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UPDATE: PostalOne/eDoc issues have been resolved. (PostalOne/eDoc is currently experiencing issues!)

According to PostalOne!, the slow performance issue impacting processing times for eDoc submissions has been resolved.  Ticket Incident #4093877 is closed. 

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We have received widespread reports from papers that can’t submit eDoc. USPS has confirmed the issue and is working on it. No known time frame for resolution yet.

Anyone unable to submit eDoc should mail under the contingency plan. Hard-copy postage statements should NOT be submitted to USPS, instead follow the guidelines in the contingency plan.

The PostalOne! Help Desk has issued ticket #4093877 that can be referenced to acceptance staff when mailing.

Some papers have reported local post offices refusing to accept or process mailing without postage statements in their system, which is not a requirement when operating under the contingency plan per Page 4 of the contingency plan as noted below.

FROM PAGE 4 OF THE CONTIGENCY PLAN

Acceptance of mailings during a System Issue or Outage: During a system issue or outage Acceptance units will remain open during normal business hours and continue to accept and process customer mailings. Acceptance employees will follow the steps outlined in Section 3 of this document.

Release of Mailings to Operations: Mailings accepted during a system issue or outage will be released to Operations without delay. Additional details of this process can be found in Section 4 of this document.

See the full contingency plan here: https://postalpro.usps.com/node/852.

Be prepared when electronic documentation (eDoc) fails

The number of newspapers replacing hard copy postage reports with eDoc (Electronic Documentation) continues to grow. Getting started is quicker and easier than ever, and the feedback is overwhelmingly positive among those who have submitted eDoc for a few issues.

Moving to electronic documentation changes more than just how that information is shared, however, and it is imperative that newspapers understand what to do when eDoc stops working. For that reason, and because not all postal employees are well informed yet regarding the contingency plan, Interlink is re-running the following article.

By Brad Hill
President

Abandoning hard copy postage statements in favor of electronic submission offers several advantages to newspapers, not the least of which is welcomed convenience to both publishers and Post Office employees alike.

But what happens when the ‘e’ in eDoc stops working?

Can publishers be assured that the benefits of going electronic aren’t outweighed by some additional risk of having their papers refused or delayed when it’s time to mail? After all, those printed forms have certainly proven to be a reliable medium. Today, I bring you good news, mixed with a word of caution:

THE GOOD NEWS: The Postal Service has developed a contingency plan to ensure acceptance continues when electronic submission becomes unavailable, for mailings that typically send documentation electronically. Better still, this plan places only a minimal burden of recordkeeping on the publisher during the outage.

WORD OF CAUTION: The plan does not appear to be well-understood yet by postal workers at facilities where the use of electronic documentation is minimal. Fortunately, the 10-page document that describes this plan is available for public download on USPS website, which should minimize local push back.

The plan, as it is written, is fairly straightforward: Inform the post office anytime eDoc cannot be sent, log a few details for each postage statement that is missed, and submit the actual postage statements electronically within three days of the system coming back online. Hardcopy postage statements should not be entered when electronic documentation is unavailable, as might be assumed. This is to prevent duplicate postage statements from being entered into PostalOne! for the same mailing once electronic versions are eventually received.

Each mailing entered during the outage must be accompanied by a Customer Mailing Log. The following should be included for each postage statement that normally would have been sent, using one line per postage statement:

* Permit Holder

* Permit Number

* Total Pieces

* Total Postage

* Mailer Job ID

That information can be found on the front page of hardcopy postage statements produced by Interlink Circulation, with the exception of the mailer job ID, which can be any number you choose for tracking purposes.

The contingency plan identifies three scenarios for why electronic documentation might become unavailable:

  1. PostalOne!outage – bugs, maintenance, etc. on USPS end.
  2. Mailer outage – system crash, loss of power or Internet, etc. at your office.
  3. PostalOne! system delayed file transmission – which does not apply to Interlink’s method of sending eDoc; this can be a problem for Mail.Dat users.

 

Except in the case of PostalOne! outages, a ticket must be opened with the PostalOne! Help Desk to inform them when you are unable to submit eDoc. That can be done by calling (800) 522-9085, or sending an email to postalone@usps.gov.

Failure to submit eDoc should not prevent your mail from being entered and processed, even if it’s your fault. Understanding this plan and being ready to share it with your postmaster if necessary is the best way to ensure delivery of your paper isn’t affected when problems arise.

A copy of the PostalOne! External Contingency Plan is available for download here.

