Admin Corner

Like some of you, I actively participate in several other non PB forums.

One especially has contributed to my working knowledge for that subject but can only be described as "meh". It's a little uninspiring; there are the masses, and then what appears to be a half dozen administrators. You eventually get to know everyone, and have a sense of how long they've been around, how accurate their information is. It's a great resource, but I treat it more like Wikipedia than a community, I only go there when I have a question, not when I can answer someone else's.

Then there's another forum I participate in, equally useful for finding answers, but my secret thrill in that forum is being notified when I rank up due to my participation. Everyone likes a little recognition, and some days, that email notification letting me know I've ranked up is enough for me. In this other forum too, I have a better sense of who's been around, who I can trust to answer my questions. I find myself going to offer suggestions on things I've learned, and there's just an overall better sense of community that I really respond to.

I've been looking at our ranking structure on our forums. I think we could do better, some of the names a little dry, perhaps (New Contributor, Contributor, Regular Contributor) and don't even begin to capture the significance of all that you do and the benefits you provide for others on the forums.

So I'm making my personal appeal to you. Please post your suggestions as to more inspiring rank names or even the types of behaviors that you want recognized in the forums (receiving a kudo, having an approved solution, asking a question, posting a response). You all make this forum a dynamic place to be, and I want to make sure you receive the recognition you deserve.

We've recently added a new PB specialist to the Software and Web Applications Forum to help answer some of your sticky questions. I've asked Beau (PB-BeauF) to tell us a little bit about himself.

I have been with Pitney Bowes since April 2011. I started in the Supply Line and now work with Software Support. I enjoy supporting PB Software and when I'm not at work I spend the majority of my free time reverse engineering hardware and software to learn as much about every gadget I can get my hands on.

Please join me in welcoming Beau.

Pitney Bowes is celebrating its 92nd anniversary on Monday, April 23rd. I hope you enjoy checking out some of the other things that happened that day in history. Being a voracious reader, I'm fascinated by the bit on William Shakespeare, having a sense of humor, I love the cheesy pre JibJab animations. Happy weekend all.

In today's guest blog, Kathleen Ryan Mufson with Corporate Citizenship at Pitney Bowes shares her thoughts on the recent Family Literacy Night at the Stepping Stones Children Museum in Norwalk, CT.

I’m a big fan of Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa cookbooks. I particularly take note whenever she includes the descriptor ‘good’ in the listing of ingredients – ‘use a good olive oil’, ‘good wine’ or ‘good chocolate’. In other words, if you want a successful and delicious result, choose your ingredients with care. This advice carries over into many aspects of life. I can think of no better example than the spectacular Family Literacy Night event at the Stepping Stones Children Museum in Norwalk, CT on Thursday, April 5th.

Our recipe for success included really good ‘ingredients’:

• Reading Is Fundamental (RIF)- the largest children’s literacy organization in the U.S.
• Stepping Stones Museum for Children – an organization dedicated to nurturing creative play and learning
• Pitney Bowes volunteers – employees who are passionate about their commitment to community service
• Pitney Bowes Foundation – a private foundation focused on literacy and education and helping to close the achievement gap

The result was a high-energy, perfectly planned community event that engaged more than a thousand attendees. This was a record attendance for the museum’s monthly Open Arms program– a wonderful community initiative that lets families enjoy the museum's award-winning interactive exhibits and educational programs regardless of financial, language or special needs barriers.

 

At Thursday’s event, Pitney Bowes employees, sporting light blue, ShareThe Message: READ! t-shirts led multiple arts & crafts projects, read stories and helped serve dinner. For everyone, the icing on the cake was the opportunity to participate in the book giveaway table, ensuring that each and every child chose a new RIF book of their own to take home.

 

Norwalk Mayor Richard Moccia and Congressman Jim Himes were on hand to support the effort and congratulate RIF, Stepping Stones and the dedicated PB volunteers for creating such a needed and meaningful event for the community. By the end of the evening, with kids and adults smiling from ear to ear, it was apparent that the best part of any recipe is the good time had by all. 

 

What a great way to kick-off Global Volunteer Month at Pitney Bowes and the Share The Message: READ! Literacy program (rif.org/pb)

 

http://www.itsrelevant.com/content/9865/Area_Employees,_Politicians_Promote_Literacy_?ref=qmf10j

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pbcorp/sets/72157629754783163/with/7050900899/

A few of my favorite communication principles picked up in college from Comm 101:

• Speak up, but be respectful
• Be brief
• Find someone else who can relate

Although I'm a learned extrovert with a somewhat odd (re: inappropriate) sense of humor, these three principles speak to my inner introvert. I have to smile when I see us ready to launch new features on the Forums, and think, "Hey that's great, I'm not the only introvert". My biggest suggestion for participating in the Forums: Don't keep quiet. Ever. If you're not the type to question or respond, but still like utilizing the shared knowledge we have here, I want to make sure you know, your voice is important too.

