Survey
A survey of more than 294 executives and IT managers
in the high-volume mailing industry shows that 42
percent of respondents are waiting on the
announcements regarding further mailing discounts
from the United States Postal Service (USPS) before
making major purchasing decisions on how to
implement the new Intelligent Mail® Barcode (IMB)
system. The survey was conducted jointly by Pitney
Bowes Group 1 Software and Mailing Systems
Technology, the industry’s leading publication, on
March 18, 2008 as part of a webinar on the business
impact of IMB.
Starting in May 2009, mailers will be required to
use the Intelligent Mail Barcode to earn the
greatest automation discounts on postage, according
to the latest USPS proposal. This barcode will
replace the current POSTNET™ and PLANET® barcodes.
IMB will have a tremendous impact on business
operations depending on whether companies strive to
meet the minimum Intelligent Mail requirements, or
reach for maximum efficiency improvements by making
the most of this mandate to add value to the
mailstream.
The March 2008 survey asked 294 respondents to
provide feedback on current mailing operations and
future plans for Intelligent Mail Barcode
implementation.
Average mailing
volume per year: 23 percent of respondents
handle more than 25 million pieces of mail per
year, and 40 percent handle less than one
million pieces of mail per year. Given the wide
range in annual mailing volumes, the new postal
mandate should offer more options for both large
and small businesses.
• Average spending on mailings: 28
percent of respondents spend more than $5
million on mailings, and 35 percent spend less
than $250,000 annually.
• Intelligent Mail Barcode options: 42
percent of respondents are awaiting future
announcements regarding USPS postal discounts
before deciding on an Intelligent Mail Barcode
option (basic vs. full service). Only nine
percent of respondents plan to continue using
the POSTNET barcode until it is officially
phased out in 2010.
• Timeline for implementation: 39 percent
of respondents will begin Intelligent Mail
Barcode implementation over the next 12 months.
Only six percent do not have plans to implement
Intelligent Mail.
• Biggest benefits outside of mail
operations: The top three business areas
that are expected to benefit from implementation
of the Intelligent Mail Barcode—outside of mail
operations—include marketing (45 percent),
financial (23 percent) and billing (22 percent).
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The results of the survey show that companies are
already thinking about migrating to the new
Intelligent Mail Barcode, but they require more
information and discount incentives to help guide
the investments in the technology that will enable
them to meet the new postal mandate in 2009.
---Source: G1@schwartz-pr.com.
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