CSG Direct Mail continues to evolve direct mail into the service it was always meant to be. At CSG, Direct Mail is responsive, accountable, trackable and now it is also completely mobile. CSG Direct Mail is now available in the iTunes App Store.
We put all our CSG Direct Mail Tracking tools on the iPhone. CSG Direct Mail for iPhone was released into the iTunes App Store May 7th 2010. You can now track every aspect of your direct mail projects with DIRECT MAIL by CSG Direct, Inc.
Track Your Projects:
The #1 question in the direct mail industry is "Did my mailing going out", so in 1999 CSG Direct built the very 1st direct mail project portal. Our portal has been modernized many times and new services continue to be added. Now available on your iPhone and iPad.
In our direct mail portal you have always had LIVE tracking of every project from start to finish. Then as each project is delivered to the post office you get an automated notice to let you know. You always know when it is expected to mail and what steps are left, Folding, Inserting, Addressing and more. Every Step is tracked. You get Live Access to all this information.
Track Your Individual Direct Mail Pieces:
That's right! Direct Mail has Evolved at CSG Direct, Inc.
After we complete your direct mailing and take your mailing to the US Postal Service, you can track the movement of your mail pieces en route to their individual destinations.
In 2008 and 2009 we invented a whole series of tools, widgets, maps and reports around the new 
IMB barcodes and the USPS Confirm services in order to let our customers track individual mail pieces. This innovation was long overdue.
This was our DIRECT MAIL DREAM and we made it a reality!
These newest innovations are built on our proprietary Direct Mail Tracking Systems. Now available for iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
Now you can easily tell when pieces are arriving in-homes and have all your direct mail project information with you when you need it most.
Check on your projects in your marketing meetings when you are called on. No need to look things up after the meeting and look unprepared while in the meetings. Show people you run the direct mail and you have your fingers on the pulse at all times with CSG Direct Mail for your Smartphone.
With our US Mail Tracking innovations we have millions of records and we have lots of unique ways we plan to give you this data. I have goosebumps on what is still coming. Get CSG Direct Mail for your iPhone so you don't miss out on our next planned updates too.
We continue to redefine the Direct Mailing industry!
We are The Greatest Value in Direct Mail
(More Smartphones coming soon)
Well the much-awaited September 8, 2009 direct mail changes are finally here. This set of changes has been very convoluted and harder to follow than many changes in the past. We made every effort to stay ahead of the curve but the final rulings happened in the final days. The document explains this unique process further.
Here is the full document
THE FINAL RULE:
Basically, when it all comes down to it; there are changes in the
requirements on booklets.
Don't yawn yet; this is bigger
than you might think.
1st) The maximum size is now 6"x10.5" long (smaller now)
2nd) The minimum thickness is .009 (not changed)
3rd) The maximum thickness is .25 inch (not changed)
4th) Cannot use perforated tabs ( changed )
5th) Now requires 3 1-1/2" tabs (changed - damn)
on heavier booklets they 'recommend' 1-inch paper tabs.
The upcharge for not meeting these standards can be considerable. Mailpieces would be upcharded to nonmachinable rates. The most common would be for Standard mail which would go up at least .20 cents per piece (almost double).
It is this kind of details that makes our services and expertise more valuable. Avoid spending more than you need by working with USPS certified reps like all of us at CSG Direct, Inc
We are here to keep your postage low and guide your mail to its destination quickly and inexpensively. You don't get that kind of guidance from a quick-printer.
Of course with our new US Mail Tracking systems, you can also track every single piece.
You asked for it and at CSG Direct you get it. Now with every single mailing you do, First-Class or Standard mail postage; US Mail Tracking is included at no additional costs.
What that means to you is you can now lookup and track every mailpiece you send and see where it is in the Postal Service at any time, day or night, 24/7. Just like Fedex and UPS!!
You see, this is such a new service that so very few people in the country have this opportunity to track bulk mail at all. Those people that do are paying fees and going through 3rd-party vendors to come even close. So, only CSG Direct customers get this NATIONWIDE!! Fortunately we process direct mail for customers all over the USA so everyone can try this.
Have you ever been told by a mailshop "It's in the mail" only to get the feeling it really never was? This is not possible at CSG Direct and we are probably the most accountable direct mailing services company in the country. Track your print and mail project as it happens through our website, get an email notice as it goes to the Bulk Mail center, then track the pieces as they travel to your customers.