You'll notice a few changes below. First is the Me too button. This is great for giving feedback when you want to make sure that we understand you are going through exactly the same thing. A little bit different than a Kudo, which could indicate something's well written, or you agree with. Me too is more of an explicit, well, me too!

Another difference you'll see is a more dynamic Kudo button which has moved from underneath the username, to the right hand side, right next to the reply.

So please, keep giving us your feedback, posting your questions, answering each other. If you feel like bellowing out Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! with all the breath in your lungs, go right ahead. If you're a little bit more subdued and want to show your agreement through use of a Me too or redesigned Kudo, even better.

I'm happy to announce that we have two new PB specialists joining the group. Nicholas and Steve will be active in the Software and Web Applications Forum, helping to fill in the gaps to some of your unanswered questions. They've been chosen for this based on the exceptional skill they've shown helping customers, and I know they'll be bringing a lot of value here. I've asked them to tell us a little bit about themselves, enjoy

PB-NicholasN

Hello All, I am a Pitney Bowes employee with the Software support team in Appleton Wisconsin. I have been employed by Pitney Bowes for well over a year now and must admit, I enjoy the work I do. I have been in my software support role long enough to know that technology does not always play nice. I have been the frustrated customer on the phone and I have also provided support to frustrated customers as well. Being on both ends of the lines have helped me to discover that the saying “Knowledge will set you free” is often all too true. When you can’t find me supporting Pitney Bowes products, or providing the best support ever!, you can find me outside playing softball or walking my dog.  

PB-SteveP

I admire people who have the strength of conviction to do what is right. I'm in love with this story right now, and especially like this line from former Goldman Sachs executive Greg Smith who resigned yesterday due to a conflict between his employer and his own ethical beliefs:

"People who care only about making money will not sustain this firm — or the trust of its clients — for very much longer."

I'm reminded of something a friend of mine shared. Her son is a sweet boy with various developmental issues. For Valentine's Day, she designed a bookmark with the following picture and note (and treat, of course) for his class:

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY
Thanks for being my friend! Everyone likes to feel accepted and loved! Maybe you said HI or you asked me for a high five and waited for me to give it to you. Thanks!

I can't read and I may never be able to, but I know if I could, I would read lots! So I hope you like this book mark and I hope when you see me you will remember that EVERY ONE has worth! Everyone one can be a friend!

Love,
NW

While the gist of the Goldman Sachs article was focused on Goldman Sachs losing sight of the value of customers, I think it's a pretty accurate reflection of society. By focusing on perfection, money, our need to impress, whatever it is, we lose sight of seeing the value of the individual. What a fantastic reminder: Continue to see the value in people, no matter what they can do for you.

Angel Peoples, with External Communications at Pitney Bowes, has agreed to be today's guest blogger as she reflects on the importance of global diversity and inclusion.

When I read the day’s news to stay abreast of trends and stories that may impact my company, I am drawn to stories that call attention to social issues, such as the recent opposition to Ellen DeGeneres being named spokesperson for retail giant JC Penny’s.

Since being hired to represent the retail giant, DeGeneres has faced growing opposition by a social activist groups angered by the company’s decision to hire a “non-conventional” representative to support the “traditional” family-oriented brand due to, DeGeneres sexual orientation.

While many have taken to the blogs in outrage of DeGeneres treatment recently and in support of the company, I pondered the country’s attitude towards diversity. We have made monumental advancements; however we can no long ignore the fact that more needs to be done in building awareness around the importance of diversity & inclusion.

 

I was encouraged to see a retail giant stand firm behind their its decision to support, DeGeneres and spoke volumes to their its commitment as a leader and supporter of a brand that supports diversity & inclusion.

 

This controversy is timely, coming off the heels of the recent Global Diversity Leadership Exchange which I attended at the New York Stock Exchange.

 

The exchange not only brought out some of the best and brightest leaders in business but also sought to build awareness of the importance of diversity & inclusion, and there is no better place to have the exchange than at the world’s economic center.

 

The event was sponsored by Pitney Bowes, Toyota Motor Sales USA, AT&T, Sodexo, Hewlett-Packard Company and Group O and featured a rich panel discussion featuring executives exchanging their perspectives and experiences in strengthening diversity & inclusion in their organizations.

 

It was affirming to see that what was once a “nice thing” to do is now a business imperative. This ensures that all individuals, regardless of their differences, are treated fairly.

 

The exchange not only enabled each company to share best practices and opportunities to improve current D&I programs in their organization but it also tasked each individual with a role in heightening the awareness of inclusion in today’s rapidly changing global marketplace.

 

Leaving the exchange I felt encouraged and inspired to know that I work for a company like Pitney Bowes that supports diversity and inclusion and even more proud to see other global companies like JC Penny’s taking the same firm stance in support of it as well.

