The paperless office, this idea and concept has been around for years but getting the concept to apply to USPS Certified Mail may be another thing.

Now You Can – Go Green with USPS Certified Mail & Electronic Return Receipt

The Paperless Office concept has been around for years but getting the concept to actually stick is another thing.  Many offices are filled with high speed copiers, printers and fax machines, and yes that friendly USPS letter carrier continues to bring us more paper each day.

It seams impossible to be entirely paperless in todays workplace. I am frequently asked by prospective clients how they can eliminate those old fashioned Green Cards and still have the legal proof their Certified letter was delivered.  This is when I introduce them to the Electronic Return Receipt that is included with each of our Certified Mail Envelopes.  It allows you to access your mailing, in-route tracking and Certified Letter delivery tracking information electronically through our online web based Certified Mail Electronic Tracking & Delivery Confirmation (ETC) service.  You can access 24/7 all of your Certified Mail tracking and delivery history for 7 years.  Print what you need when you need it.  No more lost green cards.  You no longer need to bury yourself under a mountain of USPS green card papers and forms .  Instead each letter and print the Electronic proof of mailing or delivery confirmation and Signatures records recorded by USPS on demand. 

Our web based Certified Mail Envelopes automation provides you ‘custom search fields’ to quick track and print your data.  Use a custom account number, reference ID  or  unique ID to quickly find each letter.  This links your USPS Certified Mail letter with your unique customer information and can help you find information quickly – on demand. When you are ready to track your letters, just use the search box in our web software to see your letter has been delivered by USPS or if perhaps it has been refused. 

Look at the benefits of going green:

•  Saves time and money on the cost of paper, printing, print cartridges.
•  Labor savings, you no longer need to file each proof of mailing and delivery record
•  Reduced storage space because your records are electronically stored online
•  Unlike paper records, electronic records can’t be misplaced in the mail stream and lost.

Myrna Brown is President of Certified Mail Envelopes, Inc. a company that specializes in compliance mailings and automated USPS Certified Mail solutions.  To learn more about automating your compliance letters, and ’Going Green’ with USPS Certified Mail call us.  Or sign up for the ‘free trial’ at Certified Mail Envelopes and Go-Green.

If you mail a letter USPS Certified Mail the Post Office provides the mailer with (2) mail receipts.  The first certified mail receipt is many times described as ‘proof-of-acceptance’ this is a receipt from the Post Office that they accepted your letter on a specific date and time to prove your letter was mailed.  The second is referred to as ‘proof of delivery’ 

When you mail a Certified Mail letter you may need proof that you mailed the letter timely as well as evidence of delivery (to whom the mail was delivered and date of delivery), along with information about the recipient’s actual delivery address.. 

Certified Mail forms are available free from the local Post Office.  If you are mailing more than 3 items USPS suggests using a ‘firm sheet’ or manifest (PS-Form 3877).  This special certified mail receipt is printed using computer software and was designed to help large volume mailers that send lots of USPS Certified Mail.  The software insures the USPS Certified Mail article number is correctly listed with the accurate delivery address for each recipient with the unique article number for each piece of Certified Mail.  Additionally all USPS special service fees including the certified rates and costs, first class postage and additional endorsements are correct according to USPS standards.

When you take your letters or articles to the Post Office window clerk or Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU) make sure they round stamp (date stamp) and sign the firm sheet or PS-3877 manifest. This becomes your receipt and legal proof of mailing and acceptance of your letter into the USPS mail stream.

No other paper receipt will be provided by USPS unless you are using the Electronic Return Receipt that provides electronic tracking and delivery confirmation service.

Other Related Certified Mail Questions:
What happens is my Certified Mail Letter is not delivered?
How can I get proof I the Certified Mail letter was delivered
How can I get proof I mailed a Certified Mail letter

To learn more about USPS Certified Mail automation contact Certified Mail Envelopes at 800-406-1792, sign up for the free trial and get 2 Certified Mail Envelopes with Electronic Return Receipt to try for free.

The traditional Certified Mail forms available from any Post Office includes USPS forms PS-3800 and forms PS-3811 the Domestic Return Receipt (Green Card) that is to be completed and affixed to each Certified Mail letter.  The sender can hand print the address of the recipient and your return address on both USPS cards then apply the sticker of the Certified Mail tracking number onto both copies. The USPS forms are then affixed to the outside of the envelope and proper postage is placed on the envelope $5.54.

A semi-automated laser form allows you to use software to address then print a  label. The process was nicknamed ‘peal and stick’ because each label has to be carefully pealed from the adhesive then stuck on to each envelope.  This process is very time consuming and requires human labor to properly affix the forms, and match up the tracking codes then file the return receipt green cards.  On average, one person can complete 6 letters per hour using this type of process.

