National PCC Day was continued in 2005 on September 14, via a live nationwide satellite broadcast from Madison, Wisconsin. The Postmaster General delivered the keynote address to more than 13 thousand business mail customers, almost twice the number that tuned in for 2004. The annual PCC Leadership Conference was held at the National Postal Forum in Nashville, Tennessee. During 2005 more than 200 local PCCs held approximately 700 events and took advantage of the PCC Speakers Bureau. Many PCCs actively sought the participation of small- and medium-sized businesses through Direct Mail Made Easy seminars. As a result of these seminars, more than 200 individuals became new PCC members.

As part of the PCC network initiatives, the Postal Service began offering a series of "Workshop in a Box" seminars that help local businesses and nonprofit organizations boost their mailing efficiency, market their services, and get the most out of their mail. Seminars sent to PCCs in 2005 included Direct Mail by the Numbers, DMM 200, PC Postage Solutions, Shipping Made Easy, a special Bulk Mail Edition, and Simple Formulas.

D. ADVERTISING WITH MAIL — MADE EASY SEMINAR

The Advertising with Mail - Made Easy Seminar is now in its sixth year, with approximately 224 seminars completed in cities across America. In 2005, 24 seminars provided more than 1,500 businesses with the information and tools necessary to effectively use the mail to advertise their products and services.

E. MAILING INDUSTRY TASK FORCE

The Mailing Industry Task Force (MITF) involved more than 72 companies and some 200 industry and Postal Service executives in an effort to stimulate mail channel revenue growth and make mail more effective. In 2005 these executives partnered to encourage and support mail growth, service quality, and customer satisfaction through three working groups: Intelligent Mail and Address Quality; Payment and Pricing; New Products, Services, and Gateway. Highlights included work on the following:

• OneCode Address Change Services (ACS) to improve the accuracy and reliability of Address Quality services by replacing manual processing with an electronic process.
• Automated return mail processing using information in a newly finalized barcode, which uses the 4-state symbology to help mailers automate the processing of return mail.
• Mailing list certification enhancements to increase industry adoption of mailing list certification.
• Reply Mail improvement to increase convenience to mailers, improve the accuracy of information, and reduce Postal Service costs.
• Reinforcing the value of mail to consumers by showcasing the value mail offers consumers as a medium for communications, as a convenient vehicle for making payments, and as a vehicle for receiving goods purchased online or through catalogs.

MITF continued throughout 2005 to provide a framework for the development of mailing industry innovations through its Innovation Incubator Initiative. This initiative drew upon input from masters of business administration students for creative ideas and concepts for mailing innovation.

F. MAILERS’ TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The Mailers' Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) celebrated 40 years of achievement in 2005. MTAC is a joint effort between mailers and the Postal Service to share technical information, advice, and recommendations. It consists of industry representatives from over 50 mailing associations and organizations. During 2005 MTAC emphasized Seamless Acceptance and Induction, Service Measurement and Improvement, Address Accuracy, and Optimization of Preparation and Entry. Five work groups were successfully completed during 2005 and several new work groups were initiated.

G. MAIL TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY COUNCIL

The Postal Service sponsors a Mail Technology Strategy Council which includes representatives from the mailing industry, paper manufacturing, printing, packaging, mail equipment, and information technology industries. Council members provide independent advice on developments in technology that are likely to impact the mailing industry. Members provide insight on the direction in which technology is moving and how these trends might be used to enhance the mailing industry. The group not only reviews hardware and software developments, but also puts these developments in the context of applications and business processes.