For many companies, business success is dependent on effective direct mail campaigns. However, postage costs and other practical aspects of mail processing can quickly add up, eating into your budget and hindering your profitability. That’s where mail commingling with RA enters the picture; and by understanding the step-by-step process, you too can harness the power of commingling to optimize your mailings and achieve significant savings!
Step 1: Preparing Your Mail
Before commingling, meticulous preparation of your mail pieces is essential. Beyond simple addressing, this involves sorting and bundling according to stringent USPS guidelines. Proper preparation not only ensures compliance but sets the stage for streamlined processing. It minimizes the risk of delays or errors in subsequent steps. Attention to detail in this phase is crucial for the overall success of your commingling strategy. If you need help here at the start, please reach out as this is one of the more critical aspects of the process.
Step 2: Partnering with a Commingling Service Provider
To maximize the benefits of mail commingling, a strategic partnership with a leading service provider like RA is imperative. Seek a provider equipped with not only the necessary expertise, facilities and equipment, but also USPS-approved software running underneath the entire process. Finally, seek out a partner that prioritizes financial transparency and on-demand reporting, ensuring you have real-time insights into the progress of your mailings.
Step 3: Submitting Your Mail to the Commingling Facility
After preparing your mail, the next critical step is submitting your mail to the commingling facility. This can be achieved through various channels, including drop-off or a contracted carrier pickup and delivery. Your choice of submission method should align seamlessly with your operational needs, as the receiving facility plays a pivotal role in receiving and processing your mail, then combining it strategically with other clients’ mail to unlock higher volume discounts. This collaborative approach enhances cost-efficiency and is a key factor in the success of your commingling efforts.
Step 4: Commingle and Sort
Once your mail reaches RA’s commingling facility, it undergoes a sophisticated process of commingling and sorting. This goes beyond a mere combination of mail pieces; advanced software optimizes the sorting process. Your mail is intelligently grouped with similar destinations, contributing to maximum postage savings. The efficiency gained in sorting significantly reduces the number of individual mailings, optimizing USPS delivery routes for enhanced speed and cost-effectiveness.
Step 5: Destination Entry and Delivery
After the commingling and sorting process, your mail seamlessly enters the USPS mail stream. It is directed to the appropriate USPS destination entry points, where further sorting and preparation occur for final delivery. Leveraging RA’s destination entry logistics (via TruckDirectMail.com) is a strategic move, allowing your mail to bypass intermediate processing steps to reduce shipping transit times and mailpiece wear-n-tear, but also improves the overall speed and efficiency of in-home delivery.
Step 6: Tracking and Reporting
One of the standout advantages of mail commingling with RA is the ability to track and report on your mailings. The integration of USPS Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMb) technology provides comprehensive visibility into the entire mail stream. This tracking capability enables you to monitor the progress of your mailings from the commingling facility to final delivery, so that identifying potential issues becomes more manageable, allowing for proactive solutions and improved supply-chain reporting.
Ready to maximize your postage savings and streamline your direct mail campaigns? Contact RA at sales@royalalliances.com or call 800-441-7804 to learn how our mail commingling services can benefit your direct mail operations and business bottom-line. Let’s make your direct mail campaigns more effective and cost-efficient together.