Top 10 Reasons To Track Mail

Beyond compliance and beyond postage discounts, mail tracking delivers ROI in many different ways. Regardless of your role in the mailing process or vertical market your mail is targeting, it is vital that you leverage the power of data to optimize your communications using mail tracking.  Here are ten reasons to track mail that AccuZIP has identified:

1. Improve distribution planning (Very valuable to MSP and Print/Lettershop verticals but also useful to Retail vertical)

   • Better “In-home” management and reporting

   • Plan delivery to USPS facilities based on most recent performance (And specifically what you determine as relevant) of those facilities rather than on USPS service standards for delivery by mail class

   • AccuTrace users can provide their customers the ability to track their own projects by simply sharing the URL link (GUID)
     • No need for e-mails or phone calls for reports as they can go online and check status whenever they want
     • Optimizes staff in both operations
   • Only “real issues” require intervention and escalation

2. Enhanced “Trigger Marketing” efforts (Where scan “event” triggers another marketing effort) (Most applicable in the Retail vertical)

   • Trigger some type of customer contact (Service, sales, collections/payment, etc.)

   • Develop “rewards” for response within a certain time frame of receipt and be able to accurately enforce and supplement with data
   • Can trigger planned mailings for campaign from MSP or Print/Lettershop vendor

3. Accurately calculate ROI and effectiveness of mail campaign (Very important in MSP, Print/Lettershop and Retail verticals)

   • How many pieces got delivered vs. actual responses
     • Calculate ROI at different points in process using real/accurate response numbers vs. actual pieces delivered (Rather than total records mailed)
     • Proactively Identify “extreme” results (Very high or very low)
   • If high deliverability but low response rate the issue could be with the mail piece, messaging, target audience, time frame, etc. rather than the actually mailing process itself
     • Traditional DM performance shows success is based on:  40% is audience (list), 40% is offer (message) and 20% is everything else (Design, USPS, etc.)
   • Marketing and Creative Departments live for this information as ROI is what drives and justifies their efforts

4. Call center management (Retail, MSP and Print/Lettershop verticals)

   • Accurately determine/estimate how much mail reaches “In-home” targets early, on-time or late
   • Accurately map and associate buying habits/behaviors to when offers received based on the tracking reports
   • Know time from receipt  of mail piece and initial contact/response to be able to time future offers more effectively
     • Ex: Can use information and data to project if offer will be received late to extend for all or some portion of the list/audience

5. Maintain and improve customer relationships (MSP and Print/Lettershop verticals particularly with some carryover to Retail vertical.)

   • Tracking provides tangible information showing that the piece(s) was mailed, where it is in the mail stream and accurate reports regarding delivery
   • Trust increases between mailer and customer through these reports and statistics
     • Increases “transparency” improving relationship
   • Detailed history of all mailings can be kept and used for auditing or historical purposes by all parties
   • Increases ability to meet customer’s service standards and expectations regarding in-home delivery date
     • Helps facilitate conversations about timing of mailing and planned entry into USPS facilities based on facts and historical performance of USPS
     • After one year of tracking, there are great insights into USPS facility and network performance that can be very useful

6. Inbound mail tracking (Most applicable in MSP and Print/Lettershop verticals serving financial customers)

   • Estimate when payments (Business Reply) will be received, where and in what quantity
     • Track when payments will be received to manage PO box pick up times
     • Measure impact to budgets, “float” on daily deposits, internal cash processing and cash flow
   • Proactively eliminate phone calls for late payments that are already shown to be in the mail and on their way from the customer
     • Savings available by avoiding mailing unnecessary cancellation and delinquent notices
     • Preserves relationship with the customer as well
     • Allows you to focus on truly problem accounts and know that payment is not “in the mail”

7. Avoid date or delivery related disasters (Retail, MSP and Print/Lettershop verticals)

   • Identify and resolve issues if mail is “stuck” or delayed
     • Ability to take action on time sensitive marketing campaigns (Holiday sales, real estate open houses, special limited time offers, etc.).
       • This “action” may be to extend or delay the event/offer as a result of the information gained from tracking

8. Identify and proactively resolve processing delays (Can be benefit to MSP, Print/Lettershop and Retail verticals)

   • From mail drop (at entry facility) to out for delivery, complete visibility of mailing as the pieces travel through the mail stream (All available to everyone in the process)
     • Without tracking you are basically mailing ‘blind’ and hoping that the mail gets there (“Spray and pray” mentality)
   • Tangible proof that the mail was actually mailed and processed through the mail stream
     • Complete visibility of mail campaign – TRANSPARENCY
   • Communication of issues with the USPS references their own data and in turn helps them improve their performance and increase the effectiveness and timeliness of their response

9. Monitor USPS performance (Best suited for MSP and Print/Lettershop verticals)

   • Reports available allow you to compile reports by USPS facility at the piece level!
     • Traditional “seeds” represent a very small portion of the mail and as a result do not represent the performance of the entire mailing in comparison to full tracking
       • If one seed is lost, all information for that “area” or demographic is lost
   • The information AccuTrace uses is the same data the USPS has (They provide it) so efforts will be coordinated and focused on solutions rather than disputing facts

10. It is your responsibility!

    • Regardless of your role in the mailing process
      • This mail is important to your customer/organization and tracking it provides data that can improve the process this time and every time
    • Regardless of your stake in the mailing process
      • MSP, Print/Lettershop, mail owner or any combination of these, the only way for you to optimize USPS resources and measure results is to track all of your mail
      • As a professional member of the mailing industry you need the information to be effective
    • Regardless of your vertical market
      • All verticals (Retail, financial, health care, education, etc.) have a need to understand and measure the processes affecting their mail
      • If you do not track it the USPS will not be able to effectively and efficiently resolve issues that occur