It is important to remind Post Office™ retail counter and back office personnel about Premium Forwarding Service™ (PFS™). While popular all year, it is especially useful to customers at this time of year and helps generate additional revenue.
PFS is a personalized service designed for residential customers who want to receive 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. For more information on what mail is reshipped, see the Disposition of Mail Chart at the end of this article.
Post Offices should stock the May 2008 version of PS Form 8176, Premium Forwarding Service (PFS) Application.
All Post Offices should ensure that they have the following PFS point-of-sale materials on hand:
Publication 621, PFS Guidebook for Employees: An Introduction to Premium Forwarding Service, is designed to explain to employees how PFS works, how it benefits customers, and how it can grow revenue for the Postal Service™. Post Offices are strongly encouraged to stock this item as an educational tool and reference.
The ordering information for these items is included in the table at the end of this article.
Q. I keep reading that PFS is in “peak season” now. What does that mean?
A. Peak season is the busiest and most profitable time for PFS. As “snowbirds” begin their travels to second homes or retirement adventures, college students discover the benefits of PFS, and businesspeople take off on new temporary assignments, they want the convenience of receiving all their mail on a regular basis from home. Some also do not want their temporary address provided to mailers. October through January is a big travel time, and for customers who have a temporary address during that period, PFS is perfect for them.
Q. How can I attract more PFS customers?
A. Make sure that retail counter personnel are familiar with the PFS program so they can explain it clearly to customers. Publication 621, PFS Guidebook for Employees: An Introduction to Premium Forwarding Service, can help. Many retail counter personnel have suggested PFS to customers who initially come to the retail counter with either a temporary change-of-address request or a hold mail request for 2 weeks or longer. These customers may not know about the convenience that PFS service provides in terms of their getting virtually all of their mail reshipped directly from their home Post Office in one weekly Priority Mail shipment. 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.
Once they learn about the advantages, many customers sign up on the spot!
Q. Can customers sign up for hold mail service for 30 days and then on day 31 have their mail forwarded as a week one PFS reshipment?
A. No. Customers are not allowed to combine a hold mail request with PFS.
Q. What about requests to hold mail at the end of a PFS service period?
A. PFS has a 14-day hold period built into the service, if the customer selects it. At the time of enrollment, the customer must indicate the date to resume mail at the primary address. This date can be up to 14 days after the end of the date of service. The customer also has the option of picking up the mail from the Post Office during that hold period.
Q. Is there a new PFS Application (PS Form 8176)? If so, can I use older versions?
A. Use the most recent version of PS Form 8176 (May 2008) and recycle previous versions. Remember, do not send copies of PFS applications to Headquarters. Be sure to keep PFS records locally.
Q. How many temporary addresses can a customer put on a PS Form 8176?
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 charges.
Q. What PFS materials are available for display in Post Office lobbies?
A. Each lobby should display one stand-up countercard (Sign 615). These are heavy duty cardboard and contain a pocket for multiple brochures (Publication 615). The brochures can be reordered in quantity, and some retail counter personnel find it handy to keep a supply behind the counter to help them explain the PFS service when customers ask about PFS, temporary forwarding, or hold mail service.
There is also a PFS poster available through Message Maker, as well as support postcards that many districts have found attractive to new PFS customers.
Q. Can PFS materials be on display during the holiday season?
A. Yes, if there is sufficient room in the lobby. PFS’ peak season is October to December, so customers need to be reminded of this important and useful service for receiving their mail when they are away from home.
Q. Why do PFS reshipments have to go out on Wednesdays? Sometimes we’d like to get them out earlier.
A. PFS is a national program, with national standards. We’ve found that the best day for collecting and reshipping residential mail is on Wednesdays. This is what we promise when customers sign up, and so far, it’s been working quite well, so do not deviate from the SOPs!
Q. Which 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 shipments. Be sure to keep Label 85 in stock. This is very important, as G-10 labels cannot be used for PFS shipments.
Q. Which Priority Mail packaging works best for PFS shipments?
A. In general, for most of the year, a Priority Mail Tyvek envelope will be sufficient for most PFS reshipments if a Priority Mail box would have a lot of unnecessary space. However, a variety of Priority Mail packaging must be kept in stock, as some customers receive more mail than others. Also, mail volume may be heavier in the Fall, so that an appropriately sized box would be better than sending multiple Tyvek envelopes.
Packaging should also be large enough so the mail is not damaged but small enough so there is no unnecessary empty space.
Q. Some weeks one of our customers receives such a large volume of 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 into one Priority Mail package, sometimes this situation can occur. If it does, you may send two (or more) packages on that Wednesday. Be sure to use Label 85 on all packages. The customer’s weekly reshipment charge does not change.
Q. Sometimes I get confused because not all of a customer’s incoming mail gets reshipped on Wednesdays. How can I keep track of what to reship and what to send ahead or separately?
A. Scannable items such as Express Mail, Registered Mail, and items with Delivery Confirmation are reshipped immediately at no extra charge to the customer; they are treated as they would be if the customer had not signed up for PFS. In rare cases, Parcel Post or Standard Mail items that will not fit into the Wednesday shipment would be forwarded at the postage rate paid by the originator, marked “postage due.”
Priority Mail items are included in the weekly PFS shipment unless including the item would delay receipt at the customer’s temporary address.
See the Disposition of Mail chart at the end of this article for more details.
Q. If a customer requests a refund for unused weeks of PFS service, is a portion of the application fee refundable too?
A. No. The application fee is not refundable. And remember, refunds for unused weeks of PFS service can only be made at the customer’s primary address Post Office.
Q. Some of my customers have wanted to sign up for PFS service on USPS.com®. Is this possible?
This is an option under exploration, but it is not available at the present time.
Q. Is PFS available internationally?
A. No, the restrictions outlined in Publication 621 are clear. Due to Customs and other regulations, PFS is not available internationally or to APO or FPO addresses.
Q. I am not that familiar with PFS and still have questions about it. What should I do?
A. Order Publication 621, PFS Guidebook for Employees: An Introduction to Premium Forwarding Service, which should cover additional questions. You can find general information on PFS at www.usps.com.
Use the eBuy on-catalog requisition to order Publication 621, Publication 615, Sign 615, Label 85, and PS Form 8176 from the Material Distribution Center (MDC); search for items using the PSN numbers listed below (without the dashes). If your office does not have access to eBuy, you may order 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 website at http://blue.usps.gov/purchase/_doc/ops_ ttoeins.doc or call 800-332-0317, option 4, option 4.
Use the following information to place your orders:
Each Post Office should order only one copy of Sign 615 (PFS countercard), which has a pocket to hold copies of Publication 615 (PFS brochures).
This chart identifies what mail could incur additional postage charges.
Legend:
- N/A — Not applicable, Delivery Confirmation service is not available on Standard Mail letters and flats.
- Included — Included in weekly PFS shipment at no additional expense.
- May be included — Included in weekly PFS shipment only if it fits after all the letters and flats (magazines and large envelopes) are included. If the item does not fit, it will be sent separately incurring postage due charges at the applicable Parcel Post price.
- Postage Due — Not included in weekly PFS shipment. These items are sent separately incurring postage due charges at the applicable Package Services price.
Note: To avoid incurring postage due charges, customers are encouraged to have Standard Mail parcels and Package Services Mail sent directly to their temporary address.
— Market Development, Mailing Services, 11-6-08