 

The other day I found myself part of a discussion on the following story:

“Once upon a time,” an ancient story tells, “the master had a visitor who came to inquire about Zen. But instead of listening, the visitor kept talking about his own concerns and giving his own thoughts. After a while, the master served tea. He poured tea into his visitor’s cup until it was full and then he kept pouring. Finally the visitor could not bear it any longer. ‘Don’t you see that my cup is full?’ he said. ‘It’s not possible to get anymore in.’ ‘Just so,’ the master said stopping at last. ‘And like this cup you are filled with your own ideas. How can you expect me to give you Zen unless you first empty your cup?’”

We began discussing the impact of not listening; maybe it’s a societal thing because we were all guilty of it. But what exactly do we do when we’re not listening? Same thing I do, scurry about my day, more worried about myself than others, multitask (code for not paying attention to one person while you try to do something for someone else, kind of like being at a party talking to someone while you spend the whole time looking around for someone else more important to talk to). If at work, tacking another item to a growing to-do list, wondering how to get caught up. Like a teacup overflowing, when we stop listening, we wind up with a big mess that we have to clean up later.

What’s it like to stop for a second, when I begin listening to you? Things suddenly come into focus, in a way I never pictured before.

• I’m no longer satisfied when search is working “correctly”. By keying in on problems that you have searching for answers to your questions and the way you search, I begin seeing things from a whole new perspective. Once I’ve done that, I can make the changes needed for you to find what you’re looking for more easily, and reduce the frustration you feel when you can’t find things. Thank you for allowing me to partner with you in making search better for the next person.

• The feedback you provide us through our online surveys is impactful. Of course, there are glowing comments, but you’re also really, really good at expressing what’s not working for you. Sometimes I think people submit feedback assuming it goes nowhere. That’s not the case. I personally cringed when I read one customer state “I am very frustrated and probably need to leave this (online transaction) for awhile to calm down”. We were able to go back and offer help to this poor person, but feeling that frustrated is not a good feeling, I hope their day ended better than that. By focusing in on what you’re telling us, we’re more quickly able to move on things when they’re not working for you.

The forums are my empty teacup. I actively participate in other forums, enjoying the freedom of asking questions to a group of people in a way that they’ll understand, not the way a product expert would describe the situation, and enjoying sharing what I know, happy for the chance to give someone else the “a-ha moment” that I’ve needed so often in the past. I see the same qualities here.

So for now, I’ll stay the empty teacup, ready to learn from whatever you’d like to teach me. Feel free to post suggestions. And don’t worry, people who blog tend to secretly have big egos, I’ll check out everything you have to say.

Peace,

Lisa

Karen King, Manager of Public Relations at Pitney Bowes has agreed to be today's guest blogger as she reflects on where we've come since the February 7th, 2011 fire that destroyed our Grand Prairie presort services facility.

by Karen King
Manager, Public Relations
@kkingPR

One year ago today, a fire destroyed our largest mail presort services facility in Grand Prairie, Texas. The first warning sign – smoke detectors that went off at 7:45 p.m. as a fire broke out at an adjoining business and quickly spread. By 4:30 a.m., it was a four-alarm blaze. By 9:00 a.m., our entire facility, where we processed mail for hundreds of customers, was completely decimated.

I learned about the devastating news during an early morning phone call. It was shocking to take in at first – the fire was the worst U.S. disaster our company had experienced during my five years at Pitney Bowes.

 

However, there was a huge silver lining: all of our employees were safe and there were no injuries. 

 

Also, our colleagues in Grand Prairie immediately started to implement a business continuity plan that had been developed and tested months earlier. As a result, they knew exactly what needed to be done during the disaster to safeguard employees, secure the building, protect customer data, reroute the mail, and make every customer pickup and delivery as scheduled – that day, the next week and in the months that followed. 

 

The detailed business continuity plan made the difference between navigating the disaster’s consequences quickly and successfully, or facing a lengthy and ruinously expensive recovery. 

 

Last June marked an important milestone for Pitney Bowes. We opened a new Grand Prairie facility. Despite four months without our main processing facility, we retained 98% of our customers. 

 

At the ribbon-cutting event for the facility in July, I was lucky enough to experience first-hand the positive energy and camaraderie of this amazing group of Pitney Bowes colleagues. While the fire was one of the company’s toughest days, our people made it one of our finest moments. 

 

One year later, the fire in Grand Prairie is an important reminder that while you can’t control the unexpected, you can control how you plan and respond. Our Pitney Bowes colleagues who were on the front lines of the disaster are true heroes in my eyes and set an example of how best practices in business continuity can help ensure the safety of your employees and protect your business.

I'm pleased to introduce Lisa Ueda, who is coming on board as the new  Forum Community Manager. She has long been involved in both Forums and PItney Bowes product support. Jeremy will continue to supply the technical answers, and Lisa will be a regular presence on the forum - making sure it all runs smoothly and introducing new features and activities. I think she is a great addition to the team! And now, over to LIsa...

Thanks Mike,

I'm excited to become part of the Pitney Bowes online community.

Over the next few months, you'll begin seeing me introduce cool new features to the forums, to make them a more valuable place for you.