You deserve this kind of honest, hardworking and accountable Direct Marketing and it is only available at CSG Direct, Inc.
Call us for a print and mail quote 800-881-2150 x12 or use this direct mail quotes form.
It has been over a year now since we designed our first tools for US Mail Tracking using the US Postal Services Confirm Services. The US Postal Service got the ball rolling with the new Intelligent Mail Barcodes and we ran with it to create some of the nations most innovative US Mail Tracking Tools to-date.
Today we launched a website that takes this innovation even futher. www.trackdirectmail.com is the launch of what will become the nations most publicly accessible US Mail Tracking tools in the nation.
At Trackdirectmail.com you can demo the live mapping tools that are incorporated into CSG Direct's Direct Mail Portal for live project tracking. You can also directly track any Live tracking numbers that CSG Direct has assigned for your mailpieces.
Last but not least, We have also launched our 3rd and most impressive US Mail Tracking Widget.
With this US Mail Tracking widget you can have IMB based direct mail tracking embedded into any website in the country. This takes direct mail tracking to the next level.
If you would like US Mail Tracking embedded into your website or if you would like to be one of our additional beta sites just contact me and we can arrange it.
Undeliverable-as-addressed (UAA) mail is forwarded, returned to
sender, or treated as dead mail as authorized for the particular mail
class. An mailer endorsement is used to instruct the Postal Service
regarding the mailpiece's appropriate disposition upon determining that
it is UAA. On First-Class Mail® service, the following endorsements may
be used as an updating method to meet the move update standard:
Return Service Requested. If UAA, the mailpiece is returned with the new address or reason for nondelivery; no charge.
Temp-Return Service Requestd. If UAA and a temporary
change-of-address has been filed, the mailpiece is forwarded at no
charge. No separate notice of a new temporary change-of-address is
provided.
Address Service Requested.
- Months 1 - 12: the mailpiece is forwarded; no
charge; a separate notice of the new address is provided; an address
correction fee is charged.
- Months 13 - 18: the mailpiece is returned with the new address attached; no charge.
- After month 18 or if undeliverable: the mailpiece is returned with reason for nondelivery attached; no charge.
Change Service Requested. Separate notice of new address or
reason for nondelivery provided; in either case, address-correction fee
is charged; mailpiece is not forwarded or returned but disposed of by
the Postal Service. This endorsement option is available for
First-Class Mail only when used in conjunction with electronic ACS™ Service.
Ancillary service endorsements allow the sender to obtain on request
(provided the appropriate endorsement is used) the addressee's new
(forwarding) address (if the addressee filed a Change-of-Address Order
with the Postal Service) or the reason for nondelivery. These
endorsements also provide the Postal Service with instructions for the
disposition of UAA mail. These new endorsements provide a simpler and
more consistant system than the previous endorsements.
Optional Ancillary Service Endorsement Locations
In addition to the current location under the return address (1),
ancillary service endorsements may be placed above the delivery address
block (2), to the left of the postage area (3), or below the postage
area (4) (postage stamps, meter stamps, or permit imprints). See DMM
M012.4.3 for more information.
For accuracy sake this has been taken directly from the USPS.com website http://www.usps.com/ncsc/addressservices/moveupdate/ace.htm
The US Postal Service is having it's first 'Sale' that I have seen in my lifetime of 20 postal years. They are going to give you 30% off of your postage rates for every dollar you spent 'above your average'.
The details are best to come directly from the US Postal Service so here is the quote from the Post Office customer Relations:
"The Postal Service will offer qualifying Standard Mail customers a
30 percent discount on eligible mailings this summer. This will provide
those mailers with an incentive to prospect for new customers and
reconnect with existing customers.
We think Direct Mail has tremendous value in growing your business.
With Direct Mail accounting for 22 percent of the $250 billion spent
nationwide on advertising each year, it’s big business. Direct mail is
targeted and measurable to an extent other advertising media can’t
match.
The summer sale is currently under review by the Postal Regulatory
Commission. We plan to begin the discounted pricing July 1. The sale
will run until September 30.
Obviously, this is a new initiative for us and we’re anxious to see
how well it will work. Are any of you going to take advantage of the
summer sale?"
