If you currently use DataWorks to manage your professional training event registrations and fulfillment, expect to receive your Insight! login information within the next few weeks. If you’re not using DataWorks yet, contact us to learn how we can help streamline your professional credential program operations.

Your information, in sight, all the time – with DataWorks and Insight!

Better data, more money. Play ball!

The data mining done by these four ball clubs revealed new insights, such as predicting player value by on-base percentage rather than batting average, and pinpointing the characteristics of undervalued talent. These techniques, practiced now by every major league team, contributed mightily to the A’s record-breaking 20-game winning streak and the Red Sox’ 2004 World Series championship.

The movie version of “Moneyball”, released this month, was eight years from concept to reality. A movie about an idea – the idea of collecting data, analyzing it, and drawing conclusions to produce new insights – did not initially appeal to studios. But with the backing of Brad Pitt, data analysis suddenly became sexy and the movie was made.

If you love data, baseball or a good story (ok, or Brad Pitt!) – go see “Moneyball”. It’s not just a baseball movie. It’s the story of how a few people identified a problem and found a creative way to solve it – and in the process, changed the game of baseball forever.

Postal rates will increase again in April 2011. Using current, correct mailing addresses will save you money on postage. And a good clean mailing list helps your message to reach more of your intended audience without delay. Therefore, updating your addresses from returned mail is a key component of any good database hygiene program.

Returned mail overload!

You may have a staff member who can update your mailing list, or you may think that you will do it yourself when you have time. This may not be the best use of your company’s resources. (And seriously, wouldn’t you rather be strumming your guitar, skydiving, playing Angry Birds, or doing just about anything else in your spare time?)

Even if your staff has the time to do address cleanup, they may not know the proper formatting conventions, abbreviations or punctuation rules for addresses, so your mail could be delayed or even returned again. DataWorks’ staff is trained in address correction and we adhere to USPS guidelines for address standardization. We can update your mailing list as a one-time project and send the clean list back to you, or we can maintain your mailing list and provide the data to you as needed.

Resolve to start 2011 with a clean office and a clean mailing list!

DataWorks is dedicated to helping companies in the Lehigh Valley of eastern PA, and beyond, get the most for their mailing and fulfillment dollars. Please contact DataWorks mailing services for more information.

Very small scale green building

Everyone has an interest in preserving the planet. But in this case, going green also helps the economy. The green building market yields more than $30 billion in annual sales, and experts expect this number to rise in coming years. Increased sales translate into financial gains not only for the manufacturers who produce sustainable building products and the trade professionals who use them, but also for consumers, in the form of lower energy costs.

DataWorks works with several major building product manufacturers that have implemented programs to recycle used material, decrease emissions, and use less water. Green products now offered by our customers include:

• Photovoltaic solar roofing material
• Insulation made from recycled and renewable materials
• Ventilation systems designed to keep attics cool
• Insulated siding
• Gypsum board made from 100% recycled paper
• Lighting control systems designed to decrease energy use

Making the decision to go green seems like a no-brainer. Like any shift in business strategy, however, success hinges on a sound professional training program. Our customers have expanded their reach by offering credential programs to train architects, builders, and contractors in green building practices. DataWorks is proud to be able to help in a small way by providing the back-end support for these training programs.

For any professional education program, DataWorks can:

• Send invitations
• Take registrations
• Send confirmations
• Ship materials to class locations
• Send premiums and follow up materials to attendees
• Tabulate feedback data
• Manage credential databases
• And much more!

Let us take care of the details so that you can focus on training your audience. Review our credential programs page for more information. Contact us for help managing your professional training programs.

• A client portal to simplify the transmission and management of data files
• An integrated blog which we will continue to use to share tips and techniques for organizing, managing, distributing and using business information more effectively
• Easy-to-find information about our services and custom solutions.

We send a big thank-you to Altitude Marketing, who created the site, for their creative talents and for implementing the site on time and on budget.

Summer can be a busy time!

As a small company in business for over 20 years, DataWorks knows the advantages of running lean, and we constantly review operations and look for ways to increase efficiency.  In the early years, we dreaded the vacation-heavy summer months because we often felt under-staffed and over-stressed.  Limiting staff vacation time is not an option, because our staff work hard all the time and deserve to enjoy time off in the warm summer months.  So we developed a three-pronged solution which works well for our customers and for us.