You may also notice me periodically responding to previous responses to some of our top forum questions. Things change quickly around here, and I want to make sure that you have access to the most current information. I think it's human nature, people want answers to their questions now, so a lot of my energy will be spent focusing in on helping you find what you’re looking for, so that you can carry on with everything else that you need to do throughout the day.

Finally I'll be highlighting news from Pitney Bowes from around the world. Like most, I don't necessarily get thrilled with each and every announcement from my company; I only have so many dimensions. But there are times when Pitney Bowes aligns with some of my own personal core values, and that gets me excited. Piney Bowes has made the active decision to reduce its carbon footprint, and introduce products that are environmentally friendly. As a techie and someone dedicated to green living, that's something I can really respond to.

I look forward to getting to know you all in the coming months.

Thanks much,

Lisa

A message from Jeremy:

I'm sure this will come as quite a surprise to a few folks here, but I will be returning to this forum.  I am very happy to again have the opportunity to be involved in this community, and I look forward to the always fresh and insightful information that is shared here on the PB Forum.

I would like to thank Loryn and Meghan for their willingness to get involved and how quickly they picked this up from me.  It had to be a bit more difficult for them to take this over after thousands of threads, whereas I was involved from the start.

I'm glad to have Jeremy back too (though I echo his praise for Loryn and Meghan!). I'm sure many others on the forum are glad to hear from Jeremy as well!

To all my friends on the Forum -

When the Pitney Bowes User Forum first kicked off in 2008, I was very excited to have been selected as the Pitney Bowes Product Support Representative whom would be responsible for answering questions on the forum.  I remember when I had my first meeting with my boss, and it was decided I would be assigned to this new task.  That was a good day.  Now... it's time to move on.

In my time with Pitney Bowes, I have definitely noticed that change happens.  I believe that network communication was first coming around when the forum was kicked off.  Now, we have systems which stream their communication to The Cloud.

With that being said, I'm very happy to announce that my colleagues Loryn and Meghan will be taking over as the Pitney Bowes Product Support Representatives on the forum.  There has been a natural transition where I have moved more towards a website support role, and my knowledge and expertise in the Product Support arena has been subsequently reduced.

I definitely recall some great times and highlights on the forum, such as the busy 2008 rate change.  Also, the creation of "Jeremy's Video Tips" was quite the experience.  There was a certain video where as soon as the record button was pressed, I would break into a fit of laugher.  We had to make the video the following day. 

I don't think I ever shared this with the forum community.  In 2010, I had a conference with about 300 of my peers, where I gave an overview and summary of the forum.  This was similar to a lecture.  I was on a stage with control of a projector, and my peers were all seated in a large room, while I spoke of the forum.  I was nervous, but composed.  I spoke of some of our frequent forums user, such as Karios (she uses a DM100i), FNSBSDmailer (he manages a mail room in Alaska, and getting an onsite service representative can take a while), Guardian (very knowledgeable and very willing to share in detail), and ScottSanders (he uses Pitney Bowes software, SmartMailer).  It all went great when we got to question and answer time.

Well, as these things go, I guess a farewell would be appropriate.  I wish you all the best, and continue to hope for an ongoing culture of open information exchange on the forum. 

Jeremy

Welcome to Vollywood!

The scene last Thursday had all the trappings of a major movie premiere: posh New York City location, packed room, lots of buzz in the air; and a real sense that something very exciting was about to happen.

All the ingredients were in place, but it wasn’t Hollywood. It was “Vollywood.”

Volly™ is the new digital delivery service that Pitney Bowes unwrapped for public viewing at an overflow press event on January 6. Think of Volly as the digital equivalent of the mailbox at your home: a secure online location where you can receive, view, and engage with the information that helps you organize your life: bills, statements, coupons, catalogs, and more.

The idea is to overcome the current, and fragmented, system that many people use today to manage their monthly bills, and then enhance that system to make it even more valuable for the consumer.  With Volly, there will be no more jumping to a bunch of different websites to manage your affairs; you’ll be able to do it all in one secure online location, with only one password to remember.  You can find out more details at www.volly.com.

In order for Volly to succeed, it has to work for mailers as well as consumers, and Pitney Bowes knows a thing or two about mailers. Volly’s electronic distribution is based on the consumer’s physical address, so the Volly software integrates easily into the mailer’s existing customer address database.  And because it’s offered by Pitney Bowes, the solution will also mesh seamlessly with any Pitney Bowes hardware of software that the mailer already has on site.  Broadridge, one of the leading mailers in the financial services industry, has already signed onto the Volly network, and Pitney Bowes expects to make more announcements about mailing partnerships in the weeks and months ahead.

Based on the initial reaction from press and analysts, we’re very encouraged that we are on the right track.  Here is a sampling from the initial wave of third-party coverage:

We think Volly is a winner.  -- Outputlinks.com

It’s not hard to imagine that companies with customer bases as large as Nordstrom and Visa would opt in [to Volly]. -- Mashable.com

No matter how fast the adoption curve, [Volly] is ultimately a game changer, and will be doubtless mimicked by other players. -- Printing Impressions

While smaller start-up companies…have made news with recent announcements in this space, the entrance of Pitney Bowes changes the game… Pitney Bowes has the technical resources, client base, and marketing budget to quickly catch up in the race for critical mass in secure digital delivery. -- InfoTrends

We’ll be sure to keep you posted as we prepare to roll out Volly to a larger consumer audience later this year.  Lights! Camera! Action!

