Pennington, N.J. – August 14, 2009 – Direct Group has received certification from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) as an Intelligent Mail full-service facility. The certification will allow Direct Group to provide clients greater discounts on postage beginning in late November, as well as on-line mail tracking and free electronic delivery of address-correction information, all of which allow for more cost-effective and efficient campaign management.

 

The certification is the latest enhancement to Direct Group’s proprietary PostalOptimizer^® offering, the industry’s most comprehensive package of postal-cost-saving solutions. PostalOptimizer is a combination of technology and in-house expertise that significantly reduces campaign expenses in the areas of postage and logistics. The program strategically combines mail for maximum density and allows for staging and delivering mail in a coordinated sequence. This, in turn, qualifies campaigns for significant postal discounts and helps facilitate consolidated campaign-response management. 

 

As a USPS-certified full-service facility, Direct Group can extend to clients postage discounts of $3 per thousand pieces of first-class mail and $1 per thousand pieces of bulk mail by applying Intelligent Mail Barcodes (IMBs) that allow for electronic processing of mailings by the USPS. These discounts will be in addition to those already received by clients benefitting from other elements of Direct Group’s PostalOptimizer solution.   

 

The use of IMBs also affords marketers free “start-the-clock” reporting – detailed, electronically delivered reports that track mail pieces within the system – to accurately predict in-home dates and facilitate a more efficient response-management program. In addition, marketers who use this system will receive fully automated address-correction service free of charge, providing significant cost savings. 

 

“The ability to receive mail-tracking information electronically in real time allows marketers complete oversight of the campaign throughout the mailstream,” said Chris Ryan, Direct Group Chief Operating Officer. “This helps ensure they have response mechanisms – such as a staffed call center or fulfillment packages ready to ship – in place at precisely the right time to respond quickly and efficiently. Tighter controls over timing help contribute significantly to cost containment, which is more critical now than ever.” 

 

To qualify for full-service certification, Direct Group submitted to a rigorous validation process analyzing its intelligent mail capabilities and its ability to interface effectively with the USPS. The certification requirements also call for mailers to print the unique IMB on various components throughout the mail process, including directly on letters and flats as well as on container placards found on the outside of pallets.  

 

Intelligent Mail full service represents the next step of the USPS long-term strategy to streamline all processes related to business-mail acceptance, eventually transitioning to entirely electronic systems enabling customers to submit all mail entries without the need for paper documentation.