Pub Aux Live discussion on practical use of eDoc

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Join Interlink president Brad Hill and NNA Postal Committee chair Max Heath for Pub Aux Live on Thursday, August 13 at 11:00 AM (Eastern).  Discussion will focus on the practical uses of eDoc.

Registration can be completed here with a $30 fee for NNA members and $65 for non-members.

Attention: Interlink Circulation Current eDoc Users

We have recently been informed that USPS PostalOne!® is having issues transferring correct data to postage statements.  USPS PostalOne!® is aware of the issue and is currently working on a solution. Please refrain from electronically submitting your postage report through Interlink Circulation until receiving notification that the issue has been resolved.  

In the meantime, it is perfectly okay for you to provide your Post Office with a printed postage report provided by your Interlink Circulation software.  Thank you for your patience as USPS PostalOne!®  works to resolve this matter.   

Interlink Certified by USPS as eDoc Software Vendor

By Brad Hill
General Manager 

I’m thrilled to announce that Interlink is now certified with the US Postal Service as an authorized vendor of software for submitting eDoc (electronic documentation) via Mail.XML! We also are the first vendor to have a customer authorized to submit eDoc for Periodical mail via Mail.XML.

As a reminder, eDoc allows mailers to submit postage statements and qualification reports to the USPS electronically. This information goes directly into the PostalOne! system, saving the need for printing and hand-delivering pages of required documentation.

Interlink joins six other companies on the certified vendor list and is one of only three certified to submit eDoc via Mail.XML. The others are certified only for use with the Mail.Dat format.

Beta testing currently is underway with several newspapers running Interlink Circulation to ensure success with actual mailings under a variety of scenarios. Once confirmed, we will announce general availability so other publications can begin benefiting from this fantastic new feature.

USPS Non-DDU Drop-site Key Requirement

On Sunday, January 7, the Postal Service updated their requirement for the Non-DDU Drop Site Key. These are now required in order to submit eDoc successfully. If this has not been populated in your list, you will need to do so before you can submit. Please follow these steps in order to add the Non-DDU Drop Site Key to your list configuration:

  1. From the File menu, select Roll back list… which restores from a backup taken just before your most recent issue was closed.
    IMPORTANT: All changes made since the last issue was closed will be lost.
  2. From the File menu, select Configure list…
  3. Under the General tab, at the bottom, you will see a blank box with a box next to it that says “Lookup.” Click this box and the key will populate.
  4. Click the OK button.
  5. Close the issue and submit eDoc as normal.

Mandatory program update for January postal changes

By Brad Hill

Interlink publishes a new version of Circulation every month, but the January 2017 release is particularly important and should be installed immediately when prompted. In addition to the regular updates to mail routing, upcoming version 2.4.20 also includes support for the new postage rates that go into effect this month. Updating will ensure new rates and new postage statements are available for both Periodical and Standard Mail, which are required for use with all mailings dated on or after January 22.

Version 2.4.20 must be installed prior to running ‘Close Issue’ to create labels and other mailing reports for issues mailed under the new rates and forms.

Interlink Circulation uses the date of your mailing to determine whether to use the old postage statements or new ones. Changes to the electronic equivalent (eDoc) of postage statements are also included in the same update.

For most newspapers, the impact of January’s postage rate increase will be minimal, with Periodical Mail costs increasing less than one percent overall. Outside-county sacks and trays carry the bulk of the increase.

Standard Mail is being renamed USPS Marketing Mail, and will see rates increase between two and three percent for flats overall, but closer to one percent for most shoppers. See Max Heath’s article in the January edition of Publishers’ Auxiliary for a chart with and detailed explanation of Marketing Mail rate changes.

As always, please let us know if you have any questions about the upcoming release of Interlink Circulation, or changes to postage rates.

 

Delivery is a proven value added to every newspaper

By William E. (Bill) GarberWilliam Garber
Founder

It is a rare newspaper whose single-copy sales exceed home delivery. Delivery is a tremendous value added to the newspaper. And with this in mind, better delivery just makes sense and dollars, when considering what poor delivery does to subscriber churn.

Delivery is a key reason why community newspapers compete, and compete well, in not only the world of radio and television, but in the crazy, wonderful, everywhere, always-on digital world.

People are increasingly reluctant to turn on a computer or cell phone, find an app, open an app, look at the landing “page” and try to figure out what everyone is or will be reading, and see what’s going on in the news.

Read more …