• We identified each daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly task for every ongoing customer project. For each task, we documented the steps and trained a backup person.  Now when someone goes on vacation for a week or two, we don’t scramble to parcel out their work and train the people.  Our Administrative Services Supervisor checks the backup list routinely and assigns refresher training when necessary.
• We implemented a task management system that tracks all of the periodic tasks assigned to each staff member.  If someone is out sick or on vacation, the supervisor or project manager reviews the list of tasks due, confirms the work with the backup person(s), consults the documentation, and checks off each task after it is completed.
• We developed good relationships with trusted vendors who can provide us with extra help when we need it.  For example, we have used one temporary staffing firm exclusively for 12 years.  They know our specifications for workers, test their applicants extensively, and provide us with high quality, screened temps with just 24-hour notice.  Extending this relationship one level further, some of the workers they have placed with us have asked to be on call for future assignments because they enjoy working here.

None of this happened overnight, and we must update the information frequently to keep the system working well.  But we are committed to our system because it has improved the quality and consistency of our services – and reduced the stress level around the office!

If you need reliable, efficient, high-quality work in the summer months – or any time – Call DataWorks!  We are dedicated to helping companies in the Lehigh Valley of eastern PA, and beyond, get the most for their database and marketing program dollars.

Wendy and I recently had a conversation about the nature of project management and the factors that contribute to making a project run well from beginning to end.  Here are Wendy’s top tips for successful project setup and implementation.

Plan, plan, plan. (This reminds of the three rules of baseball, according to my kids’ first Little League coach: (1) Keep your eye on the ball. (2) Keep your eye on the ball! (3) Keep your eye on the ball!!)  There are many details that can come into play for even a simple mailing or data entry project.  DataWorks has developed a robust work order system that we use to define project specifications and track progress.  Great project managers like Wendy have great instincts, but a good organizational tool helps to make sure that nothing gets missed.  Wendy sets up a work order as soon as she is notified of a new project, and as the work progresses she updates the work order every day with new information.

Communicate. Wendy asks the questions needed to get complete specifications, and she thinks ahead to define “what if” scenarios.  When specs change, as they often do, Wendy communicates this to everyone and follows up as needed.

Look for efficiencies. At DataWorks we always try to identify cost-saving measures and suggest them to our customers.  Wendy is an expert in reviewing packaging, shipping methods, and workflow processes to determine the solutions that will save the most time and money.

Beware of pitfalls. There are some common errors that can derail a project, and Wendy knows how to avoid them.  We check every data file, letter, printed piece or other communication that is sent to us for a project before we start the work, making sure everything is in order.

Build a relationship. DataWorks has been in business for 21 years, and Wendy has managed our customers’ projects for the past 10 years.  Wendy gets to know our customers and their operational needs, and she gives them good suggestions based on this knowledge.  Her caring attitude and attention to detail are greatly appreciated by DataWorks and by our customers.

Contact DataWorks today to find out how we can help with your mailing, data entry, database, or data management project!

Keep your mailing lists up to date.  People move, companies go out of business, data entry mistakes are made. It happens every day. But savvy business mailers use postal endorsements, correct their address lists, and update addresses from returned mail to ensure that messages get delivered to the right places every time.

Follow the U.S. Postal Service guidelines for mailpiece design.  The size, shape and weight of your mailpiece can have a huge impact on the postage cost for your direct mail or fulfillment project. See our articles on postcard design, letter design, and flat mail design for cost-saving ideas and examples.

Use free shipping boxes and envelopes provided by UPS, FedEx, and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).  Free boxes, envelopes and even tubes are available in many shapes and sizes for express UPS or FedEx shipments and for USPS Priority Mail shipments.  You can order UPS supplies, FedEx supplies, and Priority Mail supplies online.

Use flat rate Priority Mail envelopes and boxes.  If you have determined that Priority Mail is a good option for your project, check out the USPS’s free flat rate envelopes and boxes.  Each size box has a set price no matter how much you stuff into it and where it is going in the U.S.

Use standard mail instead of first-class mail for large non-custom mailings.  If everyone on your mailing list is getting the same information and you can accept a few extra days in the delivery date window, you can save a lot on postage by sending it standard mail.  We’ve found that standard mail works best for a mailing of at least 1500 pieces; this ensures the postage savings more than offset the extra cost of presorting the mail.

