I wanted to update our customers on where we stand with Pave certification. We are close to finishing our new software that includes PAVE, CASS, MOVEupdate, Label designer and more. Our new suite of products will allow us to provide a complete solution to our customers. As with all of our products, our new suite (not yet branded) will be completely web based. The first solution of its kind in the market. We are applying to the USPS for certification before we can launch our suite.

What is PAVE?

PAVE (Presort Accuracy Verification and Evaluation) is a voluntary program in which the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) tests presort software to determine its accuracy in sorting address information and in producing standardized supporting documentation. When the USPS refers to PAVE-certified software or PAVE-certification, it is referring to software that has been tested to verify its ability to sort addresses to USPS specifications. Presorting is the process of arranging your mail so pieces going to the same area are bundled together. This minimizes the number of steps the USPS needs to perform on a mailing and allows them to process the mail more quickly and less expensively. The savings are then passed on to you in the form of lower postage rates and faster delivery. (In essence, you are doing some of the work for the post office and they are rewarding you for it.) In general, the more levels of sorting you perform on a mailing, the lower the cost of the postage.

An address list must be sorted by a variety of criteria, depending on the type of mail being sent (e.g., letters or flats), the mail class (First-Class, Standard, Periodicals) and on the location of each address. As one example, the Postal Service uses what is called a Sectional Center Facility (SCF) that serves as a sorting center for groups of ZIP codes. Manual sorting of mail can be complicated, because mail going to ZIP codes serviced by different SCFs must be sorted into separate, unique mail trays. ZIP codes numerically "next to one another" may actually be sent to different USPS sorting centers and should be sorted into separate trays. For instance, you might have a mailpiece with the ZIP code 94299 and one with the ZIP code 94301. If you sorted your address list into ZIP code order, you would put these mailpieces next to each other in the same sorting container. However, these ZIP codes are serviced by different SCFs. The mailpiece going to the 94299 address is sent to the 942 SCF, located in Sacramento, CA. The mailpiece going to the 94301 address is sorted at the 943 SCF, located in San Francisco, CA – seventy miles away. Thus, presort regulations require that those mailpieces be sorted into different containers before being submitted to the USPS.

Because of the complex and labor-intensive nature of manual presorting, many companies offer software that presorts your address list for you, making the mailing more cost-effective. Different software performs different presorts, so it is important that you research to ensure that the software you are purchasing sorts for the type of mailings that you do.
Before you begin a presort mailing, make sure:

The software sorts for the type of mailing you want to do – First-Class or Standard Mail, postcards, flats, letters, Carrier Route, etc. Each presort class is unique in sort order, price and documentation.

The software prints the USPS-required forms. There are many different versions of the presort form – which form you need to submit depends on the presort being performed. In general, the software should print the 3600x and 3602x forms. These forms give the USPS a breakdown of the cost for the mailing, as well as mailer information (permit number, mailing address, phone number, etc.). In addition, Form 3553 is required to verify the CASS certification of any automation mailing.

The software prints the Tray and/or Sack labels (also called Container labels). These tags use a standard Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode and determine the destination of each mail tray or sack. Your post office can provide you with the trays and sacks you will need.

Exact Wave has been named to Utah Business's 2008 Fast Fifty, highlighting 50 of the fastest growing companies in Utah. The Fast 50 program recognizes companies for their entrepreneurial spirit, innovative business tactics and skyrocketing revenue growth.

Exact Wave is honored to be among Utah's leaders in the fast-paced business world. Exact Wave attributes its success to its key ingredients: Great People, Great Product, Great Company.

All of the selected companies are featured in Utah Business magazine's September issue and were announced and honored in numerical order at an event on August 27th. in Salt Lake City, Utah.

By the way, We ranked #33. Not bad.

A really cool new web 2.0 company is launching called Gruvie. Gruvie is a social community platform that enables you to organize your Social Websites and link to them from one location.

Gruvie also is a social community platform that is jam packed with photos, friends, groups, videos, chat, games and much more.

What I like most about Gruvie is that you can get your own URL, (mine is james.surfsforlife.com) to promote yourself and your favorite links. I uploaded links to my favorite websites and when my friends visit me, they can easily navigate to my facebook page or my Yahoo page or my Blog. Gruvie also allows you to make any page your home page.

Check out Gruvie and let me know what URL you choose!