One day you may come home from work and see a barcode affixed to your curbside mailbox. You take a closer look and above the barcode it says “Managed Service Point.” Below the barcode it will show your mailing address. You also spot the United States Postal Service logo with the familiar eagle. What does this all mean?
Not to worry: if you see this barcode on your mailbox, this is a good thing! It means that your curbside mailbox is now a Managed Service Point (MSP). An initiative of the USPS, the MSP program represents an effort, using scanning technology, to ensure greater delivery consistency and accountability.
Along his or her route, the USPS carrier is required to scan MSP barcodes every day at these checkpoints with a Mobile Data Collection Device (MDCD). This ensures that service levels and punctuality can be tracked with this scan data. MDCD scanning rates also provide critical data to the USPS regarding carrier routes and traffic volumes. Even if no mail is delivered at that specific address, the carrier will still scan the MSP barcode. Managed Service Points are selected strategically from the carrier’s delivery points. With about 15 carrier routes per ZIP Code, and with each carrier’s route consisting of 500 to 700 delivery points, the MSP program provides invaluable data to the USPS about its service levels!
Make Stamps.com Work for You
Even if your residence is not designated by the USPS as a Managed Service Point, you can still transform your home or office into a center of consistent delivery and reliability. With the Stamps.com program, you can analyze your volumes and customers’ needs by using our powerful accounting features. Click on the Reports tab on the left side of your software. This tool allows you to organize your print activity, track expenses, and reconcile expenses. You can also the check the “Email Recipient” box and enter your recipient’s email address so that you can notify your customers that a package is on its way.
Click “USPS Pickup” from the “View History” menu on the left navigation bar of the software to request a free USPS pickup service. Mail will be picked up by the carrier at the regular drop-off time. This free USPS pickup service is available for Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express International, Priority Mail International, and Global Express Guaranteed. Mailpieces with non-qualifying mail classes (such as First-Class Mail) can be picked up as long as your pickup request includes at least one qualifying class.
