R Management Instruction Date May 1, 2008 Effective Immediately Number PO-420-2008-1 Obsoletes PO-420-1999-1 Unit Processing Operations Loop Mail Program William P. Galligan, Jr. Senior Vice President Operations Introduction This management instruction (MI) establishes standardized procedures CONTENTS for the identification, isolation, handling, tracking, and prevention of loop Introduction. 1 mail at Post Officest, stations, branches, processing and distribution Purpose. 1 centers/facilities (P&DC/Fs), and bulk mail centers (BMCs). Scope. 1 Definition. 2 Responsibilities. 2 Purpose Headquarters. 2 Processing Operations. 2 Loop mail is mail sent to an incorrect destination as a result of a wrong Delivery Operations. 3 barcode and/or wrong ZIP Codet. If loop mail is left uncorrected in an Customer Service Operations. 3 automated processing environment, it will continue to be sent to the Marketing. 3 wrong address creating needless multiple handlings, increasing trans- Area. 4 portation costs, and adversely impacting service. The causes of loop In-Plant Support. 4 Delivery Programs Support. 4 mail include the following: Marketing. 4 H OCR/RCR miscodes. District. 4 H Wide field-of-view (WFOV) misreads. Business Mail Entry. 4 Senior Plant Manager. 5 H Double-feeds. In-Plant Support. 5 H Remote encoding center (REC) keying errors. Maintenance. 6 H Manually stamped Return-To-Sender (RTS) endorsements. Operations Programs Support. 6 Postmaster/Station Manager. 6 H Inaccurate delivery point data in the Address Management Delivery Units. 7 System (AMS) database. Supervisors Responsibilities. 8 H Incorrect mailer-applied barcodes and/or ZIP Codes. Carrier Responsibilities. 8 Clerk Responsibilities. 9 Processing and Distribution Center/Facility (P&DC/F). 10 Scope Manager, Distribution Operations (MDO) Responsibilities. 10 These procedures are applicable to all Postal Servicet processing and Supervisor, Distribution Operations distribution facilities, customer service facilities, and delivery units. (SDO) Responsibilities. 10 Manual Return to Sender (RTS) Mail. 10 Management Instruction PO-420-2008-1 1 Definitions CONTENTS Loop Mail: Loop mail is mail that has a barcode and/or ZIP Code for an office but the address is not in that office. Detection may occur at a Package Services. 12 carrier case, manual distribution case, box section, firm holdout, a stack- Bulk Mail Centers (BMCs). 12 er on automation, or in a carrier’s Delivery Point Sequence (DPS) mail. International Service Centers. 12 Exhibits. 13 Missent Mail: Missent mail is mail that was sorted to the wrong delivery unit, station, or branch and has a barcode or ZIP code for another office. Missorted Mail: Missorted mail is mail that was sorted to the correct office or zone but received by the wrong carrier for delivery. Missequenced Mail: Missequenced mail is mail that was sorted to the correct carrier route but in the wrong DPS order. Undeliverable As Addressed (UAA): UAA mail is mail that can not be delivered as addressed because the recipient has either moved and filed a change of address order or physical delivery is impossible due to reasons other than a move, such as, illegible writing, refused, attempted not known, and no such street. This mail piece must be processed through the Postal Automated Redirection System (PARS) or Comput- erized Forwarding System (CFS). Mail known as Return to Sender (RTS) mail is included in this definition. Mismatch Mail (MM): MM mail is mail with a POSTNET or ID Tag that differs (mismatch). MM most commonly originates on DBCS-OSS or DBCS equipment from double feeds. Electronic Mail Improvement Reporting System (eMIR): e-MIR is a system that must be used to report customer-prepared mail with bad barcodes and/or ZIP Codes. The system is used when the quantity of improperly prepared mail is sufficient to impact the efficient processing and/or efficient delivery of the mail. Responsibilities Everyone shares the responsibility to identify, isolate, and correctly pro- cess loop mail. The following paragraphs specify the responsibilities for handling loop mail by organization. Headquarters Processing Operations 1. Establishes a National Loop Mail Program that standardizes the procedures for identification, isolation, and handling of loop mail. 2 Management Instruction PO-420-2008-1 2. Provides technical guidance to the field on methods to improve readability and establish guidelines that enhance the coding accuracy of the Advanced Facer Canceller System — Optical Character Reader (AFCS-OCR), Remote Computer Reader (RCR), and Remote Bar Coding System (RBCS). 