4 Reasons to Go Full-Service Intelligent Mail, NOW
February 25, 2010 by Ethan Boldt, editor-in-chief
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Recently, I hosted a webinar entitled "Save $ and Gain Efficiency with Full-Service Intelligent Mail." Okay, unless you're a postal nerd (nothing wrong with that!), intelligent mail at first mention and glance is a relatively dry subject, but it's a crucial one to master if you're a direct mailer today who'd rather succeed in the near future rather than struggle.
For this information-packed webinar, I was privileged to have the premier expert on intelligent mail, Tom Day, SVP of Intelligent Mail and Address Quality, USPS, as well as David Henkel, the president of Johnson & Quin, a direct mail printer which recently became fully IMB (intelligent mail barcode) compliant — one of many printers who've lately made this move. Henkel goes into detail why they went full-service, what steps were required to get there, and the resources that it required.
You can get access to the webinar in its entirely for the next 88 days (for $79), so I strongly suggest you take a listen. Below are some highlights from the hour.
1. Gain Marketing Efficiencies & Cross-Channel Integration Capability
Day explained that the much of the value is wrapped up in the data. "It enhances your ability to do coordinated multichannel campaigns. It's a very competitive market out there and the manner in which people want to spend their advertising dollars are being carefully measured," he says. Indeed, what's critical is the data, so the person making that buying decision gets data that lets them understand if they are getting a proper ROI.
"We're living in a world where the physical delivery of the mail piece is not enough, even if you do it at a cost-effective price, even if you do it at a service-responsive time frame. You have to have data," Day points out. "Full-service intelligent mail is that visibility to more than just a physical delivery of the mail piece, it's all the data associated with it."
2. Improve Supply Chain Visibility
For the supply chain that has a mail owner, a mail service provider and a postal service, full-service intelligent mail gives visibility to that supply chain. "Mail owners love that they can know where their mail is in that process, and intelligent mail gives you that value," says Day.
3. The Numbers Are On Your Side ... and the USPS's
Full-service intelligent mail qualifies for price incentives. "It's 3/10th of a cent for first class, 1/10th of a cent for periodicals and standard mail. You also get free key information: address correction service (very valuable opportunity to take) as well as start the clock data (excellent for supply chain visibility)," explains Day.
By the end of January 2010, the USPS counted $1.4 billion in revenue for full service mailings and 5 billion full service pieces had been processed.
4. Why J&Q Went Full Service
The first reason that Henkel gave was that full service intelligent mail allowed him to give a discount for their clients: $1 per 1,000 standard, $3 per 1,000 first-class. Other reasons included better delivery information, so that now they could really prove delivery status like never before. Full electronic submission of supporting USPS documents was also a boon.
Other advantages? IMB gives J&Q direct monitoring of consolidators, which will encourage higher performance levels. IMB combines addressing and tracking information into one barcode, thereby saving real estate on the mail piece.
In addition, Henkel stated that their clients view them as their postal experts. And they wanted to be early innovators and that it was important to J&Q to provide any and all services that meet the needs of our clients. IMB helped meet their company culture to provide total transparency and gives clients direct access to documents.
For this information-packed webinar, I was privileged to have the premier expert on intelligent mail, Tom Day, SVP of Intelligent Mail and Address Quality, USPS, as well as David Henkel, the president of Johnson & Quin, a direct mail printer which recently became fully IMB (intelligent mail barcode) compliant — one of many printers who've lately made this move. Henkel goes into detail why they went full-service, what steps were required to get there, and the resources that it required.
You can get access to the webinar in its entirely for the next 88 days (for $79), so I strongly suggest you take a listen. Below are some highlights from the hour.
1. Gain Marketing Efficiencies & Cross-Channel Integration Capability
Day explained that the much of the value is wrapped up in the data. "It enhances your ability to do coordinated multichannel campaigns. It's a very competitive market out there and the manner in which people want to spend their advertising dollars are being carefully measured," he says. Indeed, what's critical is the data, so the person making that buying decision gets data that lets them understand if they are getting a proper ROI.
"We're living in a world where the physical delivery of the mail piece is not enough, even if you do it at a cost-effective price, even if you do it at a service-responsive time frame. You have to have data," Day points out. "Full-service intelligent mail is that visibility to more than just a physical delivery of the mail piece, it's all the data associated with it."
2. Improve Supply Chain Visibility
For the supply chain that has a mail owner, a mail service provider and a postal service, full-service intelligent mail gives visibility to that supply chain. "Mail owners love that they can know where their mail is in that process, and intelligent mail gives you that value," says Day.
3. The Numbers Are On Your Side ... and the USPS's
Full-service intelligent mail qualifies for price incentives. "It's 3/10th of a cent for first class, 1/10th of a cent for periodicals and standard mail. You also get free key information: address correction service (very valuable opportunity to take) as well as start the clock data (excellent for supply chain visibility)," explains Day.
By the end of January 2010, the USPS counted $1.4 billion in revenue for full service mailings and 5 billion full service pieces had been processed.
4. Why J&Q Went Full Service
The first reason that Henkel gave was that full service intelligent mail allowed him to give a discount for their clients: $1 per 1,000 standard, $3 per 1,000 first-class. Other reasons included better delivery information, so that now they could really prove delivery status like never before. Full electronic submission of supporting USPS documents was also a boon.
Other advantages? IMB gives J&Q direct monitoring of consolidators, which will encourage higher performance levels. IMB combines addressing and tracking information into one barcode, thereby saving real estate on the mail piece.
In addition, Henkel stated that their clients view them as their postal experts. And they wanted to be early innovators and that it was important to J&Q to provide any and all services that meet the needs of our clients. IMB helped meet their company culture to provide total transparency and gives clients direct access to documents.
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