= Operating and releasing mail at reduced production levels 
= No current production
15 Oct Keeping a Close Eye on First-Class Mail Delivery
By Shelly Anderson
As you may have read from the various postal releases, there has been a great deal of media coverage regarding not only the increasing postage rates on package services and First-Class Mail, but also changes in the current USPS service standards for First-Class Mail and periodicals. These new service standards went into effect October 1st and certain areas of the country may be impacted by potentially adding an additional delivery day to First-Class Mail point-to-point delivery. The good news is the recent factsheet published by the USPS states that most mail will not experience delays.
However, in light of the changes in service standards, at DATAMATX, we plan to independently monitor what the USPS refers to as the “3-digit pairs,” which compares point-to-point delivery times between the USPS SCF areas to determine trends and how it affects mail delivery.
Additionally, we continue to make internal workflow improvements to mitigate any potential USPS mail delivery delays that may impact our customers. This includes (but is not limited to) over $2MM investment in new print technologies in all our production facilities, as well as faster mail technologies for enterprise load balancing and geographic output by production facility. Our CEO, Harry Stephens, is on the board of the National Postal Policy Council, Major Mailers of America, and C21 Mailers, all of which are First-Class Mail lobby groups that are always pushing the USPS for more competitive rates, better reliability, and improved delivery times. Together, with other large mailers that include AT&T, Wells Fargo, State Farm, and Comcast, we work to get in front of the House and Senate Representatives to improve and work on postal issues.
We understand the need for the critical mail that we produce to reach the intended recipients as quickly as possible and we’re working diligently on many fronts to make that happen. In the meantime, any feedback from your team over the next couple of weeks regarding deliverability of mail would be of value to this effort.
If any additional questions come up, please don’t hesitate to contact us! We can also engage our USPS Business Mail Representative should it require further assistance.