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Business Customer Gateway

The Business Customer Gateway is USPS's single entry point for its online business services. Businesses use it to prepare and track mailings, manage Mailer IDs and permits, and enroll for shipping services.

Updated October 28, 202614 sources

What it is

The gateway is a web portal that business customers log into at one address. It groups these kinds of USPS online services:

  • Intelligent Mail products and services
  • Business mailing activity and reports
  • Scheduling mailing appointments
  • Mailer IDs
  • Incentive programs and information
  • Shipping service programs

A Mailer ID is a field in the Intelligent Mail barcode that identifies the mailer. A Customer Registration ID is a number that identifies one business location involved in a mailing. Customers sign up on the gateway with their existing business location Customer Registration ID.

Postal Wizard serves small-volume mailers who submit postage statements. The IMsb Tool serves small business mailers who prepare their own Full-Service mailings. The Customer Validation Tool serves Mail Service Providers.

A Business Service Administrator grants other users access to services in the gateway, such as the MyMSSC Portal.

How it works

A user logs in, then opens a service from the gateway's list of services. Each service then does its own work, such as building a postage statement.

Opening Postal Wizard, one of the gateway's services.

  1. Log into the gateway at https://gateway.usps.com/eAdmin/view/signin.
  2. Go to Mailing Services, in the upper left corner of the landing page.
  3. Scroll through the list of services and find Postal Wizard.
  4. Select the "Go to Service" button.

Postage statements

The gateway offers two ways to submit postage statements electronically: Postal Wizard and the IMsb Tool.

In Postal Wizard, the mailer enters postage statement information into online forms. Its users must have a gateway account. An active mailing permit must be linked to that account. Postal Wizard creates the electronic postage statement and submits it to the PostalOne! Dashboard.

The IMsb Tool is a Full-Service mailing solution for small business mailers who prepare their own mailings. It supports First-Class Mail and USPS Marketing Mail cards, letters and flats. It needs no special software or installation.

Preparing a mailing in the IMsb Tool.

  1. Open the IMsb Tool from the Mailing Services menu in the gateway.
  2. Set up the mailing and upload the address list as an Excel or CSV file.
  3. The tool confirms that the addresses are valid delivery points.
  4. The tool presorts the mailing according to the address list.
  5. Print addresses with unique Intelligent Mail barcodes, plus barcoded tray labels.
  6. Submit the postage statement electronically.

Customer validation

The Customer Validation Tool lets a Mail Service Provider validate client information in the gateway's Manage Profile section. The provider queries customer information by entering an identifier.

Opening the Customer Validation Tool.

  1. Log into the gateway.
  2. Under Manage Account at the top of the screen, open Manage Profile.
  3. Select "Customer Validation Tool" at the bottom of the page.
  4. Enter an identifier in the dropdown to query customer information.

Service requests

The MyMSSC Portal lets commercial customers submit service requests to the Mailing and Shipping Solutions Center. Access takes two grants: one in the gateway and one in the portal.

A Business Service Administrator enables a user in the MyMSSC Portal.

  1. Go to the Portal Contact Management tab on the portal homepage.
  2. Select the "New" button to create a contact.
  3. Complete the contact information, including phone number and email address.
  4. Save the contact.
  5. Enter the user's gateway username in the Portal User Generator box.
  6. Select "Create Portal User".

Rules

After granting users access to the MyMSSC Portal in the Business Customer Gateway (BCG), BSAs are required to complete a few additional steps to enable users in the MyMSSC Portal.

A Business Service Administrator must do more than grant access in the gateway. The administrator must also enable each user inside the MyMSSC Portal.

First, the user requesting access must be added as a contact to the Portal Contact Management list (if the user is not already created) and create a Portal User in the MyMSSC Portal.

A user who is not already a contact must be added to the Portal Contact Management list. A Portal User must then be created for that user.

This service is available to business customers who are Mailing Service Providers (MSPs) and have Manage Mailing Activity (MMA) access through the Business Customer Gateway (BCG).

The Customer Validation Tool is available to Mail Service Providers that have Manage Mailing Activity access in the gateway.

Separate software is required to generate Intelligent Mail barcodes (IMb)

Postal Wizard does not make barcodes. The mailer must use separate software to generate Intelligent Mail barcodes.

The IMsb Tool is not designed for use by Mail Service Providers who prepare mail on behalf of others.

The IMsb Tool is not designed for Mail Service Providers that prepare mail for other businesses.

What goes wrong

A Mail Service Provider that does not see the Customer Validation Tool in Manage Services needs to edit its location in Manage Account. The edit designates that location as a Mail Service Provider.

Postal Wizard does not accept mixed mailings of Full-Service and other pieces.

USPS gives two Full-Service size limits for Postal Wizard. The Postal Wizard fact sheet limits it to fewer than 50K pieces per mailing. The Electronic Postage Statement Submission fact sheet gives a maximum of fewer than 10k pieces. Under that sheet, Full-Service mailings over 9,999 pieces need eDoc from postal-approved software.

The IMsb Tool checks that addresses are valid, but that check is not a Move Update method.

A gateway username is case sensitive when a Business Service Administrator enters it in the MyMSSC Portal.

Terms

Business Customer GatewayBCG, BCG (Business Customer Gateway)
where shippers can manage their mailing activity
Business Service AdministratorBSA, Business Services Administrator, Business Server Administrator, Business Systems Administrator
a representative within your company, for each service
Customer Registration IDCRID, Customer Registration Identification Number, Customer Registration Identifier, Customer Identifier, Customer Reference ID, Customer Registration Identifications
a USPS-generated numeric code of up to 15 digits that uniquely identifies a business at a specific location
Mailer IdentifierMID, Mailer IDs, Mailer Identification, Mailer Identification Number, USPS Mailer ID
MID is a unique 6- or 9-digit number that identifies the mailer or the mailer’s client.
Mail Service ProviderMSP, Mailing Service Providers, Mailing Agent
a business entity, organization, or individual acting on behalf of one or more Mail Owners by providing mailing services for which the Mail Owners compensate the Mail Service Provider.
Manage Mailing ActivityMMA
the service that governs your ability to link Permit(s) to an Enterprise Payment Account
Postal WizardPW, PSW, Postage Statement Wizard
a tool that provides a secure way to submit postage statements online
Intelligent Mail for Small Business MailersIMsb, Intelligent Mail Small Business Tool, Intelligent Mail for Small Business, IMsb for Small Business Mailers, Intelligent Mail Small Business, IMsb Tool
is a Full-Service mailing solution specifically designed for small business mailers who wish to prepare their own mailings.
Customer Validation ToolValidate Customer Information
allows customers to validate client information through the manage profile section of the Business Customer Gateway (BCG).

Documents

Tech Guides

User Guides

Presentations

Quick Service Guides

Fact Sheets

Contacts

For questions about the gateway, call (800) 522-9085 or email IntelligentMailSupport@usps.gov.

The Mailing and Shipping Solutions Center helps with the IMsb Tool and Postal Wizard at 1-877-672-0007 or mssc@usps.gov.

Sources