Due to changing economic times USPS Certified Mailings are on the increase. Today companies that use to send 10 or 20 letters a month are now sending dozens if not hundreds of letters weekly. Compliance mailings have increased for the financial and investment sector. It’s truly a sign of hard times for many companies and individuals. 

Today businesses are seeking faster, easier and automated ways to send USPS Certified Mail.  According to Myrna Brown – Senior Vice President at Certified Mail Envelopes, everyone wants to automate the process.  This is the service we provide… a fast and easy way to automate and send USPS Certified Mail that provides compliance information including Certificates of Mailing, delivery confirmation, Signatures and more. Our automation provides our clients the ability to print USPS Certified Mail bar codes, calculate postage amounts, Electronic Return Receipts, Signatures, tracking and delivery reports that are stored for 7 years in an off-site data warehouse.  Everything is web-based and can be accessed 24/7 365 and printed to your local printer as needed.

Certified Mail Envelopes is USPS approved and uses a patented system and Certified Mail Envelope to interface with USPS, address the letter, calculate postage, print bar codes, track-store and print delivery confirmations including Signatures for compliance mailings. 

No labels, stickers or forms are used.  No more Green Cards that get lost and are difficult to file.  The automated process uses a special Certified Mail Envelope that works with the free web software and Electronic Return Receipt. Most letters weighing less than 1 ounce cost just $3.24 plus the $1.55 Certified Mail Envelope cost that includes Electronic Return Receipt.  This price beats the $5.54 postage costs most companies are still paying today to send a USPS Certified Mail letter today – not to mention all the internal administration time and material costs associated with the process.

Certified Mail Envelopes is helping companies of all sizes go green and get automated!  The are always available to consult companies about integration and provide enterprise solutions to address, track and print USPS Certified Mail with Electronic Return Receipts (Green Cards) and Signatures.

The company provides business mailers and mail houses an automated process to mail tens of thousands of USPS Certified Mail letters in what’s called a ‘Light Out’ process to automatically complete  each step of sending USPS Certified Mail and provide proof of mailings, letter tracking, delivery confirmation with Signatures without using any certified mail forms.

To learn more about Automating USPS Certified Mail contact Myrna Brown at Certified Mail Envelopes at 800-406-1792.

Today  USPS is a government owned and run agency in the United States responsible for delivering mail. USPS is among the earliest Government run businesses based in Washington, D.C. and retains what some consider a monopoly when delivering letters and messages to your mail box. Through USPS, people may send letters, packages, Certified Mail, and business letters  to almost any delivery address in the United States.

Recently you may have noticed a new bar code appearing on the face of your letter or parcel.  It is called the Intelligent Mail Barcode, popularly known as IMB is really a brand new tracking and automated process to assist that can be used to help soft and track USPS Mail. It combines older Planet Signal barcodes and the POSTNET barcode into 1 unique type of barcode capable of providing more information.

Numerous USPS IMB bar codes were used to identify a variety USPS products and services like First Class, Certified Mail, Certified Mail Electronic Return Receipt, Certified Mail Restricted Delivery, Priority Mail, Express Mail, Media Mail, Third Class and others. The bar codes assist USPS understand the services related to each product line and the delivery importance they provide.

 Certified Mail Envelopes provides the web site and online process to address and track USPS Certified Mail with Electronic Return Receipt and proof of mailing and proof of letter delivery. This process is an example of how Intelligent Mail Barcodes are used on the USPS Certified Mail letters. The new Intelligent Mail Barcodes are effective to provide entry and in-route letter tracking scans from the United States Postal Service mailings. It is ideally suited for business required to complete compliance mailings and provide proof or mailing, track letter deliveries and is even used to confirm delivery and used by telephone call center operators to assist customers with support or assistance. Companies like Certified Mail Envelopes, Inc. can provide turn-key solutions for in-house mailers, letter shops, law firms, financial service companies and others. Another option is to use Send Certified Mail; they provide same day printing and mailing of compliance letters fast, easy. They also use the new Intelligent Mail Barcode for inbound letters that USPS cannot deliver for a variety of reasons. Many are marked Undelivered, Return To Sender, or Refused. Send Certified Mail electronically scans the exterior of the envelope when it is returned and provides their clients with an electronic log showing the USPS acceptance, in-route delivery tracking, attempted USPS delivery scans and then the Return To Sender or ‘Refused’ message from each mailing. 

Today many companies have increased USPS Certified Mail processing and storing the records electronically is not only a Green thing to do, it just makes good business sense.

Purchasing automated USPS Certified Mail supplies or outsourcing your USPS Compliance letter printing to a specialty supplier can save your company time and money.  Additional benefits include faster letter deliver due to the automated preparation and Intelligent Mail Barcodes used by the Post Office to deliver your letters. Additionally, outsourcing permits your staff to reduce in-house work loads.

