The 1, 2, 3 of Electronic Postage Documentation

1. The 1, 2, 3 of Electronic Postage Documentation Postage Statement WizardMail.datWeb Services Presented by: (Janet Cook)

2. Content Introduction Getting Access Methods of Electronic Submission Postage Statement Wizard® Mail.dat® Web Services Customer Support

3. Introduction The United States Postal Service® is using the newest technology to modernize and improve its overall efficiency in mail processing and delivery. The PostalOne!®system that manages business mailing transactions is designed to use the Internet to streamline the mail acceptance process by facilitating the electronic exchange of mailing information between you and the Postal Service™. This presentation is designed to inform you how the PostalOne! system enables you to electronically submit postage statements and supporting documentation to your acceptance unit. It will provide you with an understanding of the various methods of electronic information exchange available. These electronic services will benefit you by expediting the acceptance of your mail and providing online visibility into the mailing process.

4. Introduction Audience: This presentation is for those using Bulk Business Mail or providing mailing services to people performing business mailings to reach their customers Prerequisite: Hold a business mailing account at an acceptance unit; And/Or prepare and present business mailings to an acceptance unit; And/Or provide bulk business mailing services to their own customers Assumptions: Computer with Internet connection

5. Old Process Manual Completion and Hard Copy Submission of Mailing Information Most mailers provide paper postage statements and supporting documentation to the Postal Service. Mailers who use software to prepare mail typically generate postage statements and documentation right from the software. Some mailers handwrite postage statements and provide typed or handwritten supporting documents with their mailings.

6. Old Process Manual Completion and Hard Copy Submission of Mailing Information When you present your mailing and documents to mail acceptance personnel, they manually key your postage statement information into the PostalOne! system and provide you with a hard copy receipt. This process of using hard copy and manual entry of information is costly (in both time and supplies) and prone to errors. We are introducing a new way of working with the Postal Service – electronic submission of postage statements and supporting documentation.

7. New Process Electronic Submission of Mailing Information Using the PostalOne! system over the Internet eliminates the need to print and provide a hard copy postage statement with your mailing. You simply send your mailing information electronically to the acceptance unit where it is available when you bring in your mailing. Once you arrive, acceptance personnel verify and accept your mail and you’re done. You can view your mailing transaction online any time. Having online access to your mailing account also enables you to check your available funds to ensure you have enough for your mailing. You can also view past transactions to track your mailing and cost trends.

8. New Process What You Get With Online Access As a Mail Owner, you will be able to view: • Balances and Fees for permits

9. New Process What You Get With Online Access As a Mail Owner, you will be able to view: • Postage transactions • Electronic statements submitted online, that have not been processed • Mail quality reports

10. New Process What You Get With Online Access As a Mail Owner, you will be able to view: • Postage transactions and detailed postage statements

11. New Process What You Get With Online Access As a Mail Owner, you will be able to view: • Pending Postage Statement Wizard® statements

12. New Process What You Get With Online Access As a Mail Service Provider, you will be able to view: • Mailing information for the customer mailings you are preparing, including • postage statements, supporting documentation, and other mail status reports

13. Getting Access to PostalOne!® In order to submit your mailing information electronically you must first obtain a PostalOne! account. To apply for a PostalOne! account call PostalOne! Customer Support at 1-800-522-9085 or follow the application instructions below: • Access www.usps.com • Select All Products & Services • Select PostalOne! • Select New Customers • Select Apply Online Once you complete and submit the application, the Customer Support Center will send you a welcome kit with instructions on completing and returning the required documentation. Upon receipt of the required documentation, you will be provided a login ID & password.

14. Methods of Electronic Submission There are three methods that allow you to submit postage statements electronically: • Postage Statement Wizard® • Mail.dat® • Web Services The following slides provide a description of each approach and identifies criteria for selecting a particular format. You will also understand what postage documents can be submitted using each method.

15. Postage Statement Wizard® The Postage Statement Wizard (PSW) is a tool that provides you a secure way to submit a postage statement online, through your PostalOne! account. The Postage Statement Wizard verifies information as you complete an online postage statement. The PSW automatically populates the Permit Holder section of the postage statement based on the account number you provide. It guides you through the items you need to complete based on information you provide along the way. When you enter mailing information through PSW, it automatically calculates the postage and validates the mailing information you enter. Once you complete the postage statement online, you can submit these electronic statements directly to your acceptance unit from your computer.