– Steve Kearney, senior vice president, Customer Relations
The catch is, to be eligable you must mail over 1 million pieces of mail from October 1st 2007 through March 31st 2008. From those dates a 'threshold' is being established to compare your current summer mailings to.
You will pay your full postage rates through this season and then after October 31st the US Postal Service will determine your rebate and put that back on your permit by December 31st.
So there is a Sale, but only a handful of our direct mail customers will even apply for it as the discount is 30% of the postage spent above your average amount. Of course you still have to mail at least a million pieces in the 4 months as well.
I estimate that this will affect the 'publishers clearinghouses' and 'Capital Ones' of the world the most. I just wouldn't be doing my duty if I didn't tell you about it. If you would like us to help you calculate, monitor and apply for your savings with you we will.
Well, the word is definitely spreading about the unique direct mail innovations coming out of Reno, Nevada. Ironically, the US Postal Service is worried about record profit losses just when the final direct mail dream is realized with US Mail Tracking.
Our innovations on the cover of Casino City Vendors Guide:
We have really started making an impact on reducing the postage expenses of all our Casino Marketing customers.
No matter where your direct mail is processed you have to correctly time your direct mail delivery. For the rest of the country this is still just guessing and estimation, at CSG Direct we're hitting bullseyes.
We're about to roll out three new tools to add to these innovations. I'll tell you about them as we get closer to release.
This is a new feature from the Post Office that was originally slated as a requirement starting May 2009. So many mailshops and software vendors freaked out that the USPS has decided to delay that requirement for one more year. The program is alive and well, however, just not yet required.
We have been using and developing systems around the Intelligent Mail barcode since January 2008 and have had extensive experience in Planet codes before that.
Have you seen our new US Mail Tracking tools?
We are ready for this and have actually lead the way. Is your mailshop using this technology? How many other things are coming that your current mailshop is going to wait for, before learning on your project? Why do they put your mailings at risk as they "figure it out" near deadlines? It's because most shops are reactive instead of proactive.
You deserve to be kept at the front of the direct mail revolution, not in the backseat. These new systems create dynamic advantages for the people that partner with us. What if your competition is using these advanced services and you are not? Mailing with CSG Direct ensures that you are staying at the front of the pack.
This is another core reason to work with a company that is a mailshop first, printer second. It just makes sense!
Haven't you always wished you could see inside the mail system and figure out where your mailpieces were?
Here's where we hit the rocket boosters!
CSG Direct, Inc has America's first public direct mail tracking system in the country - WHAT? you say.
This is a dream decades in the making and just another example of why we should be on your team. Isn't this the kind of tool you need or deserve to do your job right?
This is a revolution! But it's ready for you right now.
Our proprietary process converts USPS tracking gobbledeygook into very easily searchable reports using your very familiar customer account numbers. A revolution!
It's called TrackDirectMail.com and is only available here at CSG Direct, Inc. (24/7 of course).
You've really got to see this in action to see the dream come to life.
I don't think there is a compelling enough reason to do personalized URLS. We are a variable data printing company and database marketers ourselves. We find PURLS are pushed by the digital press manufacturers as something expensive to sell that the buyer can use to generate business. It's expensive to buy!
There tend to be a few quick uses for it and then PURLS lose their glamour. The primary use is to get data from a client. Wow, it's got my name in it! But the fantasy wears off after the first time; especially when they find out that it's a fact-gathering expedition or survey only.
(Which is great once, but you cannot do monthly surveys without a reason.)
There are just so few reasons to use PURLS.
We focus more on personalization for increased appeal and response. There are many (much more secure) ways to get a client to interact online without PURLS.
In short, expensive gimmick, few uses for the same customer, cool only on the first day it rolled out.
I (We) have been building variable data websites since 1995 to work with direct mail campaigns. It doesn't have to be fancy to be effective and you can do it quickly with simple landing pages.
By the way, did I mention that we invented a way to track direct mail through the normally hidden mailstream? When we do a mailing you can track the production of your piece online (since 1999) and also track when it is delivered to the US Postal Service. We also let you track each piece on its journey to its end delivery post office.
There are so many more things you can do on the cheap than to rely on PURLS.
Just my take, but then again I have been doing variable data printing and database programming for over 20 years in direct mail. Not meant as plug - just a reference of experience.
If you need a variable data printing quote just let me know. It's one of the things we are famous for.