3. Establishes Web-based reports that analyze key success factors for efficiently identifying and processing loop mail. 4. Provides reporting procedures for using eMIR. Delivery Operations 1. Establishes procedures for the return of loop mail, missent mail, and return to sender mail to the P&DC/F. 2. Ensures that all facilities are aware of the difference between Loop Mail, RTS mail and missent, missorted and missequenced (3M) mail, and the procedures for handling the different categories. 3. Ensures that all facilities are aware of the procedures to retrieve and review daily the Mail History Tracking System (MHTS) reports and that all DPS errors are delivered in a timely manner. Customer Service Operations 1. Establishes procedures for the return of loop mail, missent mail, and return to sender mail to the P&DC/F. 2. Ensures that all facilities are aware of the difference between Loop Mail, RTS mail, and 3M mail and the procedures for handling the different categories. 3. Ensures that all facilities are aware of the procedures to retrieve and review daily the Mail History Tracking System (MHTS) reports and that all DPS errors are delivered in a timely manner. Marketing 1. Establishes acceptance procedures that verify the accuracy of mailer-applied barcodes and ZIP Codes. 2. Establishes precertification programs to ensure that the mailer-applied barcodes and ZIP Codes are accurate. 3. Establishes procedures for approval of Courtesy Reply, Business Reply, and Permit Reply mailpieces to customers. 4. Establishes automation-based rate requirements. 5. Establishes procedures to respond to eMIR reports. Management Instruction PO-420-2008-1 3 Area In-Plant Support 1. Implements loop mail procedures for the Area as described in this MI. 2. Audits processing facilities regularly to ensure compliance with established loop mail procedures. Delivery Programs Support 1. Implements loop mail procedures for the Area as described in this MI. 2. Audits delivery units regularly to ensure compliance with established loop mail procedures. Marketing 1. Monitors and updates, as required, acceptance procedures that verify the accuracy of mailer-applied barcodes and ZIP Codes. 2. Monitors and updates required precertification programs to ensure that mailer-applied barcodes and ZIP Codes are accurate. 3. Provides mailers with the procedures for approval of Courtesy Reply, Business Reply, and Permit Reply mailpieces to customers. 4. Provides mailers with information about automation-based rate requirements. 5. Provides procedures to respond to eMIR reports. District Business Mail Entry 1. Provides the necessary resources to ensure the technical guidance on mail preparation and business mail operational procedures to employees in Business Mail Entry Units (BMEUs) as specified in the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMMr) and Handbook DM-109, Bulk Mail Acceptance. 2. Accepts, verifies, classifies, and computes postage on all classes of domestic and international business mail. 3. Provides seminars for customer groups (e.g., postal customer councils, printers, envelope manufacturers, advertising agencies, presort bureaus, and small business mailers) about proper mailpiece address hygiene, design, and mail preparation. 4 Management Instruction PO-420-2008-1 4. Provides technical assistance, customer contact, and follow-up to resolve mail-quality issues regarding address hygiene and design of the mailpiece that may contribute to loop mail. 5. Assists account representatives and the Business Service Network with premier accounts as necessary to ensure that problems regarding address hygiene and mailpiece design are addressed and explained to the customer. 6. Assists in determining whether missent mail was caught in a loop because of address hygiene deficiencies when it is first determined that the problem is unrelated to directory deficiencies or machine problems. 7. Advises customers on the proper use of Facing Identification Marks (FIMs) and barcodes for Customer Reply Mail (CRM) and Business Reply Mail (BRM) pieces and conducts a review of customer’s mailpiece before going to print. 8. Provides the correct FIM and barcode positive to customers for CRM and BRM after consultation with Address Management. 9. Ensures the accuracy of BRM ZIP+4. Senior Plant Manager 1. Provides the necessary resources to identify and correct potential loop mail distribution problems in the mailstream. 2. Provides the resources necessary to correctly distribute loop mail. 3. Ensures that loop mail is isolated throughout the distribution process until the loop mail is distributed to the correct carrier route. In-Plant Support 1. Develops local loop mail processing and distribution guidelines that conform to this MI. 2. Develops local loop mail processing and distribution operating plans for letters, flats, and FCM/Priority parcels. 3. Supports correction and prevention efforts as requested, including