Compare shipping methods to find the most cost-effective solution for your project.  It pays to spend time exploring your mailing options. We helped a customer determine that for a yearlong job of shipping products to a limited residential area, USPS Priority Mail with delivery confirmation, plus a free priority mail shipping box, was the lowest cost solution. Better yet, this method still got the materials there the next day!

Negotiate shipping discounts with FedEx and UPS.  The major shipping services are always looking for business and will offer volume discounts based on shipping history or expected shipping volumes. You may not know how much you can save until you ask.

Send newsletters and similar marketing communications by email.  No postage or printing required!  Direct mail still has a higher open rate than email, so you probably don’t want to stop mailing entirely–but you can add targeted email communications to your mix for a relatively low cost.  Don’t forget to keep your email lists up to date.

Plan ahead. Easy to say, sometimes hard to do.  But if you design mailpieces to fit within standard size guidelines and build time into the production schedule to allow for non-expedited shipping, you can save a surprising amount of money on shipping and still reach your target audience on time.

Call DataWorks! DataWorks project managers review every mailing and fulfillment project for opportunities to increase efficiency and save money.  We are dedicated to helping companies in the Lehigh Valley of eastern PA, and beyond, get the most for their mailing and fulfillment dollars. Please contact DataWorks mailing services for more information.

Take a real-world example from one of our ongoing fulfillment projects, which includes the shipment of about 5500 three pound Priority Mail packages per month within zones 1 and 2. The retail postage rate for such a package is $5.70; the Commercial Plus postage rate is $4.91. (The USPS has more information on how postal zones are calculated). Commercial Plus offers a savings of almost 14%. For our customer, this is a savings of $4345 per month over retail rates!

Commercial Plus pricing is a relatively new option, and it is only available to shippers who send out 6,000+ pieces of Express Mail per year or 100,000+ pieces of Priority Mail per year.  Shippers must also use a USPS-approved online postage provider. (We use Endicia.)  As an added benefit to shippers using an online postage provider, electronic delivery confirmation is free!

A note on Priority Mail:  Sometimes, you can save money simply by choosing this shipping option. Priority Mail contains no surcharges for residential deliveries, fuel, or address corrections. (FedEx and UPS charge extra fees of about $2 for residential deliveries and $10 for address corrections – per package.) This doesn’t mean Priority Mail stamps out shipping alternatives for every mailing project! DataWorks can work with you to create a shipping plan that will best meet your project’s needs.

We are very happy to be able to offer Commercial Plus postage rates to our customers.  DataWorks project managers review every mailing and fulfillment project for opportunities to increase efficiency and save money.  We are dedicated to helping companies in the Lehigh Valley of eastern PA, and beyond, get the most for their mailing and fulfillment dollars. Please contact DataWorks mailing services for more information.

Two insights I took away from the meeting that may be useful to those of you considering your next marketing campaign:

• Paper is not dead! Catalogs and other forms of direct-mail advertising literature continue to drive purchasing traffic to websites. Companies that test their mailings among previous buyers find significantly higher purchasing volume in groups who receive mailed offers vs. groups who receive online offers. In fact…

• In 2010 and beyond, companies will buy more paper so that they can print more advertising literature. As a consequence, paper prices have started to rise and are expected to continue rising for a while.  Many companies are trying to get ahead of this trend by shopping worldwide for the best paper prices.

Direct mail advertising campaigns work, and companies are responding to this fact by printing – and sending – more literature. Even though mailing volumes have decreased after peaking in 2007, experts agree that we will see an upward trend over the next two years as companies send more advertising through the mail. Volumes are then expected to decrease again as consumers start to pay more bills online.  (Bills and bill payments currently make up the largest percentage of the country’s total mail volume!)

If you are planning a mailing project, make sure you’ve taken a look at our past blog articles on saving money via careful mailpiece design (for Flats, Letters, and Postcards) and mailing list maintenance (see Address Correction, Postal Endorsements, and Updating Addresses from Returned Mail).  In the coming weeks, I’ll pass on new tips and provide previews of some upcoming postal regulations. These new regulations are designed to give mailers a price break in return for helping the U.S. Postal Service process mail more efficiently.

In addition to sharing information, DataWorks is happy to help you review options for your next direct mail or fulfillment project. We help companies in the Lehigh Valley of eastern PA, and beyond, to get the most out of their mailing and fulfillment dollars. Please contact DataWorks mailing services for more information.