covid 19 - old.postalocity.com

Is Direct Mail Safe During COVID-19?

Micaela Dixon — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 17:05:14 +0000

In fast-moving and uncertain situations, communication can be a challenge.

While you may have been temporarily stalled by the dramatic changes of the last month, now is the right time to be proactive in your customer connections. Crisis communication specialists tell us that, in hard times, communicating early and often is crucial.

The decisions you make now are essential for your business to survive today and to thrive later on.

Why Direct Mail is Still a Trustworthy Source

Reports of postal workers testing positive for the novel coronavirus may have raised some concerns that the pathogen could live on letters and packages, potentially exposing people to infection just from opening their mail or packages. But the U.S. Postal Service has assured us that the mail is still safe:

“There is currently no evidence that COVID-19 can spread through the mail,” the postal service said recently, alluding to the disease caused by the virus and citing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.

Most businesses are still mailing at this time, but if you have questions about direct mail marketing, you are not alone. It’s important to be ready with answers for your customers, preferably from reliable sources like the Center for Disease Control:

“Although the virus can survive for a short period on some surfaces, it is unlikely to be spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures,” says the CDC. “Currently there is no evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 associated with [mail and packages] and there have not been any cases of COVID-19 in the United States associated with imported goods.”

Because the virus is not spread through the skin, but through the respiratory tracks, any contact with mail or packages is not an immediate danger. Regular hand-washing and proper hygiene are the most important factors for mitigating any risk with envelopes, packages, or really with any contaminated surfaces.

What Kind of Mail Should I Send?

Since people are currently hungry for connection, there is no better time to lean into your marketing efforts. But be sensitive in doing this, and offer messages of hope and relief. Dartmouth professor Paul Argenti offers these tips for communicating during a crisis:

Focus on What is Important to the Customer

For example, Target sent out a note from the CEO to customers, describing enhanced cleaning procedures and additional staffing for order pickup and drive-up services.

Provide Relief When Possible

JetBlue became the first airline to waive change and cancel fees for coronavirus-related concerns. The move went a long way towards reassuring current customers as well as bringing new ones on board. Insurance companies, in contrast, do not consider the coronavirus a valid reason for canceling a flight.

Focus on Empathy Instead of Pushing Sales

Be creative, but keep empathy in mind. Companies should reshape advertising and promotion strategies to be more in line with the current mood of the day.

Watch for Those Silver Linings

While we’re all in unfamiliar territory right now, everyone wants to support each other. Businesses care about customers, and all of us care about economic recovery. Keep reaching out to your clients and remember that this is only temporary. While this situation won’t last, many positive outcomes will!

The lessons we learn today can make us more flexible, strategic, and more community-minded.

Postalocity is here for all your direct mail needs. We can provide lists based on specific demographics and help you drive your campaign, while you stay in control. Call us anytime! 316.262.3333 | postalocity.com

By Nikki Stockham, Postalocity’s Client Onboarding Expert / Published APRIL 21ST, 2020

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Postal Service Message Regarding COVID-19

Micaela Dixon — Wed, 01 Apr 2020 21:57:20 +0000

Because Postalocity has been deemed “essential” and is not subject to local or state orders, we will continue to operate, as long as the Postal Service is operating. Below is what our partners at the post office have posted regarding COVID-19.

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Postal Service Message Regarding COVID-19

March 22, 2020

Postal Service Message Regarding COVID-19: The United States Postal Service has a dedicated COVID-19 Command Response leadership team that is focusing on employee, operational, business, and customer continuity during this unprecedented epidemic. We continue to follow the strategies and measures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and public health departments. The CDC has information available on its website at https://www.coronavirus.gov that provides the latest information about COVID-19.

