Denver—On Oct. 15 at the National Postal Forum here, the Mailing Industry Task Force recommended several solutions to the problems facing the U.S. Postal Industry. Chief among them, according to Pitney Bowes chairman/CEO Michael Critelli, is the mailing industry’s need to “unite behind postal reform legislation.” Critelli formed the task force in the spring with Deputy Postmaster General John Nolan.
The task force’s recommendations center around three goals: to respond to customer needs, to make the mail channel more competitive, and to unify the mailing industry. The group also recommends one-source access and tracking of all postal financial payments and flexible payment options with Web-based verification and acceptance.
The group also touches on postal rates, which are expected to go up next fall. The group suggests the streamlining of the rate-making process, contract pricing options, and more predictable rate increases.
As for making the mailing industry more competitive, the task force suggests standardizing mail preparation, entry into the postal system, and containerization of mail requirements.
“We’re not looking at really expensive future systems-related solutions,” says Fingerhut Cos. president and task force member Michael Sherman. “We need to look at where we are, work more closely with the USPS, collaborate, be better responsive to customer needs, and make the channel more competitive, and we haven’t done that.”