Spotlight On...
Direct Mail Capabilities
By
Apr 19, 2005, 23:52

Mailings

MDF’s high quality adaptable mail operation can accept envelopes, flats, packages, post cards, self-mailers, 3D mailings, and products of all kinds. We have software supporting compliance with US Postal Service requirements for maximizing accuracy and cost-efficiency. We can sort the database for a specific interest, print the labels (or inkjet the envelope), affix the labels onto the marketing piece, and mail them out.


Customization and Personalization

Using MDF's database expertise coupled with our high-speed color and monochrome laser printers, we can customize communication to an audience of one, effectively, efficiently, and economically. MDF can address prospects or customers by name, add specific paragraphs or sentences to a product manual based upon a particular model number and options, or pre-sort and custom assemble information in a report so recipients receive only what is pertinent to them.

Personalization enables you to take advantage of one-to-one marketing: that ability to use custom demographic information for a highly personalized document. For example, you can create one newsletter with certain areas customized for each of your specific products, client base, and channels to market. This is a hot area in direct marketing that you can leverage to its maximum potential.


Addressing Capabilities

MDF can accept input from any format and produce addresses as required. Most of our clients use Excel, since it is easy to use, helps with standardizing the field, and is easily importable into our system. We often receive lists from different sources, such as internal files, rented lists, and hard copy such as business cards, warranty registrations, or sweepstakes entrants. We will import the data, manually entering if required, merge, purge, and eliminate duplicates so what remains is a file of unique names. MDF can perform data hygiene including address standardization, check for misspellings, incomplete or incorrect address information, and correct them to meet all current postal requirements.

Outgoing mail is processed through a Post Office certified software program that checks addresses, verifies zip codes, appends zip+4, and creates the required paperwork for presort and automated mailings. It also supplies us with the barcodes that we apply to the addresses to give you the best postal rates consistent with post office regulations. We receive monthly updates to the zip code lists that we import for look-up and correction. We can apply pressure-sensitive and laser labels (which can be generic or customized) or inkjet the addresses, depending on the circumstances, the quality of the piece, the compatibility of the process, and the postal requirements.


Postage and Shipping

MDF routinely mails out 1st Class, Standard, Priority Mail, Parcel Post to domestic and international locations and, occasionally, Express Mail, Registered, and Certified Mail. We are on-line to the most popular express services. We have daily pick-ups by the most common express carriers, such as United Parcel Service, Federal Express, Airborne, and DHL, and complete the required paperwork when necessary to use their services. Monetary accounts associated with postage have control procedures and audit trails. We can also apply your negotiated rates for express carriers by using your account for billing.

How a Job Order is Initiated

MDF will work within your discipline and structure, but we require nothing more than an e-mail or a fax from an authorized person with effective instructions. We do not need a purchase order from you, but if your company requires a Purchase Order, department cost centers or authorization codes, we will make sure that these are included on all relevant paperwork including invoices.

A sample is the best way to ensure that we are all on the same wavelength. If at all possible, having a sample ahead of time insures that the estimate will accurately represent the actual job. Once the job is in, MDF will assemble the materials as a sample and send it to you before going into full production mode, if at all feasible. If we do any printing for you, we also send a sample for your approval.


Quality Control

All of our fulfillment activities are computer driven. Bills of material are generated for each unique process, with combined stock withdrawal requests to accommodate all activities. Check lists for sampling and quality checks are printed at the same time. All of our data processing and fulfillment supervisors have at least five years or more experience at MDF.

In the production area, the labels and forms are kept in sort order. This allows for double checking that the names and inserts match. Depending on volume and complexity, the job is either collated and inserted by machine; or a manual collation, match, and insertion is done on an assembly line.

Your activities would be closely supervised and, when appropriate, would be handled by the same group of fulfillment staff. Additionally, there is a line supervisor and a production manager, who oversee the process and perform random quality control checks.



© Copyright 2003 by YourSITE.com