Those of us who live in Connecticut had some electoral excitement this month.  The race for Governor between Democrat Dan Malloy and Republican Tom Foley turned out to be a nail-biter.  As the votes were counted, only a couple of thousand votes separated the two candidates, amid the backdrop of problems at the polls in Bridgeport, the state’s largest city.

The root cause of Bridgeport’s problem was that city officials failed to order enough paper ballots before the election. When more voters showed up than expected, the spaghetti hit the fan: long lines, voters leaving in frustration, an awkward stopgap effort to make copies of paper ballots, and ultimately a hasty ruling from a local judge to keep the polls open for an extra two hours for voters who may have been turned away earlier.  It took days for the Secretary of State to certify the final election results.

Honestly, people. There is a better way.

Full disclosure: Pitney Bowes makes mail ballot counting systems and has many successful installations around the country.  My frustration with the problems in Bridgeport, however, is not tied to my employer. It’s the frustration one feels when people don’t capitalize on an obvious solution to a glaring problem.

Voting by mail is intuitively superior to voting in person on a single day. Ballots are distributed through a secure communications channel, along with basic information about the candidates or voter referenda to be decided. Voters have the opportunity to cast their ballot at their preferred time and date, and their ability to participate in an election is not subject to the whims of unexpected illness, car trouble, or work commitments.  It’s just better.

Change comes slowly, but I take heart in the broad trends that show a steady increase in voting by mail.  The nation suffered through the Florida problem in 2000, and Connecticut had its own brush with disaster this year.  Hopefully we won’t have to endure many more such warnings before voting by mail becomes the default for elections at all levels.

It’s that time of year again! The American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes have teamed up for the fourth annual Holiday Mail for Heroes program.

From now until December 10th you are invited to send holiday cards to our American service members, their families, and veterans all over the world. Anyone can send a card and you can send as many as you would like! Please send all cards to:

The deadline for this year is December 10th. Unfortunately, if your cards are not postmarked by December 10th they cannot be delivered. After Pitney Bowes collects and screens the mail received in the PO Box, Red Cross workers deliver holiday greetings to service men and women in their communities. Check out how our uniformed men and women and their families expressed their gratitude for the Holiday Mail program when it delivered cards to Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Read More >>

Starting today, Pitney Bowes' VP for External Communiations, Matt Broder, will post an article once a month in the Admin Corner.  Welcome Matt - we look forward to your insights and observations!

Half Empty or Half Full?

It’s no wonder people are confused these days about the economy.  People can’t make up their mind about whether things are getting better or not, so they continue to save, hunker down, and wait for clearer signals.

There is fresh evidence of these muddied messages from our own industry, in fact. The U.S. Postal Service was in the news again last week, this time because its request for a special rate increase to cope with the recession was turned down by the Postal Regulatory Commission.  The PRC did agree that there is a recession underway, and did acknowledge the USPS’s pain, but nonetheless did not feel the special rate increase request was justified by the circumstances.

The Postal Service has the right to appeal the PRC’s decision, and may yet do so.  The Postal Service also has the right to implement a more modest rate increase that might raise an additional few hundred million dollars, but so far the USPS has not yet said publicly what its next steps will be.

Dwelling on this unhappy economic indicator, one might start to wonder if anyone is willing to invest in the future of mail as a communications medium.  And that is what made a visit to the Graph Expo trade show, which opened in Chicago last Monday, so compelling.

Graph Expo is largely devoted to the printing industry, but a growing segment of the printing industry is entering the mailing business, and the rate of investment in this space can take your breath away.  Look one way and there are digital color printers that can crank out millions of customized digital documents all ready to be cut, folded, inserted and mailed.  Look another way and there are software products that can enhance the value of printed documents and make them more inviting to open, read and act upon.  Look yet another way and there are an array of mail service and equipment firms, all showcasing the results of their latest research and development projects.

The overwhelming message is that a large number of companies, acting independently and in response to competitive signals from the marketplace, are choosing to invest heavily in new products, technologies and services for mailers.  I’m not much of a finance person, but it sure looks like a bullish signal to me.

The postal landscape is changing - and fast! USPS revenues have plummeted and will probably continue to drop. So, how does this vital service stay robust and responsive? In this  "State of the Business" address on September 15, postmaster general John E. Potter stressed that long-term sustainability will be achieved only through fundamental change.

Here are some excerpts from a report on Potter's address from a USPS Press Release:

 

 

“The Postal Service must have the ability to manage its business, and to adapt quickly to the needs of our customers and the marketplace,” said Potter. “And our business model must change to reflect the reality of a volatile economy and a communications marketplace that has been undergoing a transformation as profound as anything that has ever come before.”

