Premium Forwarding Service Is Now in Peak Season!

Premium Forwarding Service (PFS) is now in peak season, and Post Offices™ should prepare their lobbies and employees to answer questions about the service. December is the biggest time of year for PFS, and it is a great way to increase holiday revenue. “Snowbirds” will be heading for warmer weather, and many people will be traveling for the holidays. It is the perfect time to promote PFS to customers as a premium alternative to Temporary Change of Address or Hold Mail services.

PFS is a personalized service designed for residential customers who want to receive all of their mail at a temporary address while away from their permanent address for an extended period — from 2 weeks up to 1 year. Most mail is reshipped once a week via Priority Mail^® service.

PFS Enrollment and Promotional Materials

All Post Offices should confirm that current editions of the following PFS point-of-sale materials are on display on a writing table in the full-service lobby:

Publication 615, Premium Forwarding Service (PFS brochure).

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

Post Offices should stock the May 2007 version of PS Form 8176, Premium Forwarding Service (PFS) Application, reflecting the current weekly reshipping price of $11.95 in paragraph 6 under “Terms and Conditions” (on the original and all copies of the application).

When customers apply for Temporary Change of Address or Hold Mail services, give them a copy of Publication 615 with their receipt or direct them to the take-one display.

The ordering information for these items is included in the table at the end of this article.

New PFS Publication

Publication 621, PFS Guidebook for Employees: An Introduction to Premium Forwarding Service, is now available — see the ordering information at the end of this article. Publication 621 is designed to explain to employees how PFS works, how it benefits customers, and how it can grow revenue for the Postal Service™. More details about Publication 621 will appear in an upcoming issue of the Postal Bulletin.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What label should I use for PFS weekly reshipments?

A. Label 85, Premium Forwarding Service Label, must be used on all outgoing PFS Priority Mail weekly reshipments. Do not use G-10 labels for any PFS reshipments. Be sure to keep Label 85 in stock.

It’s important to make sure you use the right Priority Mail packaging. For example, do not send two separate Priority Mail envelopes to the same customer on the same day when the customer’s mail would fit into one Priority Mail box. Also, remember that not all mail addressed to the customer’s primary address is included in the weekly reshipment. Some pieces are required to be sent separately as “outsides.” See Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM^®) 709.4.3.

Q. Which version of the PFS Application (PS Form 8176) can I use?

A. Use the updated edition of PS Form 8176 — May 2007. Please recycle all previous versions of the form, which should no longer be used. Do not send copies of PS Form 8176 to Postal Service Headquarters.

Q. How many counter cards should I order for my Post Office?

A. With very few exceptions, each Post Office needs only one stand-up counter card (Sign 615). These are heavy-duty cardboard and contain a pocket for the brochures (Publication 615), which can be reordered in quantity.

Q. Some weeks one of our customers receives so much mail eligible for the PFS weekly reshipment that it won’t fit into one Priority Mail package. What should I do?

A. Although it is rare that a customer receives such a large volume of mail eligible for the PFS weekly reshipment that it cannot fit in one Priority Mail package, sometimes this situation can occur. If it does, you may send two (or more) Priority Mail packages on that Wednesday. The customer’s weekly reshipment charge does not change.

Reminders

PFS has replaced all informal “snowbird” arrangements that may have been set up in the past.
Do not send copies of completed PS Form 8176 (PFS Application) to Postal Service Headquarters.
PFS is valuable not only to customers but also to Post Offices, because it generates additional revenue.
PFS is an excellent alternative for many residential customers who may otherwise use Temporary Change of Address or Hold Mail services.
The PFS application fee is nonrefundable even if the customer terminates service early. Only the portion of the weekly reshipment charge that has not been used is refundable.
The size of Priority Mail packaging needed to reship PFS mail may vary from week to week, depending on how much mail each customer receives. Use packaging that will not damage the mail.
Packaging should be:

Large enough so the mail is not damaged.
Small enough so there’s no unnecessary empty space.

In most situations, a Priority Mail Tyvek envelope is a better option than a Priority Mail box, if the box has a lot of unnecessary space.
It is important that Post Offices keep different sizes of Priority Mail packaging in stock for customers and also for PFS reshipping.
Always use Label 85 for weekly customer reshipments via Priority Mail service.
PFS Priority Mail shipments should leave the primary address Post Office every Wednesday, packaged in Priority Mail packaging that is the correct size for that week’s shipment.
To avoid additional charges, customers should instruct the sender of Standard Mail^® packages and Package Services packages to send such mail directly to the temporary address.
Each PS Form 8176 covers only one PFS request for reshipment of mail to one temporary address. A customer who wants to have mail reshipped to a second temporary address must file another PFS application and pay the application fee and appropriate weekly shipment charges.

Ordering Information

You can order Publication 621, Publication 615, Sign 615, and PS Form 8176 from the Material Distribution Center (MDC) by using 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.) For complete TTOE ordering instructions, visit the Materials Customer Service Web site at http://blue.usps.gov/purchase/_doc/ops_ttoeins.doc or call National Materials Customer Service at 800-332-0317, option 4.

Use the following information to place your orders: