Have you noticed your mail taking longer than you thought was normal? You might have been correct. On October 1, 2021, the United States Postal Service announced that the delivery standard for First-Class Mail® would get longer, not shorter. In the past, First-Class Mail took between one to three days depending on destination. Now, the Postal Service will have up to five days to deliver those important mail pieces anywhere in the United States. That’s everything from letters, postcards, envelopes, invoices, bills, and tax documents! The changes may also slow down the delivery of some newspapers, magazines, and other periodical publications. This slowdown directly impacts the mail workflows of businesses and mail service providers. Look at the top 5 takeaways for mailers:
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Big impact on critical First-Class Mail invoices, resulting in degradation of cash flow
Solution: You may be able to get your communications out in 80% less time, resulting in shorter DSO.
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Long distances = Longer delivery times that will impact timely delivery of your critical mail pieces.
Solution: Make sure to prepare mail with automation so you eliminate delays and improve cash flow.
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Next-day delivery is for local, presorted mail only
Solution: Eliminate manual pre-processing of invoices, statements, and other First-Class Mail to ensure these critical communications are completed on schedule.
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New cut-off for 2-Day mail delivery
Solution: Use an automation-enabled process so you don't add unnecessary time to your delivery schedule.
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Greatest impact on the timely delivery of invoices & statements
Solution: Use one automated process resulting in postal optimization that ensures faster delivery of critical documents.
Mail has slowed down because the Postal Service has lengthened the delivery standards. That’s the amount of time your mail will be in transit. So why is that happening? Well, the way the Postal Service transports mail has changed. To make the 3-day delivery standard in the past, the USPS relied on a combination of air transportation and truck delivery. Now most of the mail, including packages, are being delivered by truck. That creates an immediate slowdown for mail delivery. Mail that needs to move coast-to-coast or reach remote locations will be affected the most. The changes in services, delivery standards and other guidelines are a result of the 10-year plan for the USPS from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.