 

Despite cutting spending by $3 billion in 2010, the Postal Service continues to seek meaningful change for greater control over business decisions, including delivery frequency, pricing and products, public policy and workforce flexibility.

 

Potter’s comments came during the National Postal Customer Council (PCC) Day broadcast, an annual event that brings together mailers, industry partners and customers to recognize their contributions to the Postal Service and outline future plans and goals. PCCs are a network of community-based business mailers and representatives of the Postal Service, who meet regularly to share ideas and resources to create a closer working relationship.

 

In the midst of financial and regulatory challenges, the Postal Service achieved major milestones during fiscal year 2010, including:

 

• 17 percent reduction in work hours
• 20 percent increase in Total Factor Productivity
• The smallest career complement in 10 years — a reduction of 200,000 positions through attrition or retirement, 100,000 over the last three years.

The Postmaster General also looked forward, telling PCC members that new flat-rate products and a Priority Mail “Regional Rate Box” are being developed and will be available as of January 2011.

 

Other successful innovations in mail will return, including the Summer Sale, an expansion of the Saturation Mail Sale and a new incentive program included in the exigent price filing, “Reply Rides Free,” that would allow mailers to use bill and statement mailings for advertising messages.

I've been getting curious lately about the people whose nicknames have been showing up more and more often in the forum - who are they? what do they do? and what brings them to the User  Forum? One way to find out, I figured, was to get on the phone and talk to someone... so I did.

When I called Dave Parsons this week, he said it was 5 below zero.  “We’re feeling pretty good,” he said. “That’s about thirty-five degrees warmer than it ought to be this time of year.”  Dave, known on the forum as FNSBSDmailer, runs the Mail Center at the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District in Fairbanks, Alaska.  Like a lot of Alaska, the district is huge – almost exactly the same size as New Jersey.  It includes 35 schools and three other work sites and all of their mail comes in and out through his facility – about 1,000 pieces a day with peaks of up to 10,000 pieces.  It’s all processed through their DM1000 Mailing System.  Now Dave’s lobbying to add a DI950 inserter to his floor to streamline the mail preparation process.  “One department had 8,000 letters to send out,” he said. “It took a temporary staff person three weeks to label, fold, and stuff the envelopes.”

 If you’ve followed Dave’s posts on the forum, you’ve noticed that he has a lot of expertise in processing e-Certified mail, commercial based pricing, and other postal regulation issues.  One of the challenges of his job, though, is getting his constituents to think about those rules when they prepare their mail.  “I swear, these people will mail a post-it note with a 10x13 mailer,” he says in one forum post.  It took Dave a year to get his purchasing department to buy 6x9 envelopes instead of the 6½ x 9½ size so they could be sent First Class Mail®.  Unfortunately, when the new envelopes came in, they were the self-sealing type and had to be sealed by hand, not machine… so nobody wanted to use them.  Managing a mail center – like most jobs – turns out to require a large dose of managing and educating the people around you!

Dave is no newcomer to forums and online communities.  Back in the pre-web days of dial-up access, he set up and ran a subscription-based BBS for community discussion and information in Fairbanks.  Besides encouraging conversation among visitors, he published minutes of school board and borough meetings, TV schedules, weather reports, and other essential local information.  On the Pitney Bowes User  Forum, he likes to share his hard-won knowledge.  “When there’s a question about something I know I’ve struggled with, if I can answer it, I will.”  I asked Dave what he thought would make our forum better.  “Talk to us more,” he said. In the regular forums, having users answer each others’ questions is great, but in the Think Tank, Dave would really like to see a lot more feedback and discussion from PB about the suggestions people are making.  Duly noted, Dave.  Thanks.

You have voted and the results are in - here's a list of the contributors who got the most Kudos during the past 30 days!

Thanks to everyone on the list for sharing your  insights with other readers!

To see the all-time Kudos leaders, take a look at the leaderboard in the right column of the home page.  Karios is number 1 with 53  Kudos!

So, what makes a post Kudo-worthy? Often it's a good answer to somebody else's question.  But it can also be an observation or comment that strikes a chord with other users. Or, even a question that was just begging to be asked.

If you see a post that strikes you as something special, take a moment and give it a Kudo!  Just click the star to the left of the text.

Andy  Rooney, the nostalgic curmudgeon from 60 Minutes, thinks it's "crazy" to close post offices to save money.

In this October 4 broadcast, he points out that,  "In 1900 there were 77,000 post offices around the country.  Today, with four times as many people, there are only 37,000 post offices." An email, he says, "has all the charm of a freight train."  Depending on what you think of freight trains, I suppose, that could be either good or bad. But his point is clear - as communications styles change and postal services disappear, we're getting a lot fewer of that more personal kind of letter that comes to the box by your front door.

Judging from the comments posted on the 60 Minutes website, however, it's not just nostalgia that is causing alarm about the trend toward fewer postal services.  Many of the comments are from workers in the postal industry who are watching the workforce shrink or have been laid off themselves.

