Let Wood Software print your utility bills and save time, money and effort; while greatly improving the delivery efficiency of the USPS.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) must perform two major steps in the delivery of postcard type utility bills.
- First the postcards pass through a Multi-line Optical Character Reader (MLOCR). The MLOCR reads the printed address and prints a Post net type barcode on each piece.
- Second the postcards pass through a Delivery Barcode Sorter (DBCS). The DBCS physically sorts the postcards by zip code; utilizing the Post net barcode printed by the MLOCR.
Wood Software has developed the ability to consolidate utility bills from anywhere in the United States, over the internet, from utility companies that utilize Microsoft Windows operating systems. By utilizing CASS certified software Wood Software can deliver utility bills to the Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU) that are machine ready for step two (DBCS), completely bypassing the need for step one; thus eliminating the need for the postcards to physically pass through the MLOCR system. Eliminating the MLOCR step greatly increases the efficiency of processing the mail and eliminates much of the wear and tear to the postcard normally associated with the MLOCR processing.
Wood Software is able to interface with most utility billing software for printing purposes. If the computer operating system is Microsoft Windows then the utility company already has the ability to produce a data file that can be sent over the Internet to allow remote printing of utility bills.
This is what Wood Software can do, for the price of a postcard stamp, $0.28:
- Pay the postage.
- Provide the billing forms.
- Provide the labor to print the bills.
- Provide the printer and the ink to print the bills.
- Deliver the bills to the BMEU here in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
- Use CASS certified software to confirm the validity of the address data.
- Group the bills by zip code.
- Print the Post net barcode on the bills.
- Print the bills using multi colors.
- Place customer’s logo on the bills.
Bills go out the same day or the next day, depending upon time received.
The utility company may no longer need a local Postal Permit.
Utility companies that can benefit the most from the CASS system:
- Any company that has had a problem with postcards being mangled or destroyed in the mail system. (Wood Software bypasses the step that is, most usually, responsible for destroyed postcards.)
- Any company that currently uses envelopes for their utility bills. (Postage for a postcard is much less than postage for an envelope.)
- Any company that averages less than 500 utility bills per month. (There are no postage discounts for less than 500 postcards. Wood Software can combine billings of several utility companies into one batch that will qualify for discounts. Wood Software passes a portion of those savings to the utility company by providing postcard stock, printer and ink, labor to print and deliver postcards, plus all the benefits of CASS.)
The USPS has invested tremendous amounts of time, money and energy into developing the whole CASS system. CASS has the potential to greatly improve the productivity of the USPS. Improved productivity will result in lower cost of operation. Lower cost of operation could, in theory, result in lower postage rates, in reality, at least decrease the frequency of postal rate hikes.
Combine the CASS offerings of the other software vendors with the offerings of Wood Software Inc and 100 percent implementation of CASS is something that the Utility Billing Industry can implement today. I would like to see the Utility Billing Industry become the leaders in CASS Implementation.
Internet access is required.
Click
here to view a sample billing card.
Thanks,
Gene Wood
Wood Software, Inc.
Gene@woodasp.net
Ph: (870) 935-2308, fax:
(870) 935-0702 |
