It’s June already! With the days getting longer and kids getting anxious for the summer vacation, you might be starting to think of summer holidays and barbeques.

Summer is typically a slow time for the mailing industry, so it’s the perfect time to tune up your mailing machine. With hot political races and increasing online shopping, this fall is going to be busy. Here are some things you can do now to get ready.

Try out new USPS programs

If you’re not already using Full-Service, making the jump has never been easier, and you can line up the discounts before the big volumes come in. If you’re already on the Full-Service bandwagon, there are additional programs you can try. From reducing the number of permits with Mail Anywhere, to unlocking additional mail discounts with mailing promotions, to trying new mail entry processes with eInduction and Seamless Acceptance, there are lots of opportunities for postage savings and time savers. Do some research on the programs to see if they might be a good fit, then try them out. You’ll have all the kinks worked out well before the fall rush.

Check out your Scorecard

If you haven’t heard about the Mailer Scorecard yet, it will be coming. USPS is measuring the quality of your mail preparation, and could be charging mailers for errors as soon as October. Most of the charges will be minimal – comparable to the Full-Service discount. But they have indicated that, starting with the next price increase, they could be charging mailers up to 7 cents per piece for not meeting the Move Update standard. You can check out your Scorecard now to see how your measurements are trending. And if you’re seeing errors, this is the time to correct them. The charges could come as early as January, right as the mail industry is taking a breath after the fall.

Give your company a check-up

This is the perfect time to evaluate your current processes, suppliers and equipment. Schedule maintenance for printers, computers and other machines. Evaluate the quality and pricing from your suppliers. And look at the flow of your processes from start to finish. Are there certain areas that are error-prone, costly or creating a bottleneck? Even making a 5-minute processing improvement now could save you days of time come the fall mailing season. By streamlining your job flow, you can open your business to more opportunities and bandwidth. Check with your suppliers, dealers and vendors to get your jobs running like a Swiss watch.

 

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