One commenter said, "Andy, it is time for you to retire... NOW. Email and computers are part of the 21st century..... snail mail and typewriters are part of our history."  Rooney's response? "I would rather have a mail man or woman deliver junk mail to me than to get an email."

Take a look.  What do you think?

This morning, our Forum was upgraded to the latest version of Lithium's software platform. Most of the changes are big improvements behind the scenes - they make it work better but aren't visible.  But, you'll also notice lots of new things in the look and feel of the Forum as you browse and post! The new design elements give it a much cleaner, more modern look and, in my experience, improve the navigation and discussion experience.

Some of the familiar icons have changed, so here's a quick guide to the new signposts. The "Stack of Folders" indicating boards and messages has been replaced with a set of "Talk Bubble" icons - more appropriate for "discussions."  They are modified by an arrow, a padlock, color, or other symbols to tell you more about the topic before you dive in.

In the upper right corner, the "Private Messages" link has been reduced to an envelope icon.  The number in parenthesis at its right tells you how many new messages you have.

One of the  most noticeable changes is the new Kudos! icon. It's a star just beneath the poster's name. The number to the left of the star tells you how many Kudos! have been given to that post.  Click the number to see who gave the Kudos.  Click the star to add your own.

The accepted solution button and the reply button are now in the lower right, and posts marked as accepted solutions are indicated by a check mark.

Have you ever gone into "My Profile" and made changes?  It used to be a cumbersome and confusing experience.  That has changed.  It's now called "My Settings" (see the link in the upper left of the page), and it is now organized into intuitive tabs and groups.

I hope you all like the new look and feel as much as I do - at least once you get used to the changes. Please post comments below to let me know what you think!

We are submitting our User Forum to the 2009 Forrester Groundswell Awards. Based on the influential Forrester book, the awards recognize companies who have made highly effective use of social technologies. Here's our story.

Our Pain Point

In January 2008, the Global Online Group at Pitney Bowes began to consider how emerging social networking technologies could help us meet one of our major business challenges – supporting users though the annual USPS Postal Rate change.  Pitney Bowes provides postage meters more than a million businesses across the U.S. and almost all of them have to be updated whenever the  USPS changes rates. Such postal events typically generate several hundred thousand customer support calls over a 3-4 week period.  Traditionally, we have handled that peak volume by setting up and staffing temporary call centers.

The Solution

We decided to meet as much of that demand as possible with an innovative customer community based on the Lithium Technologies platform. Our two goals were to create a more highly-leveraged support channel and to provide a better user experience for Pitney Bowes customers. We were able to launch our community just three months after initiating this project and had a vital community in place in time for the May 12 rate change event. 

Results

As a result of the large number of customers using the online community to find answers to their May 2008 postal rate change questions, Pitney Bowes was able to dramatically reduce the number of incoming calls to its call centers, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars. Instead of fielding questions one at a time on the phone, we were able to post answers to the forum, many of which were viewed more than 4,000 times.  Users found this to be an easy and effective way to get help updating their equipment. 

Community 

Customer support is not the only objective for the online community, which now also serves as a key vehicle for a company-wide initiative to improve the overall customer experience. Pitney Bowes management routinely reviews ideas that surface in the online community, as well as other customer insights gained from direct engagement and collaboration with the online Pitney Bowes customer community.

"Engaging directly with our customers in a more open dialogue is a priority at Pitney Bowes from the CEO on down," says Rudy Chang, Vice President of the Global Online Group. "We know that customers are having conversations regarding our products and services, and an online community is a great way for us to host the conversations and an opportunity to participate – and  most importantly -- learn from them."

Pitney Bowes' online community provides discussion areas where customers can engage with one another and with Pitney Bowes employees regarding various mailstream topics including postal rate changes, equipment, software, and postal regulations. The online community also hosts "Ask the Expert" forum events where a Pitney Bowes expert hosts a week-long discussion on a specific topic of interest. These events generate enormous buzz within the community, as customers discover new solutions, perspectives, and engage with other community members with similar interests.

Pitney Bowes has also launched a "Think Tank" forum where customers can post and vote for ideas regarding Pitney Bowes products and services. Pitney Bowes management routinely reviews ideas that surface in the online community, as well as other customer insights gained from direct engagement and collaboration with the online Pitney Bowes customer community.

Visit the Pitney Bowes User Forum at http://forums.pb.com

The  Forum is a collaborative effort - the more people are involved, the better it gets.

The most obvious way to contribute is by posting messages - ask and answer questions. Users put more faith in answers from other users than from any other source.   So, if you've already solved another user's problem, let them know how you did it!  Chances are the person who asked will find your answer to be better than ours because you have "walked in theirs shoes."

But there's are other ways to make the forum work better for everyone as well -- use Kudos and Accepted Solutions!  Answers marked as Solutions appear first in the results of a search query. If you get an answer to a question that works for you, mark it "approved"  - other users will thank you for it.

