USPSNEWS@WORK

Sometimes you need to be direct:
USPS launches mail ad blitz

Our new "Be Here" campaign highlights the importance of mail. (See front cover of this Postal Bulletin.) The advertising campaign features direct mail - that's our business after all - as well as a series of direct response print ads in marketing and business magazines, including Forbes, Business Week, Fortune, Variety, Advertising Age, AdWeek, Marketing News, DMNews, Target and Automotive News.

The campaign focuses on three things that lead people to make purchases: Generate awareness about the product or service; plant a seed that could lead to a potential purchase; and make an offer - immediate and compelling enough - that actually leads to a purchase. The "Be Here" campaign targets advertising decision-makers at major companies nationwide.

Fineman says reform legislation essential for USPS to succeed: PMG praises Click-N-Ship success

Postal ServiceTM Board of Governors Chairman David Fineman opened the recent Board of Governors meeting in Washington, DC, saying the Postal Service is "looking forward to working with the House and Senate on reform legislation, which is absolutely essential for the Postal Service to succeed."

Postmaster General Jack Potter discussed the expansion of the Carrier Pickup program and highlighted the test drive that customers gave Click-N-Ship® during hands-on demonstrations at Post OfficesTM nationwide in March. The results speak for themselves, Potter said, noting that online revenue for Click-N-Ship grew 216 percent during March.

Potter also noted the deployment of the first Automated Postal Centers® - self-service kiosks that extend quick, easy and convenient access to postal products and services. An APC lets customers conduct most retail transactions, including sending packages and letters, buying stamps and searching for ZIP CodesTM. APCs will be deployed at select locations across the country in coming months.

Click-N-Ship and Carrier Pickup also have played a role in a recent upsurge in activity at usps.com®, Vice President of Product Development Nicholas Barranca told the Board of Governors. He also cited the Postal Service's alliance with eBay for easy access to usps.com. The Postal Service Web site gets more than a million visits a day.

Extended reach: Carrier Pickup expansion lets more customers mail from the couch

Now customers who have packages to mail but would rather stay can go online to request Carrier Pickup, and the Postal Service will pick up their packages for them.

Carrier Pickup has expanded to include service to 204,000 city and rural carrier routes - about 85 percent of our delivery network. Aside from a few changes to Carrier Pickup forms, the addition of rural routes is virtually seamless. The process is the same.

Customers submit requests for Carrier Pickup via usps.com. The local Post Office receives the information through My Post Office. Letter carriers pick up the packages during their normal deliveries. There is no charge for Carrier Pickup because prepaid packages are ready for the carrier at the time of delivery.

The expanded service is good for our customers, and if the numbers are any indication, great for business. Carrier Pickup volume for March totaled more than 102,000 packages, nearly double the 55,000 total for February. And the packages keep coming in.

Transforming transactions: Automated Postal Centers start arriving in retail lobbies

Mail packages? Indeed. Buy stamps? Of course. Extra services? Sure. Check the ZIP Code? Yes. Take credit cards? Certainly - and debit cards, too. It's easy at the Automated Postal Center (APC).

In a move to extend quick, easy and convenient access to postal products and services when and where customers want it, the Postal Service is introducing its new self-service kiosk.

APCs will be placed in 2,500 high-traffic Post Offices throughout the nation by the end of the year. Because APCs will allow sales and services associates to focus on more complex transactions, APCs will help generate more revenue for the Postal Service.

And the winner is: USPS with 19 Communicator Awards

Lord of the Rings might have won 11 Oscars, but the Postal Service was a big winner in the 2004 Communicator Awards international competition - picking up 19 awards in the Print Media category.

Communicator Awards honor outstanding work in the communication field. The Postal Service won 10 Crystal Awards of Excellence - more than any other participant. Crystals are the competition's most prestigious award.

Marketing made an impressive showing, winning five Crystal Awards of Excellence, six Awards of Distinction and three Honorable Mentions.

Marketing brought Crystal Awards for its Address Change Service deskmat, design category; One Team, One Dream, Speech category; Mailtown, USA, Design CD- ROM category; and Customized MarketMail and Simple Shipping brochures, brochures/promotional kit categories.

Government Relations picked up three Crystal Awards for Publication 100, The United States Postal Service - An American History 1775-2002. The publication was recognized for excellence in the Special Edition, Internal and External Communications categories.

The Postal Inspection Service earned two Crystal Awards of Excellence. Publication 162, Because the Mail Matters, took the top honor in the Brochure/Public Relations category. And the "Identity Theft" DVD was a standout in the Video/Film/Multimedia/Other category.

The Postal Service is delivering results - writing, designing and producing award-winning communications that are setting standards for the industry.

