# Presentation: 242706

## Saving Time And Money With The Address Change Service ACS

- West Virginia Bureau for Child Support
- Enforcement Training Unit
- September 12, 2006

## Background

- The WV Bureau for Child Support Enforcement generates over 175,000 batch letters each month.
- Large trays or even crates of mail were returned due to “bad addresses”.

## Problems

- The rate was $.75 for each piece of returned mail. The cost was just too high!

## Problems

- If incorrect addresses were not updated with new information, or were not coded “bad” in the BCSE computer system, mail continued to be sent to wrong addresses.

## US Postal Service Address Change Service (ACS) 

- To The Rescue!

## ACS

- The ACS provides a cost-effective, efficient means of obtaining accurate change-of-address information.
- It is used for large batch mailings issued by the BCSE, such as the monthly Caretaker statements, not for local office mail.

## ACS

- ACS saves time and money by reducing:
- The amount of undeliverable-as-addressed  mail.
- The need to manually key address changes.
- The amount of mail repeatedly sent to bad addresses.
- The need for address verification letters sent to local post offices.

## ACS

- The cost is only $.21 per transaction.

_**75**__**¢ vs. 21**__**¢**_

## ACS Requirements

- To participate in the ACS:
- The mailing label format must include a participant identification code assigned by the PO’s National Customer Support Center.
- The envelope must be stamped with the following:
-       **“****Change Service Requested”**
**	**

## ACS Requirements

- A keyline was also required since the BCSE wanted to participate in the “nixie” service, which gives information on addresses that are undeliverable for reasons other than the customer who moved.

_**Nixie**_ - A piece of mail that can not be sorted or delivered because of an incorrect, illegible, or insufficient delivery address.

## ACS Requirements

**#ABCDEFG**
**#9876 5432 LS99 8#**
- John W. NCP
- 123 NCP Drive
- Somewhere WV 01234-5678

**Participant Code**

**Keyline**

**Change Service Requested**

## ACS

-  Other programming changes were needed to properly interface with the ACS via the Postal Service’s nationwide network of Computerized Forwarding System sites.

## ACS

- Each Wednesday evening, the BCSE receives a file of ACS information downloaded from the Postal Service’s secure website, then uploaded to the WV Child Support computer system.

## ACS 

- The keyline on the envelope contains BCSE codes identifying the CT or NCP and the type of letter mailed.
- This information is used to correctly match the CT or NCP with the ACS information when the response file comes back from the PO.

## ACS

- There are different codes for specific reasons mail might be returned.
- Depending on the ACS code, the BCSE system is programmed to:
- code addresses “bad”, or
- change the address to a new one and code it “verified”, or
- make no change to the current address.

## ACS Examples

- For instance, if there is no code on ACS, it means there is a new address on record with the Postal Service.
- The address will be automatically updated with the new information and coded as verified if the existing BCSE address was more than 30 days old.

**How Worker’s know **
**ACS provided the **
**address.**

## ACS Examples

- If the ACS code is a “T,” it is because the customer is temporarily away.
- The BCSE system does not change the address based on this code.

## ACS Examples

- If the ACS code is “N,” it is because the customer moved with no forwarding address.
- The BCSE system will change the address to “B” (bad).

## BCSE Implementation

- In April 2005 approximately 2100 letters were sent through the ACS as a pilot project.
- The project then rolled out to all other appropriate batch mailings from May 2005 – August 2005.

## Results

- From the pilot in April 2005 through June 2006, the **Postal fee savings was:               **_**$20,503.10 **__**!**_
- Total letters sent: 1,829,513
- Number of notifications received:  39,775

## Results

- No more returned batch letters!
- Hours of Employee-time is saved in not having to manually process returned mail or send out address verification letters to local post offices.

## Results

- Address corrections are automatically made by the BCSE’s computer system, therefore mail is no longer repeatedly sent to the same bad address.

## Results 

**July 2005 – December 2005**
**	****2.65%**** of mail generated an ACS notification.**
**January 2006 – June 2006**
**	****Only ****1.77%**** of mail generated an ACS notification.**

## The ACS is only an enhancement to the traditional process of correcting addresses. It does not completely  eliminate manually keying  address changes. 

- Caution

## “Address hygiene” is critical for the ACS interface to be most effective. 
Address hygiene refers to the proper way to enter addresses according to Post Office standards regarding abbreviations, zip codes, etc.

- Address hygiene refers to the proper way to enter addresses according to Post Office standards regarding abbreviations, zip codes, etc.

- Caution

## To assist in address hygiene, the BCSE ran an address “scrubber” program prior to beginning ACS to assure that most addresses in the BCSE system met postal standards. 

- Caution

## Postal address standards can be found at: 
http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm300/602.htm#wp1078946   and
http://www.usps.com/ncsc/lookups/usps_abbreviations.html

**http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm300/602.htm#wp1078946**   and
**http://www.usps.com/ncsc/lookups/usps_abbreviations.html**

- Caution

## ACS

-    More information regarding the USPS ACS can be found at:
**http://www.usps.com/ncsc/addressservices/moveupdate/acs.htm**
-   Or for technical guidance:
-  _**http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/pubs/pub8.pdf**_

## West Virginia Bureau for Child Support Enforcement Training UnitSeptember 12, 2006