On the employee front, we are sharing the latest information throughout our organization via video, e-mail, internal newsletters, employee conversations and through our Operations and HR functions – and we will continue to do so. We are encouraging healthy behaviors and protocols including frequent hand washing, use of sanitizers, and additional cleaning of work spaces, and are encouraging any employee who feels they are sick to stay home. We are offering liberal leave and have worked with our postal unions to temporarily expand leave options for our employees.

To reduce health risks, we also are temporarily modifying customer signature capture procedures. While maintaining a safe, appropriate distance, employees will request the customer’s first initial and last name so that the employee can enter the information on the electronic screen or hard copy items such as return receipts, PS Forms 3811 and 3829. For increased safety, employees will politely ask the customer to step back a safe distance or close the screen door/door so that they may leave the item in the mail receptacle or appropriate location by the customer door.

We are proud of the work our employees play in processing, transporting and delivering mail and packages for the American public, which is a vital public service that is a part of this nation’s critical infrastructure. The Postal Service delivers much needed medications and Social Security checks, and we are the leading delivery service for online purchases. The Postal Service is an essential service for purposes of compliance with state or municipality shelter-in-place orders or other social distancing restrictions. The statute that created the Postal Service begins with the following sentence. “The United States Postal Service shall be operated as a basic and fundamental service provided to the people by the Government of the United States, authorized by the Constitution, created by an Act of Congress, and supported by the people.” 39 U.S.C. §101(a).

Importantly, the CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html), the World Health Organization (https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses), as well as the Surgeon General have indicated that there is currently no evidence that COVID-19 is being spread through the mail.

Specifically, according to the World Health Organization, “the likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low and the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package that has been moved, travelled, and been exposed to different conditions and temperature is also low.” And according to the CDC, “in general, because of poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces, there is likely very low risk of spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures. Coronaviruses are generally thought to be spread most often by respiratory droplets. Currently there is no evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 associated with imported goods and there have not been any cases of COVID-19 in the United States associated with imported goods.”

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Postalocity’s COVID-19 Plan

Micaela Dixon — Tue, 17 Mar 2020 21:37:35 +0000

March 17, 2020

To Our Valued Clients and Partners:

As the global pandemic of Coronavirus (COVID-19) quickly spreads, the entire team at Broadstroke, Inc., including Postalocity, wishes you and those close to you safety and good health. Taking care of our employees, our clients, and our partners is of utmost importance.

While our intent at this time is to see no interruption in productivity, there are circumstances that could inhibit this.

Please be advised:

• We are enforcing hand washing, the use of hand sanitizers and discouraging personal contact within our facilities.
• We are enforcing increased routine cleaning of hard surfaces within our facilities and our delivery vehicles.
• We will notify all clients should any of our staff contract a confirmed case of COVID-19.
• We ask all of our partners and clients to alert us if a member of your workforce is confirmed to have contracted the virus so we may suspend deliveries until safely reinstated.
• We are encouraging our daily mail pick up clients to develop “no contact zones” so our drivers and their staff avoid exposure.
• Our staff’s body temperature will be tested to ensure there is no sign of fever before they are permitted to work that day.
• Should a member of our team become ill, they will be made to leave work as soon as possible.
• Any employee that is known to have travelled across state lines via airplane or other form of mass public transit is not permitted to come back to work for 14 days.
• Should our staff see a significant reduction in able workforce, it is possible there will be an increase in production time estimates as well as an adjustment to mail pick up schedules.

Studies show there is little to no risk in receiving packages and documents through the mail*. If you are one of the many businesses practicing the national guidelines by supporting staff to work from home, we urge you to utilize Postalocity.com to send your business’s daily mail instead of postponing it due to lack of in-house production. Our Postalocity.com automated mail system has been a cloud-based service from its inception years ago, and as a result, we expect no interruption to our mail service or customer experience.

Stay safe and stay healthy.

Sincerely,

Allen Woolf, COO
awoolf@broadstrokeinc.com

*https://www.health.com/condition/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/can-the-coronavirus-spread-through-mail

Full PDF Regarding COVID-19

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