Kudos also help the best stuff rise to the top. A Kudo is a way of giving someone a pat on the back for a great post.  It doesn't have to be an answer - good questions and interesting observations also deserve Kudos. In fact, the only criterion for giving a Kudo is that you think it's interesting!  The user who posted the message also gets credit when you give Kudos. Take a look at the Kudos leader boards on the Home Page to see who our current leaders are.

What's your favorite post? Which solutions work best for you?  Let us know!

We're having a changing of the guard.  Andrew has been our foum moderator since we launched the Community in April, 2008. He's been a big factor in our ongoing success -- helping to focus and moderate discussions and keep the gears turning. Andrew is now moving on to work with other communities -- best of luck, Andrew!

Moderators work mostly in the background, reading all the posts, moving them to a better location when needed, replying to move the converstaion forward, and just generally looking after both the community interactions and the internal housekeeping. Andy has also been a big help to me in planning the layout of boards, setting up Ask the Expert events, and introducing new features.

Andy's capable shoes will be filled by SandyD and her backup moderator, ShannonS. Both have had a lot of experience visiting, participating in, and moderating communities. If you have any questions about how the foum works or how to participate, drop a Private Message to Sandy or to  Shannon - they'll be glad to help. Also let either Sandy or Shannon - or me - know if you have a good idea for making the forum better.

Welcome, Sandy and Shannon - we look forward to hearing your voices.

Please welcome our 3,000th registered user -- "TaxLady"!!

I've been watching our population of registered users grow steadily since we launched the Forum in April, 2008, but I don't usually get to find out much about who each person really is. So, when "TaxLady" became number 3,000, I decided to take a big step... just ask! 

TaxLady (winner of the handsome personalized "3,000th-user" coffee mug at the right!) actually is what her nickname suggests. Bonnie Lewis is a tax professional operating (for now!) out of her home in Johnstown, PA. Soon she hopes to expand to an external office "...somewhere in town."  Bonnie's an "enrolled agent," which means that she can practice in front of the Internal Revenue Service. She says, "I use a K700 small postage machine which has saved me time and money over the past two years. I joined the forum to ensure that I am getting the most out of my machine." So far, she has found our forum to be, "a wealth of answers."

Welcome to the community, TaxLady! 

From July 28th to July 31st, our experts Jeremy Canfield and Elizabeth Lombard will host an Ask the Expert forum on some of the USPS value added services.

• Are you interested in learning more about E-Return Receipt or getting signatures online at My Account?
• Contemplating using E-Return Receipt instead of the Green Cards?
• Are you able to process Certified mail pieces on your Mail Machine, Ascent or Sendsuite program?
• Perhaps you need some clarification on the difference between Signature Confirmation and Return Receipt?
• Need some clarification on the difference between a DUNS# and Mailer ID#?

Bring your questions to the Forum!  Elizabeth and Jeremy will be online every day to provide answers!

Where did the old Forum boards go? And what are these new ones?

All of the old messages are still here!  But, over the weekend we changed the way they are organized.  Here are the basics:

The old "Postal Rates and Regulations," "News You Need," and "Mailing and Marketing Strategies" boards have now all been rolled up together into "All Things Postal: News, Views, and Rules."  All of the old messages have been moved into the new topic for postal discussion and information.

I hope the new lineup makes it easier to find what you're looking for and makes it clear where to post your comments and questions. 

Has your company switched from the "Green Card" to e-Certified and e-Signature services? How did your legal department react to this idea? Have you been seeing all of your delivery confirmations?

These have been some of the hottest questions on the Forum. Switching to e-Certified can save your company money, but many of you have found that the process can be a rocky path!  Here are some comments from the Forum:

Karios: Occasionally, I could verify on the USPS website that the article had been received by the PO, but there was no record that the article had been delivered (when, in fact, it had been delivered).

readn10: With the amount of return receipts we do, it will save us several thousand dollars per year. My problem is convincing the attorneys to let go of the green card.

2MuchPaper: We have been using the electronic return receipt for close to two years now.  It is a great cost saver....This method has worked well and our attorneys approve as well.

If you're thinking of trying out these services for your company but aren't sure how to get started, there are several informative threads on the Forum. Browse or search through them to pick up tips from other Forum users. Here are some starting points:

• Certified letter, signature files and E-Return Receipt 
• eCertified 
• Certified/E-Certified
• Certified Mail  from Ask the Expert - Elizabeth Lombard: Postal Rules and Regulations

Pitney Bowes' postal regulations expert, Elizabeth Lombard, points out that e-certified and certified aren't the only ways to get confirmtion that your mail was delivered: "You really need to consider what the objective is when you add an Extra Service such as Certified Mail, Registered, Delivery Confirmation, etc.  There are a lot of ways to get delivery information, but some of these clearly cost more than others!"

Find Out More at Our Next "Ask the Expert" Forum

If you want to find out more about e-Certified and other USPS Extra Services, bring your questions to our next Ask the Expert Forum, July 28-31 on Using the Right USPS Extra Service to Meet Your Mailstream Needs.  Elizabeth Lombard and Jeremy Canfield will provide answers.