Should You Farm Out Print Mail Services?

Now you’ve discovered what a print and mail service is, but you are left with the question, “should you outsource print and mailing services in 2018?” This is a good question considering that many forms of communication are no longer valid. Consider the fax machine, telegram, or even the good old phone call. These communication mediums are either obsolete or rarely used. After all, why make a phone call when a text will usually do?

Other than the occasional phone call, the sole survivor is the U.S. mail. Not only has it been around in some form since 1775, but it is also far less intrusive and, therefore, a far more respectful way to reach existing and prospective customers.

Compared to the other various forms of customer outreach, the U.S. mail is by far the cheapest. Consider this: the average postal stamp costs 50 cents and, by offering volume discounts, the price dips even further. When it comes down to dollars and “sense,” a professional printing and mailing service saves you cents, while making sense!

Customer Retention

Gaining customers is only half the battle and some people find it the easier half. What separates a successful business from the unsuccessful is the ability to retain customers. This means yet another specialty of a professional print and mail service: quality, speed and easy to read communication.

Consider the traditional user agreement. Have you ever read one? If so, it is probably no more than a quick skim and a check in the box in order to continue doing what you set out to do in the first place. Here, at Towne Mailer, we take the opposite approach when it comes to customer communication.

If you send out anything over 200 pieces of mail per month, in the form of invoices, statements, general communication, or just about anything else, we can save you time and money. If you send out large batches of communication variably throughout the year, we can also help you.

Printing and Mailing Services Save You Money

We think that it is good business to outsource your print and mail services in 2018. We also understand that any investment – large, small, or even a so-called slam-dunk – should be approached with care and discernment.

Your printing needs are very specific: printing documents and producing quality mail requires good equipment and the workers to do the job. That could mean a substantial investment for a company. Even more money could be involved if your print needs are not centralized and are very specific.

If you are still on the fence regarding the decision to outsource your print and mail services, Towne Mailer would like you to acknowledge the following:

1. Your bottom line: By making use of a professional printing and mailing service provider, like Towne Mailer, you’ll save on materials and labor. More importantly, you won’t have to invest in complicated equipment or pay maintenance costs. You can even take advantage of our volume discounts! We only win when our customers win. This means our interests are the same and your success is paramount when it comes to ours. We depend on you.

2. Productivity: Printing and managing outbound mail involves repetitive, time-consuming tasks for you or your staff. We believe that your time is better served attending to your customers and creating and performing the products and services that led to you opening a business in the first place. Additionally, there’s your equipment. Towne Mailer making you more efficient will entail an initial investment but, by leaving these jobs to us, your employees will be able to focus on tasks that help your company grow. Time is money.

3. Peace of mind: Towne Mailer is equipped to manage emergencies and breakdowns quickly. In fact, we are prepared to deal with the unexpected and can even handle most last minute requests. In other words, you won’t have to think about these demanding tasks anymore. We’ve got your back!

4. Integrity: Errors can occur in the printing and sending of mail, especially when it’s checked by hand: wrong templates, wrong addresses, wrong letters in the wrong envelopes are just a few of the possible problems that can occur when handling these tedious tasks yourself. By using the services of a professional, you can avoid all these errors, because our expertise ensures that all the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed. We take the guesswork out of this business and allow you to rest easy knowing your direct mail marketing and customers’ transactional communications are handled in the most professional, timely, and appropriate manner possible.

5. Tracking: Whether for tracking your company’s printing costs or getting a status report on your mailings, once again, all your needs can be met by entrusting the job to Towne Mailer. By outsourcing your requests, you’ll be able to keep tabs on all your print jobs. You’ll also get a detailed report of your activities, which means you’ll have better control over them. This means that you will have the opportunity to thoroughly understand, recognize, and target any areas of opportunity in your business. We like the sound of that.

Time is Money

Nearly all mail service operations process outbound mail; that’s where the money is made and/or saved. Regardless of the industry, all organizations must take responsibility for their outgoing mail, whether that’s desktop mail – mail that is generated during the course of normal business operations – or bulk mail including marketing, sales, solicitation mail, or similar types of communications.

If you prepare your company’s communication mailings, there is a good chance that some of the processes include folding,

inserting, tabbing, list preparation, and more. Regardless of business size or its corresponding mail volumes, there are ample opportunities to take advantage of outsourcing these tasks to a professional print and mailing service.

What if you don’t have that much mail to send out? This means that you will be spending money on consumer products such as envelopes and printer ink purchased from your local office supply store. While we encourage supporting the little guy, we also abide by the phrase, “you can’t pour from an empty cup.” Printing and Mailing services are simply cost effective. Our number one goal is helping you to get into the position needed to support your family, your employees, and then your community.

Email Marketing

“But what about email?” you might be asking. This is another good question because, in order to properly target your existing and prospective customers, a targeted email campaign should most definitely be a part of your outreach and retention strategy. It is cost effective and reaches just as many people as a direct mail.

What sets apart the direct mail is the fact the recipients are actually receiving a tangible product that they can feel between their fingers. When this is coupled with the expertise of a professional print and mail service, the product is not only striking in its appearance, it is aimed at the proper addresses that will result in a higher customer engagement. A printing and mailing service ensures your correspondence is actually seen by existing and prospective clientele alike.

Even if you have a wide range of communications, outbound mail plays an important role in your business, especially when it comes to transactional communications. Your existing customers will appreciate a streamlined process that easily and efficiently explains accounts received and accounts paid. When utilizing a professional printing and mailing service, the benefits do not begin and end with marketing.

Additional Costs To Processing Your Own Mail

Along with low volumes, another hurdle is the lack of funding for mailing equipment and software. We know that inserting, inkjet addressing, and tabbing equipment can be pricey, but there’s also the cost of mailing software plus annual equipment maintenance and software updates. These hidden expenses add up and it’s not comforting to find out you’ve spent far more over the course of a year than you would have had you employed a professional – all while not even coming close to the output you would have received. That is a bitter pill to swallow and we are glad that you are learning that sooner rather than later.

Lastly, and we cannot stress this enough, there is substantial value in the outsourcing of mail handling personnel. By having another company process your mail, you free up existing manpower for other tasks. It also transfers the headaches that often come with hiring, firing, and training new employees, among so many more tasks that are pertinent to your business.

If you are not sure if you even qualify as a candidate, or if you even need the print and mail services, Towne Mailer highly encourages you to reach out for a quote. As a small business ourselves, we are able to offer a level of flexibility not found at the mega-sites with which we compete. You never know what we can do for you if you don’t ask.

One thing is for certain, we are confident we can save you time & money in the long run and are excited to show you how!