I have found the following to be helpful:
- Review your own shipping labels after printing, is the print crisp and clear, is it a good easy to read size? Trust me, the savings on ink by using "draft" print settings are not worth it, I always print High Quality now.
- Phones today can scan a barcode label, try scanning the USPS barcode with it, did it pick it up?
- Labels stick better to plastic surfaces such as tyvek envelopes and tape, cardboard not so much. A label that can come off during shipping can cause havoc for all sides.
- Help your postal workers by following the system, any time you have 3 or more outgoing parcels create a SCAN sheet. If you're "dropping off" loads of boxes yourself (in some places they won't / can't scan) that they then have to scan one by one that's not really helping, find out how to ease their workload, talk to your postal service workers.
- Tiny boxes / envelopes (3 inches or less across, also 4x6 tyvek/kraft padded envelopes) get lost a lot easier, if at all possible use boxes at least 4x4x4 and envelopes at least 6x9 (yes I know it can raise the weight by an ounce and that can raise the price of postage too but it's something to remember, small parcels get lost).
When a package gets lost or loops once or twice or worse, try and recall the size and contents.
If it happens again, see if the two are comparable so if you can spot a pattern.
Patterning losses can help prevent future instances by identifying the cause of such loss.
Don't always blame it on the USPS, that won't help, instead try and see if it was a specific size or type of package.
That's all I can think of but if anyone else has any ideas...
