Today, people send less mail than they used to. The U.S. Postal Service used to be one of the most used methods of communication in the country. Now, with the rise of the internet and cell phones, communication through the mail has been on a steady decline for some decades now.
First Class mail is no exception. The volume of First Class mail continues its steady decline through the new year, and is expected to stay on the same path. The U.S. Postal Service handled around 100 billion pieces of First Class mail in 2005. In 2014, they only handled 63.6 billion, marking a steep 35% drop in the space of a few years. As a result, the postal network consolidation has mandated new standards for handling First Class mail to keep it relevant to the contemporary world.
What does this mean for private citizens delivering First Class mail? Primarily, it means a slower delivery time. While one day delivery used to be the First Class standard, most of this mail will now take two days to arrive at its destination.
In urgent situations, this new delay can be a problem. During holidays, many businesses send out special promotional mailers. The higher volume of mail and the deadline for delivery can combine with these new First Class standards and mean your mailer will arrive late – which can be as bad as not arriving at all. First Class mail is no longer a guarantee of your recipient getting the mail he or she needs as soon as he or she needs it.
Fortunately, U.S. Mailing House has a solution to dealing with slowed delivery times: automation and preparation. The work we do before your job gets to the Post Office helps the USPS deliver your mail faster. With U.S. Mailing House doing most of the sorting, bar-coding and preparation beforehand, the USPS is left with less work to do on their end. The slowed delivery times now to be standard for the U.S. Postal Service don’t affect jobs prepared by U.S. Mailing House as much as they do jobs that were not processed at our facility. Our fast turn around times mean your mail can be delivered as quickly as you need it, and as securely as First Class.
Contact us today to learn more about our delivery standards, and how quickly your mail can reach its destination.