16. Postage Statement Wizard® Process Log on to PostalOne! Select a Form • Enter • Permit • User Information • Mailing Characteristics Go to the Appropriate Section Complete Sections & Review Submit Online Mailer Presents Mail to USPS USPS Accesses Information in PostalOne! USPS Accepts and Verifies USPS Deducts Postage

17. Postage Statement Wizard®User Profile The typical user of the Postage Statement Wizard falls into one or more of the following categories: • Mailer who typically writes or types postage statements • Mailer who does not use software to generate mailing information • Mailer who typically mails less than 2000 mailpieces a month

18. Postage Statement Wizard® All domestic postage statements can be typed into the PSW tool and electronically submitted. • First-Class Mail® & Priority Mail® – PS Form 3600 • Periodicals - PS Form 3541 • Standard Mail® - PS Form 3602 • Package Services - PS Form 3605 No supporting documentation can be typed into PSW. You still need to provide hardcopy supporting documentation when presenting your mail.

19. Postage Statement Wizard® Benefits • Eliminates hard copy postage statements • Saves preparation time • Rate calculations done by PSW • Online verification of information reduces errors • Reduces wait times at acceptance units since Postal Service employees do not have to manually type in postage statements • 24/7 online access to financial information & reports • View & print statements as well as receipts

20. Mail.dat® Mail.dat® is a tool that allows you to electronically submit files that contain your mailing information straight from your computer to the PostalOne! system. Unlike the Postage Statement Wizard, you do not have to perform data entry of postage statements through your PostalOne! account. Your computer generates Mail.dat® files from your mailing software. These files are transmitted to the PostalOne! system. You may send these files from a desktop browser or a computer batch processing system. The PostalOne! system receives the file and generates the necessary postage statements and supporting documentation. Data exchange testing with the PostalOne! Help Desk is necessary prior to activation. http://www.idealliance.org/

21. PostalOne!® Mail.dat® - Process Send Mail.dat® file Customer Data Available to Mailer for Online Viewing Mailer Presents Mail to USPS USPS Accesses Information in PostalOne! USPS Accepts and Verifies USPS Deducts Postage

22. Mail.dat® – User Profile Typical user of Mail.dat® falls into one or more of the following categories: • Use software programs to prepare and produce mailings • Performs transportation planning & drop-shipping • Mails large volumes and complex presorts Anyone that uses presort software that produces a Mail.dat® output can use this method. You will need to register with IDEAlliance and pay a user license fee to use this file specification.

23. Mail.dat® Postage statements that can be submitted using Mail.dat®: • First-Class & Priority Mail - PS Form 3600 (Dec. 2006) • Periodicals - PS Form 3541 • Standard Mail - PS Form 3602 • Package Services - PS Form 3605 (Dec. 2006) Supporting documentation that will be generated: • Qualification Report (Available) • Customer Mail Report (Dec. 2006) • Summary ZIP Destination Report (Dec. 2006) • Postage Summary Report (Dec. 2006)

24. Mail.dat® - Benefits • Streamlines every aspect of high volume mail preparation • Eliminates hard copy postage statements and supporting documents • Reduces administrative costs for printing & storage • Provides dashboard access to all mailing activity for multiple accounts • Electronically inspects mail files for formatting and field requirements

25. Web Services Web Services provides you another secure way to electronically transmit postage statements and supporting documentation. This option enables you or your software vendor to convert mailing information into an XML¹ format that can be transmitted directly to the PostalOne! system. Web Services files are generated from your computer. Data exchange testing with PostalOne! Customer Support is necessary prior to activation. ¹ - eXtensible Markup Language (XML) – language

26. Web Services - Process Send Web Services File PostalOne!® Customer Mailer Presents Mail to USPS Data Available to Mailer for Online Viewing USPS Accesses Information in PostalOne! USPS Accepts and Verifies USPS Deducts Postage

27. Web Services – User Profile Typical mailer: • Uses presort software programs • Mails all volumes • Mails frequently (daily/weekly) However, you must have presort software that has PostalOne! Web Services capabilities or has technology to produce XML outputs. To obtain more information about Web Services you should speak to your mailing software vendor or may contact PostalOne! Customer Support at 1-800-522-9085 to obtain information on how you develop your own Web Services capabilities.

28. Web Services Postage statements that can be submitted using Web Services: • First-Class Mail & Priority Mail - PS Form 3600 • Periodicals - PS Form 3541 • Standard Mail - PS Form 3602 • Package Services - PS Form 3605 Supporting documentation that will be generated: • Qualification Report

29. Web Services - Benefits • Eliminates hard copy postage statements andsupporting documents • Saves preparation time • 24/7 online access to financial information & reports • Reduces wait times at acceptance units since Postal Service employees do not have to manually type in postage statements • Enables mailer to develop own browser “look & feel” • Enables software vendors to provide additional value-added customer software offerings • Postal Service controlled specification that requires no fee for use

30. PostalOne!® Customer Support If you have questions or need additional assistance you may contact PostalOne! Customer Support at 1-800-522-9085

31. Welcome! PostalOne!®Welcomes You To The World Of Electronic Submission

32. Questions & Answers Thank You!