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by Richard W. Pavely, MSE, CQA
Without realizing it, in 1647, Baltasar Gracian may have been referring to contemporary mail services when he said, “We often have to put up with the most from those on whom we most depend.” His 17th century sentiment has 21st century application regarding the relationship between mail service organizations and those who depend on mail services. And, one way to improve that relationship is by eliminating the source of some common complaints.
Drawing from my inventory of consulting assignments, which always includes some customer interviews, I’ve assembled the top 10 frequently asked questions or issues posed by core business operatives concerning mail services. The answers provided here may not apply to your particular situation; but then again, they could put you on the trail toward an improved relationship with those that provide this critical service.
- I don’t agree with what the mail center is telling me about postal regulations on a particular topic. It just doesn’t sound right to me. How can I research the facts in this matter without causing trouble? Without question, the very best source for definitive answers to postal regulation questions is the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) and the International Mail Manual (IMM) published by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). The DMM and the IMM are viewable and printable online from www.usps.com or as part of the Complete Postal Library (CPL) subscription from www.windowbook. com. In addition, every postal business customer has an assigned USPS account representative. Although the account rep may be accustomed to dealing with your mail center, it’s possible for others to seek his advice and assistance on postal matters.
- Every time the mail delivery person drives through our area with the mail cart, it sounds terrible. This incredibly common annoyance arises because the mail center supervisors rarely accompany the delivery clerks. If they did, they would readily conclude that the mail cart requires periodic maintenance, just like any other office equipment. The solution is as simple as a spray can of WD-40.
- We keep getting mail for people who left the company years ago. Why can’t the mail center stop that from happening? The only effective way to stop unwanted mail is for some member of the receiving organization to take positive action to notify the sender. It doesn’t matter who writes the notification order, only that notification occurs. The receiving department administrator is the best choice for this task. World-class mail centers will perform this as a service, provided they’re given sufficient information and authority to act.
- Every now and then, nearly every member of our department gets a certain catalog and many of the same conference announcements that I know the department members don’t read. Isn’t there any way to stop that? Here again, publishers will continue to blanket your department using the names they have on file until someone notifies them to the contrary. Clip the mailing labels, and send them along with a notification letter to the senders. Postage and printing costs are much higher now, so these notification efforts are achieving far greater success.
- Why is it that whenever we get mail for people not in our department and we send the mail back to the mail center, about half the time it comes back again? In the mail processing world, this is known as “loop mail.” Looping often occurs with interoffice mail if the error associated with the returning piece isn’t highlighted in some way. If there are no distinguishing markings, the returning piece is again sorted along with new incoming mail and zooms right back to the wrong place. World-class mail centers provide special return envelopes to ensure proper attention, research, and redirection.
- Why is it that we can’t place stamped personal mail in the outbox? Seems like a simple thing to me. It is simple, and many mail centers provide this as an extra service. But, for those mail centers that don’t, the reasons for refusing are varied and justified. Top among them is a proper concern over meeting the department commitment to meter and submit all outbound company mail on time. Stamped personal mail requires an extra culling step, often occurring right at the busiest period of the day. Alternative solutions: Install a separate mail slot at the mail center for personal mail only. Or if your population is large enough, ask the USPS to place a blue collection box somewhere convenient.
- How come, if the express carriers promise delivery by 10:30 a.m., we don’t get our packages until after 1:00 p.m.? As an individual receiver, you should understand that your incoming express item arrived along with scores or even hundreds of other equally important express items. The mail center is responsible for receiving, logging in, sorting, and delivering all the express items, a task that gets increasingly difficult with large organizations and widely dispersed groups of receivers. If your mail center receives more than 50 accountable items per day and they’re still relying on manual record keeping, then it may be time for them to upgrade to any one of several excellent cost-effective mail-tracking systems.
- My pay stub arrives at home with an out-of-state postmark. Isn’t that a clear sign that the mail center is attempting to save money somehow while our checks get sent off to a consolidator? An out-of-state postmark on mail sent to your home by your employer is not unusual and may be evidence of accelerated treatment instead of a suspected delay. If your company is using a mail consolidator or presort service bureau, then it’s getting a postage discount. The service bureau is then sorting that mail to a finer level and probably submitting it at a higher level within the postal system. The finer sortation coupled with the bulk submission puts that mail on the fast track, as opposed to a routine submission to a local post office.
- Every now and then, the newspaper that gets delivered to my boss early in the morning is really smelly. How could that happen? This is no joke, it actually happens. Smelly mail or more frequently smelly newspapers and packages occur as a result of having traveled in mail hampers shared with your local food service organization. Mail hampers, like the familiar white plastic mail buckets, are frequently misused, especially if they’re left unattended on loading docks. In a rush, food service personnel will commandeer large canvas, wheeled mail hampers to haul trash and garbage to the dock. Later, when that same hamper is properly used to transport mail, the odor is transferred.
- I missed the last pickup a few days ago on an important outbound envelope, yet I was told that the last pickup would occur much later than it did. When I called the mail center, I was told something entirely different, although I didn’t speak to the supervisor. It doesn’t seem like there’s any consistency or official position on this important service offering. What is the correct action on a problem like this? Every mail center should either publish or post the details concerning their service offerings, including pickup and drop-off times. Some mail centers are squeamish about committing to things in writing. Others publish the times but rarely adhere to them. If your mail center can’t or won’t define the service levels to be expected, then you’re both in trouble. Mail service manuals are widely used and are now being replaced by mail service Web pages on the internal network. This is an easy problem to solve, once the right level of management is aware of the condition
Another adage worth noting: It isn’t smart to bite the hand that feeds you. If you have issues with the mail center in your firm, don’t take it out on the mail clerks. They merely execute a service plan established by management and are usually unable to affect any changes in your behalf. It’s far better to deal with the supervisor or manager in private. One young and very busy associate at a major New Jersey law firm articulated a winning strategy for those situations: “Being nice to the mail center [staff] increases the chances for better service; being nasty only assures that your service will be marginal at best.”
Richard W. Pavely, MSE, is a Certified Quality Auditor (CQA). He can be reached at 973/989-0229 or via e-mail at rpavely@cmmcinc.com.
