Intelligent Mail Range record does not include the STID, but a valid STIDs should still be printed in the IMb on the mailpiece. A list of valid Service Type Identifiers is available in the Guide to Intelligent Mail for Letters and Flats Reference: A Guide to Intelligent Mail for Letters and FlatsA Guide to Intelligent Mail for Letters and Flats Section Service Type Identifiers (STIDS) Invalid STID in Mail.dat ® PDR Full Service ACS™

42 Summary  Full Service is complex, but constructed of well- defined and documented requirements  Mailers participate by acquiring a Mailer ID, associate it with a Customer Registration ID, manage their accounts in the Business Customer Gateway, and prepare the mail according to the guides and technical specifications  All guides and specifications are located on RIBBS at under Intelligent Mail Services. Full Service ACS™

43 Questions  To receive Full Service benefits, the mail must have a Full Service Mailer ID in the barcode.  The principal document to use to prepare for Full Service ACS is the “Guide to Intelligent Mail Letters and Flats”.  Only the mail owner can receive Full Service ACS records. Full Service ACS™