By Lee Garvey

At Click2Mail, our commitment is to provide you with seamless and effective direct mail solutions. As our services are deeply intertwined with the United States Postal Service (USPS), we want to ensure you are well-informed about upcoming changes that may impact your mail campaigns.

The USPS has announced significant adjustments to its service standards, set to take effect in early April 2025. These changes are part of the USPS’s “Delivering for America” plan, a long-term strategy aimed at modernizing their network and achieving financial sustainability. While the USPS states these changes will ultimately lead to a more efficient and reliable service, we believe it’s crucial for our clients to understand the potential short-term consequences and how to best plan their mailings.

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What are the Key Changes?

The USPS will be implementing these changes in two phases, starting on April 1st, 2025, and continuing on July 1st, 2025. Here’s a breakdown of what you need to know:

  • First-Class Mail: While the overall service standard range for First-Class Mail will remain 1-5 days, there will be some adjustments within this range. The USPS anticipates that approximately 75% of First-Class Mail will maintain its current delivery timeframe. However, around 14% could see faster delivery, while about 11% might experience slightly longer transit times within the existing 1-5 day window.
  • Marketing Mail, Periodicals, and Package Services: Interestingly, the service standard day ranges for end-to-end Marketing Mail, Periodicals, and Package Services are actually being shortened.
  • Focus on Reliability: The USPS emphasizes that these changes are designed to improve overall service reliability.
  • More Precise Standards: The USPS is moving from using 3-Digit ZIP code pairings to a more precise 5-Digit ZIP code model for calculating service standards. This should offer a clearer understanding of expected delivery times based on specific locations.
  • Potential for Varied Transit Times: While the majority of mail will not be significantly impacted, some mail, particularly to or from certain rural areas, might experience slightly longer transit times.

What Does This Mean for Click2Mail Customers?

As a valued Click2Mail customer, these changes could have implications for your mailings:

  • Potential for Slightly Longer Delivery Times: For a portion of First-Class Mail, you might see delivery times shift towards the longer end of the 1-5 day spectrum. This is something to consider when planning time-sensitive mailings.
  • Importance of Strategic Planning: It will be more important than ever to plan your mail campaigns with potential transit time variability in mind. Consider allowing a bit more lead time for your mail to reach its recipients.
  • Leveraging USPS Tools: The USPS has indicated they will be providing tools, such as an updated API and potentially an interactive map, to help mailers understand expected delivery times based on origin and destination ZIP codes. We encourage you to utilize these resources as they become available.
  • Click2Mail’s Commitment: Rest assured, Click2Mail will continue to monitor these changes closely and adapt our processes as needed to ensure we provide you with the most efficient mailing options. We will also keep you informed of any further updates from the USPS.

What Can You Do?

  • Stay Informed: Keep an eye on updates from Click2Mail and the USPS regarding these service standard changes.
  • Plan Ahead: For critical mailings, consider sending them out with a slightly larger buffer time to account for potential transit variability.
  • Utilize C2M Tracing Data: Click2Mail retrieves IMb data for every one of your mailpieces and stores it with your job record. Reviewing and analyzing actual transit and delivery times can provide specifics about service standards and any variances from expectations. Make sure to utilize this feature to improve planning and advance scheduling.
  • Contact Us: If you have any specific concerns about how these changes might affect your upcoming campaigns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our customer support team. We are here to help you navigate these adjustments.

Click2Mail remains dedicated to providing you with reliable and effective postal mail services. We understand that changes within the postal system can raise questions, and we are committed to keeping you informed and supporting your mailing needs through this transition. We believe that by working together and staying informed, we can continue to leverage the power of mail to achieve your business goals.

Thank you for your continued partnership with Click2Mail.

Stay tuned for further updates!

The Click2Mail Team

Lee Garvey

About Lee

Lee Garvey is the founder of Click2Mail, a pioneering platform in cloud-based direct mail automation since 2003. Under his leadership, Click2Mail has become a trusted USPS partner, helping thousands of businesses streamline their mailing processes and effectively bridge the gap between digital and physical marketing.