On January 8, 2020, the USPS® published proposed rules mandating Seamless Acceptance.
What Is Seamless Acceptance?
Seamless Acceptance utilizes electronic documentation, Intelligent Mail® barcodes (IMbs), eInduction and information from mail processing scans to automate the entry and verification of commercial mailings.
“This has been anticipated for a long time. Mail Service Providers will need to prepare for this by employing process changes and analytics to make sure they are watching their scorecards,” said Angelo Anagnostopoulos, GrayHair Software’s VP of Postal Affairs. “Challenges like Flats weight capture have been temporarily addressed, which was part of the reason for the delay. One time incentives to help fund the transition have not been addressed yet.”
Benefits
Seamless Acceptance provides mailers with several benefits.
- Decreases mail verification cycle time and reduce costs
- Increases mailer flexibility
- Provides near real-time visibility and feedback to promote mail quality
- Ensures consistent mailer experience
Important Dates
Under the USPS proposed rules, here are some important dates to remember:
February 1, 2021 – Participation in Seamless Acceptance for all mailers with an authorized Detached Mail Unit (DMU).
- Mailers with an authorized DMU consistently submitting at least 90 percent Full-Service eligible volume for First-Class Mail™, Periodicals, USPS Marketing Mail™ letters and flats, and Bound Printed Matter (BPM) barcoded flats will have their mailings verified under the Seamless Acceptance Program on February 1, 2021.
March 1, 2020 – Mailers will participate in Seamless Parallel.
- In order to ensure a smooth transition, mailers will first be moved into a “Seamless Parallel” process where the mailer and the USPS will view the results of automated verifications. During this time mailers will continue to be assessed using the manual acceptance and verification processes.
July 1, 2021 – Performance of Seamless Acceptance verifications on all Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU) entered mailings that claim the Full-Service discount.
- BMEU mailers will not be required to enroll in Seamless Acceptance, however, all Full-Service mailings will be verified using the automated verification processes utilized by the Seamless Acceptance program. Current manual verification processes will be retired for Full-Service mailings of First-Class Mail, Periodicals, USPS Marketing Mail letters and flats, and BPM barcoded flats and replaced with the automated processes beginning July 1, 2021.
Beginning July 1, 2021, manual verifications will be retired for all BMEU-entered Full-Service mailings. The Postal Service™ will begin utilizing automated census and sampling verifications for all mailings claiming the Full-Service discount. Postage assessments will be based on the data received through census and sampling verifications for each calendar month. Verification results will be documented on the Mailer Scorecard for each mailer Customer Registration ID (CRID). Non-Full-Service mailings will continue to be accepted and will be verified using traditional manual verifications.
Have questions about Seamless Acceptance and USPS changes? Contact GrayHair’s postal experts today! We help keep you and your business informed and USPS compliant.
To learn more about Seamless Acceptance, visit https://postalpro.usps.com/mailing/seamless-acceptance.