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Postmaster General John E. Potter has his hands full with anthrax terrorism and the fear that has been sweeping the nation… we are forever changed.

If that isn't bad enough, the United States Post Office has been under assault for some time by the ease, convenience, and speed of Internet email. With the growing popularity of email, use of the snail mail system has been on the decline, contributing greatly to eroding USPS revenue and growth.

Email and electronic documents are guaranteed Bacillus anthracis free. While our Internet email systems have been infiltrated in the past with "viruses", these viruses are only referred to as such by the rapid manner in which they spread electronically. They are not biologically contaminated and are in no way a threat to human health.

With these new acts of terrorism among us, more value is being placed on email, electronic documents, and electronic transactions. This conversion to a more technically reliant society will dramatically impact how business is conducted going forward.

The average citizen has taken this anthrax terrorist threat to heart. I was told of a family recently that has notified their friends and loved ones that they will no longer communicate via standard US Post Office mail. They requested that any communication be sent via email, specifically Holiday greetings because they will no longer be opening their mail.

If people aren't opening their mail how can direct mail business survive? Not surprisingly the direct mail business will be one of the hardest hit by these threats. Direct mail has thrived on USPS by creating envelopes that compel people to open them either by blatant or unassuming looks. It can be anticipated that as our society is encouraged to be more alert to suspicious looking pieces of mail that less and less of these direct mail pieces will be opened. Conclusively, savvy direct mail houses will be forced to convert to direct email businesses in the future.

Additionally, if people are not opening their mail they will begin to adopt online methods of bill payment. Today, bills can be requested via email or alternatively a bill payment service that acts as a clearinghouse can be used for personnel paper bills. These features are amazingly convenient and easy to use and in many cases are already in place. For those people that have not yet adopted the many benefits online bill payment provides, now is a great time to get started.

We are about to see a major shift in the way we conduct transactions. As a business some of the first things that should be considered are offering email invoicing for customers and enabling payments to be made electronically as opposed to requiring paper checks.

In Washington DC, the USPS mail service interruption has impacted the timely receipt of payments in the form of checks causing major cash flow problems for some businesses. Both businesses and consumers are going to demand less paper, less post office mail, and more electronic bill presentment and payment options.

The use of credit cards as mechanisms for regular payment will increase as well. Credit card systems may have to adopt new services to accommodate this rapidly emerging market. Newer online payment systems of PayPal Business Accounts and Check Free will become the payment mechanisms of the future.

This is a great time to learn about electronic banking systems available to businesses such as Automated Clearing House (ACH). ACH is an electronic system to process payment similar to checks electronically. ACH is the basic mechanism that allows for electronic checks to be processed over the Internet. This system transfers money at a very low cost as opposed to electronic funds transfer, which can have a very high cost per transaction fee associated with it.

Beyond electronic checks, ACH with business approval may deduct money at regular intervals from a checking account, allowing service fees that occur on a regular monthly basis to be collected easily. Most banks will allow businesses to use the ACH system trough software they provide. Individual banks should be contacted for details.

If the only way your business can function is by sending a paper invoice in the mail and receiving a paper check you have a very large potential problem. Get your business prepared now! If you don't offer electronic bill presentment and payment as an option, get it put into place as soon as possible.

New importance will be placed on the Internet and how both people and businesses use electronic documents and transactions.

Electronic commerce or eBusiness is now more than ever going to become a necessity in all businesses. Beyond the original reasons (speed, accuracy, return-on-investment, and cost savings) to implement these systems into business there are now safety and personal health issues to consider as well. Business truly has forever changed.