Accuzip???

[kdw75]

We are have been using a third party to prepare our bulk mailing lists, and then to put it in trays after we print it, but he is requiring us to keep it sorted when we print it, which isn't a problem, and then seems to be overcharging us, from what several clients have told us about our mailing costs.

So now we are thinking of doing it in-house, but I am not sure what software to use for the list certification and processing. Would Accuzip be a good choice? All of our mailings are under 75K pieces, and most are under 20K pieces.

I just feel like we are doing most of the work and getting charged way too much. The guy likes to tell us though that it is a lot more complicated dealing with the USPS than people realize, and that it isn't as easy as one might think. Probably just trying to justify his work.

 

[Digital Press Guy]

Jet Letter has many of our customers successfully using Accuzip for their mailings both very large to very short run. We recommend them for the simple reason, AccuzZip is an excellent solution.

Their products are USPS certified. They are as feature rich as solutions costing much more. They are also unique in that their solutions carry a "price lock guarantee". You should talk to AccuZip about the details.

If you don't already have their contact info its;

Postal Software For Direct Mail Marketing

Or contact their National Postal Affairs Director, Mark Rheaume at [email protected].

Good luck.
Thomas Bougher
PSL - Jet Letter- Variable Data Printing Software

 

[MailGuru]

Ok kdw75, let me just make sure I understand your current workflow. We'll call the 3rd party company "MailCompany", and your company "PrintCompany"

1) MailCompany takes the mailing lists, does the postal work, prints, and keeps, the postal documention (postal forms, tray tags, etc.) and sends you (PrintCompany) the sorted files for digital printing.

2) You print the pieces, keeping them in order, and then transports the printed pieces back to MailCompany, who then finishes the pieces (cut, fold, insert, what ever needs to be done), puts them in to the mail trays, labels the mail trays, and takes them to the post office.

Is that correct?

-Best

MailGuru

 

[kdw75]

Ok kdw75, let me just make sure I understand your current workflow. We'll call the 3rd party company "MailCompany", and your company "PrintCompany"

1) MailCompany takes the mailing lists, does the postal work, prints, and keeps, the postal documention (postal forms, tray tags, etc.) and sends you (PrintCompany) the sorted files for digital printing.

2) You print the pieces, keeping them in order, and then transports the printed pieces back to MailCompany, who then finishes the pieces (cut, fold, insert, what ever needs to be done), puts them in to the mail trays, labels the mail trays, and takes them to the post office.

Is that correct?

-Best

MailGuru

Pretty much, except we do the cutting, folding and finishing. When we send it back to the mailer it is sorted and ready to put in trays. We have been paying a handsome fee for this, and from what I can tell, we are doing the hard part.

We have had a couple clients tell us that our printing was cheap, but our mailings were higher than the competition.

How this relationship got started, was that we had dealt with this party prior to our shop going digital, and back then the mailer would also do the addressing and sorting, but then when we started printing the addresses on our digital press, the price stayed the same. I found out about this and got the feeling we were getting taken advantage of, though I didn't know much about the mailing and certification processes.

We purchased Accuzip today.

 

[pcmodem]

There is a lot to learn about providing the USPS mailings today and in the future. The USPS is wanting all Mailing Companies to submit their documentation electronically. It isn't a requirement today, but they are wanting it to be. If you want to get the Full-Service discount of .001 per piece on Standard Mail or .003 on First-Class Mail, you have to submit your documentation electronically.

The IMB barcode also requires you to have a MailerID (MID). You will want to get an account with Postal One on the USPS site. Use this main account and sign up for everything the USPS has to offer so you become the BSA. It makes handling changes in the future easier. Make sure your account is setup to be a Mail Service Provider (MSP = Yes). If you don't currently have your own Permit, for Indicia mails, you will want to get that setup too. Your Mailing Requirements department at your Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU) with the USPS will be able to help you through these steps.

 

[buckeyewta]

We use postage saver for most of our mailings. It is a cheap program ($59/yr) but does what we need it to do. That program does not include NCOA.
Postage $aver - Postal Bulk Mail Without the Hassle!

For larger mailings where NCOA is needed I have used Autozip a few times. It is a site that lets you upload your mailing list and they will NCOA, remove duplicates, presort and send list with postage statements etc back to you for about $25. For the number of mailings we are doing this is a much better option than paying a couple thousand a year to do it in house.
autoZIP® Mail Services

 

[mattf-BCDDirect]

Our shop is currently using BCC Mail Manager, which in my opinion is an excellent program that allows you to do everything you could imagine when it comes to bulk mail. While it may be more expensive than some people want or can afford, just the support they offer is worth the added expense. You can call them with any questions or problems and if they can't answer immediately, you can send them your list and they will figure it out and send you a solution back as soon as possible. I have been highly impressed with BCC. The software also allows you to set up the electronic submission template ahead of time and simply click a button and fill out the needed information and submit, which in the near future is going to be very handy.

As far as what you are paying someone else to do your sorting, I would seriously consider shopping around and comparing prices. The bulk mail industry has changed so much lately that print shops are quickly converting over to in-house bulk mail, so you can surely find some competition for your current provider. Or, as was mentioned earlier, simply start doing the sort yourself and while you have an up front expenditure you will probably make that back in savings in no time at all.

Good luck!