PREMIUM FORWARDING SERVICE

Get Up to Date — Be Prepared!

Premium Forwarding Service (PFS) continues to be a hit with our customers. In just the first year, more than 100,000 customers signed up for this new service, resulting in millions of pieces of mail being reshipped quickly and efficiently to customers at temporary addresses. To ensure the continued success of PFS, employees should review and be aware of the following PFS updates and reminders.

Revised PFS Application

PS Form 8176, Premium Forwarding Service (PFS) Application, has been updated to improve postal processing and customer satisfaction. Here's what Postal ServiceTM employees need to know:

• PS Form 8176 has been changed from a 4-part form to a 3-part form by eliminating the distribution copy for Headquarters. Images of all pages of PS Form 8176 are published in this issue of the Postal Bulletin starting on page 16.

• Effective December 7, 2006, Post OfficesTM should discontinue sending copies of the form to Headquarters. If using 4-part forms, simply destroy the Headquarters copy.

• The revised 3-part form is distributed as follows: Copy 1 - Post Office (PFS Coordinator); Copy 2 - Customer; Copy 3 - Post Office Shipping (for recording weekly PFS mail shipments).

• Post Offices should exhaust existing supplies of the 4-part form before ordering copies of the revised 3-part form. The Material Distribution Center (MDC) will fulfill orders with the revised 3-part form - see ordering information on page 15.

PFS Promotional Materials

To assist field offices in promoting PFS locally, a number of promotional materials are available. All Post Offices should confirm that the following PFS point-of-sale materials are on display in their offices:

• Publication 615, Premium Forwarding Service (brochure).

• Sign 615, Take Your Mailbox With You
(PFS countercard).

See ordering information below.

In addition, field personnel with access to MessageMaker have the option of obtaining a postcard promoting the benefits of PFS for distribution to their customers.

Tips for Post Office Personnel

Here are some tips to help employees responsible for processing PFS applications and shipments:

• Be sure customers provide start and end dates on their PFS applications. When the end date is not certain, ask customers to estimate the date because this is the only way to accurately calculate the fees.

• Calculate the number of weeks based upon the start date and the end date.

• Collect the full PFS payment upfront at the time of application: $10 to enroll (AIC 108) and $10.40 for each week of service requested (AIC 159). Be sure to place funds in the correct AIC!

• Do not send PFS mail to the centralized forwarding unit (CFS).

• Ship PFS mail once a week on Wednesday via Priority Mail service, and reroute PFS customers' Express Mail pieces, outside pieces, and accountable mail pieces immediately upon receipt.

Ordering Information

You can order PS Form 8176, Publication 615, and Sign 615 from the MDC and use touch tone order entry (TTOE): Call 800-273-1509.

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 place your orders:

Reminders

Remember that PFS replaces all informal "snowbird" arrangements that have been set up in the past.

PFS is a great service. Make sure your office promotes PFS to potential customers during this winter season so they can stay connected when they are away from .

— Product Management,
Product Development, 12-7-06