A certification program implemented by the USPS® to govern the preparation of bulk mailings. Basically, CASS (Calling Accuracy Support System) is responsible for address hygiene and routing information that lowers postage costs, speeds delivery, and reduces undeliverable mail.
CASS processing prepares your database by:
Cleanses and standardizes each element of an address to meet USPS standards.
Corrects input addresses and adds the proper postal information to produce a USPS compliant address. This includes ZIP + 4® code, carrier route code, delivery point barcode and Line of Travel (LOT) information. These codes are required to print the barcode on each mail piece necessary for Automation discounts.
Adds missing address information and corrects misspelled address elements and converts addresses into a format that’s readable by USPS automation equipment.
Results in the production of a CASS Form 3553 postal report, which is submitted with your mailings that qualified for automation discounts.
In order to qualify your mailings for discounts, you must use a current address-matching search engine from a vendor that is CASS Certified™ by the USPS.
What is the Intelligent Mail® Barcode?
The Intelligent Mail Barcode, formerly referred to as the 4-State Customer Barcode, is a new Postal Service barcode used to sort and track letters and flats. The Postal Service is promoting use of the Intelligent Mail barcode because it expands the ability to track individual mailpieces and provides customers with greater visibility into the mail stream.
How does it work?
The Intelligent Mail barcode combines the data of the existing POSTNET™ and the PLANET Code® barcodes, as well as other data, into a single barcode. The Intelligent Mail barcode is a type of height-modulated barcode, that uses four distinct vertical bar types (Full, Tracker, Ascender and Descender). Note: The Postal Service Flat Mail Identification Code Sort (FICS) program uses another type of 4-state barcode that looks similar to the Intelligent Mail barcode, but it is applied as an ID tag on non-barcoded flat mail pieces only.
How do mailers benefit from the intelligent mail barcode?
The Intelligent Mail barcode is the result of the Postal Service’s efforts to develop more robust codes capable of encoding more information while minimizing the space used on the mailpiece.
The Intelligent Mail barcode:
Has a greater overall data capacity than existing barcodes
Provides mailers with more digits for their use, allowing for unique identification of up to a billion mailpieces per mailing
Provides more accurate and detailed information about mailings which can enable better decision making
Increases mailpiece “real estate” by eliminating the need for multiple barcodes
Allows for participation in multiple USPS service programs with a single barcode
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