On the move: USPS will keep on truckin' with new fleet

A new USPS® fleet will soon be hitting the streets. The Board of Governors approved funding for 2,014 seven- and 11-ton cargo vans to replace older trucks that transport mail from processing and distribution centers to delivery units in larger cities.

The USPS vehicle team - Engineering, Surface Operations, Delivery Vehicle Operations, Safety, Vehicle CMC and the American Postal Workers Union - wanted safer, more fuel-efficient vehicles equipped with today's technology. Two manufacturers fit the bill - International Truck and Engine Corporation and Freightliner LLC.

The new cargo vans feature an on-board fleet management system. It replaces manual data collection used by facilities to evaluate cargo van operators' performance. "This technology will help USPS improve customer service and reduce administrative and operating costs," said Transportation Specialist Chuck Speelman.

Other vehicle upgrades include: keyless entry and start, AM/FM/weather-band radio and a rearview safety camera system.

The cargo van deployment will begin in May and continue through January 2005.

Going green, saving green: New contracts will reduce energy use and costs

They say you've got to spend money to make money - or in our case, spend a little to save even more. The Postal Service will save $1.5 million a year in energy costs, thanks to five Shared Energy Service (SES) contracts recently awarded to Honeywell Building Solutions. And managing costs is a key element of transformation.

The contracts cover energy- efficient lighting, thermostats, motor controls and air conditioning units. Honeywell will provide equipment, installation and financing for these facility improvements to Post Offices and plants located throughout Southern California.

Administrative Services

Directives and Forms Update

Effective immediately, Publication 223, Directives and Forms Catalog (June 1999), is revised. The tables below contain the document ID, edition date, title, PSN (Postal ServiceTM stock number), and the Postal Service and public supply source for all new, revised, and obsolete directives and forms. Use this article to keep Publication 223 current. Information on how to order directives and forms is available in chapter 1 of Publication 223.

The electronic version of Publication 223 is available at www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/pubs/pub223.pdf.

New Directives

Labels

Notices

Posters

Signs

New Forms

Revised Directives

Handbooks

Revised Forms

Obsolete Directives

Headquarters Circulars

Publications

- Policies and Procedures Information,
Public Affairs and Communications, 4-29-04

REMINDER

Handbook AS-353, Guide to Privacy and the Freedom of Information Act

Handbook AS-353, Guide to Privacy and the Freedom of Information Act, is available, and the Material Distribution Center (MDC) still has many copies in stock.

This handbook provides direction and guidance for Postal ServiceTM employees, suppliers, or other authorized users with access to Postal Service records and information resources. The handbook explains records management requirements for information relating to the Postal Service, its customers, and its employees. It also describes how this information is collected, maintained, used, disclosed, and safeguarded.

Handbook AS-353 is available on the Postal ServiceTM PolicyNet Web site; go to http://blue.usps.gov; click on More References, then PUBs.

It is also available on the Postal Service Internet; go to www.usps.com; click on About USPS & News, then Forms & Publications, then Postal Periodicals and Publications, and then Publications.

You can order Publication AS-353 from the MDC by using touch tone order entry (TTOE): Call 800-332-0317, option 2.

Note: You must be registered to use TTOE. To register, call 800-332-0317, option 1, extension 2925, and follow the prompts to leave a message. (Wait 48 hours after registering before placing your first order.)

Use the following information to order Handbook AS-353:

PSIN: HBK AS-353
PSN: 7610-07-000-7119
Unit of Measure: EA
Minimum Order Quantity: 1
Quick Pick Number: N/A
Bulk Pack Quantity: 50
Price: $0.9334
Edition Date: 09/03

- Privacy Office,
Consumer Advocate, 4-29-04

Customer Relations

Mail Alert

The mailings below will be deposited in the near future. Offices should honor the requested delivery dates. Mailers wishing to participate in these alerts, for mailings of 1 million pieces or more, should contact Business Service Network Integration at 703-292-4041 at least 1 month preceding the requested delivery dates. The Postal ServiceTM also offers electronic Mail Alerts via ADVANCE. For more information, see the ADVANCE Notification & Tracking System Technical Guide on the Internet at http://www.ribbs.usps.gov/files/advance/ADVTECH.PDF or contact the National Customer Support Center at 800-458-3181.

CORRECTION

National Dog-Bite Prevention Week Publicity Kit

In Postal Bulletin 22126 (4-15-04, page 84), the "National Dog-Bite Prevention Week" publicity kit provided incorrect ordering information for the safety film Dogs, They Come in All Sizes. The correct information is as follows:

PSN: 6910-04-000-8529
PSIN: VHS-007-7
Quick Pick #: N/A
Unit of Measure: EA
Cost: $8.85
Bulk Pack Qty: N/A

- Community Relations,
Public Affairs and Communications, 4-29-04