New Automated Sorting System Culminates Four Years of Preparation
Mail Services staff were surprised and delighted by a visit from Chancellor Tien--dressed in a Mail Services uniform shirt--on a recent Friday morning.
His official business there was the cutting of the ribbon to launch the department's new automated mail sorting system. But he extended his visit into a tour of the department, taking the opportunity to view the equipment and get acquainted with staff members.
A few days later, the department hosted an open house, this time to let the entire campus in on the celebration of the new system.
Really, it is only fitting that the larger campus community be involved, says Director William McCart. Not only will all campus departments directly benefit from the efficiency of the new system, but the cooperation of the campus at large has been critical to the automation effort.
Over the months and years leading up to automated sorting, departments have purchased new campus mail envelopes, redone addresses on stationery, added mail codes to mailing lists and forms and implemented "ZIP+4."
In all, it was a four-year process leading up to the installation of the equipment and beginning to put it into production, says McCart.
Until this time, all 30 million pieces of mail processed annually were sorted by hand. The new equipment, which, according to McCart, is technologically superior to any other university system in the U.S., will improve productivity and service, and, over time, reduce costs.
McCart notes that some missorts are expected during the initial implementaion period. "We expect such incidences to be rare," he says, "but hopefully people will bear with us as we work out the problems."