Mail Room: Ask Sandra
My customer sent me their address database to use for an upcoming direct mail job. This seems like a pain in the neck. Is there any way to take advantage of this new “work”?
Mail Room: Ask Sandra
Sandra Long, vice president, Printer Market and Customer Development, Pitney Bowes, answers readers’ questions about mailing. Send your questions to her at Sandra.Long@pitneybowes.com.
Q: My customer sent me their address database to use for an upcoming direct mail job. This seems like a pain in the neck. Is there any way to take advantage of this new “work”?
A: Lucky you are! There are some very important questions to ask your customer right off the bat. Has the database been CASS Certified? Has it been updated through NCOA Link?
CASS stands for “Coding Accuracy Support System” and is used to ensure the accuracy of the addresses by the USPS? NCOA stands for “National Change of Address” and provides new addresses in the event of a move. These are critical steps because there are so many consumers and businesses in the US that are moving on a regular basis or that have incorrect addresses. So if your customer has not done this, you should consider offering this as a service. There is mailing software available to make this very easy. You can add a list of database services to your job tickets and collect revenue.
You should also be asking if you can help with de-duping, mail merging, and mail piece tracking and then add those services to your revenue stream. These are also very easily done with the help from your mailing supplier.
Of course, take the time to know the postal requirements and standards for addressing. To stay current, I recommend using both your mailing supplier and the RIBBS website, located at http://ribbs.usps.gov.
For more information visit www.MyPrintResource.com/10007238.