To learn more about automating your USPS Certified Mail with Return Receipt Requested and Signatures contact Certified Mail Envelopes or Send Certified Mail.  These are two companies that can help you automate your next compliance or Certified Mail project. Everything you need to send USPS Certified Mail including Intelligent Mail Barcode, online web software access, CASS, entry paperwork, postage calculator, batch address list upload, Electronic letter tracking, Electronic Return Receipt, USPS Signature PDF’s and long term storage (7 years) of your records is available.

Manifest for USPS Certified Mail -  Firm Sheet Form 3877

If three or more Certified Mail letters are mailed at the same time, you will need to provide Form 3877 called a Firm Sheet or manifest.  Our 3877 is computer-generated and contains the same information as Form 3877 that is approved by the local postmaster.  We suggest having the firm sheet or manifest round-date stamped and signed by the USPS acceptance person. This serves as your proof of letter acceptance to the Postal Service. This report becomes your receipt of mailing. Any alterations made to this report must be initialed by the mailer and accepting USPS employee. All unused portions of the addressee column must be obliterated with a diagonal line.

Proof of Mailing: This USPS approved Manifest has also been called the Firm Book or Firm Sheet.  This manifest details each letter you are mailing, postage and USPS Certified Mail Special Service fees.

 In Route Certified Mail Letter Tracking:   

Tracking-USPS-Certified-Letter

 Proof of Delivery – Electronic Return Receipt:

Electronic-Return-Receipt-ERR-USPS-Certified-Mail

USPS Signature Image: 
USPS provides a PDF file displaying to you an image from each mailing who signed for the letter when it was delivered.  You may purchase Signatures before or after your mailing.  Buying the signature after the mailing allows you to buy any images you need or you may purchase all the images at the time of mailing.

PDF-Signature-Confirmation-USPS-Certified-Mail

The USPS Certified Mail special service rate may increase $0.15 cents per letter to cost $2.95.  Additionally each old fashioned green card Return Receipt is proposed to increase another $0.10 cents per letter costing $2.40.  The Return Receipt Electronic Signature will jump $0.05 per letter to cost $1.15.  Additionally each letter must have USPS First Class postage that is proposed to increase $0.02 from $0.44 to $0.46 cents per letter starting January 2011.

USPS Mail Service	Current Cost	Proposed Increase	Proposed 2011 Rate
Certified Mail	$ 2.80	+ $0.15	$ 2.95
Green Card Return Receipt	$ 2.30	+ $0.10	$ 2.40
Return Receipt Electronic (PDF)	$ 1.10	+ $0.05	$ 1.15
First Class Postage	$ 0.44	+ $0.02	$ 0.46
Total Cost using Green Card			$5.84
Total Cost using Certified Mail Envelopes with ERR			$4.56

Other 2011 USPS Certified Mail Postal Rate Increases include the After Mailing cost to purchase the Return Receipt Electronic Signature.  This cost is proposed to increase $0.25 to $4.85 per letter.  USPS said the new postal rates must go up to help cover a potential $7 billion loss projected in 2011.  Each additional ounce of weight would also increase from 17 cents to 18 cents.

The USPS must prove “exceptional or extraordinary circumstances” in order for the new Postal Rate Increase in 2011 to the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) to approve prices above the rate of inflation.  The PRC will approve the request if it finds pricing above CPI to be “reasonable and equitable and necessary.” The country continues to work through the worst recession since the 1930s. Key business customers have been devastated and have withdrawn from using the mail: credit card companies, financial institutions, real estate companies, retailers.

USPS mail volume has plummeted by more than 25.6 billion pieces, or 12.7 percent, in one fiscal year. Total volume stands at 177 billion pieces.  USPS First-Class Mail is the highest revenue contributor to the Postal Service bottom line and also the fastest volume decline.

Mail volume in general has declined at a higher rate than it did following the terrorist attacks of 9/11. More and more Americans are switching to electronic alternatives, further eroding a dwindling customer base. The Postal Service seeks to balance its financial challenges against the needs of its customers through a moderate increase and to gradually increase some prices to improve their financial performance while mitigating the effect on customers.

Experts believe future price increases can be greatly alleviated if the Postal Service was deregulated and became more competitive  or given the tools necessary to be a more flexible, customer-focused: change delivery frequency, restructure the pre-payment of retiree health benefits and expand access to products and services that are more convenient to customers.

Included in this new proposal is stopping delivery of mail service on Saturday.  A significant USPS price increase is under consideration that will impact 2011 USPS Postal Rates & mailing costs including special services mail like USPS Certified Mail. This includes many of the USPS Special Services that include USPS Certified Mail with Return Receipt Requested service, USPS Certified Mail Restricted Delivery, and USPS Registerd Mail.  

For many consumers the initial focus or cost of mailing a First Class letter may appear to be increasing $0.02 per letter, however due to many new financial and regulatory requirements in banking, health care and lending the cost of sending compliance letters by USPS Certified Mail in 2011 could be much higher.