THE STATE OF THE MAILING INDUSTRY Part two of our annual survey covers your opinions on the USPS, national issues and how your mailing operations are faring. By Amanda Armendariz I find that our annual surveys are always an interesting peek into the state of the mailing industry, and this year’s was no exception. As I tallied the data, it was refreshing to see the differences — as well as the similarities — between last year’s results and 2011’s. Some numbers were almost identical, such as the number of respondents who support ending Saturday delivery since it will have no effect on businesses. Other numbers were quite different; far more people advocated privatizing the USPS in this year’s survey, compared to last year’s. Perhaps the constant headlines about the financial pickle the USPS is in has caused some to rethink their stance? It’s not surprising that mail center managers listed their number one challenge in running their mail operation as budget and financial issues. It is no secret that this economy, while recovering slightly, is still a long way away from the financial stability of years past. Perhaps this is why almost half of our respondents reported not planning on purchasing new equipment until 2013; over a full year away! Even more concerning is the fact that when we asked respondents what the mailing industry would look like in five to 10 years, a decent portion of the responses were some form of, “Will we even be around then?” But take heart — I’m not here to be the voice of doom and gloom, and these survey results are not all bad. In fact, many of them are downright heartening. Seventy-one percent of people say management recognizes the value of mail and respects what they do; that’s a definite plus. More and more people taking control of e-communications? That’s also a positive, since if mail is to survive, it must work with electronic communications, not in competition with them. All in all, after reading these survey results, I’m confident that while the mailing industry may change drastically in five10 years, it will still be here, and it will still be a viable, thriving, healthy form of communication for businesses.
The Breakdown of Respondents:
78%
Manager/Supervisor with responsibility for company's mail facility.
22% 16
NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2011 a www.MailingSystemsTechnology.com
Work for a company that provides lettershop, presort or list management services and does not sell equipment or software.