Vertis Communications has unveiled MailTrail, a mail tracking and reporting system powered by GrayHair Software.
MailTrail provides marketers with the ability to trace a direct mail campaign’s journey through the mail stream, from a package’s initial entry to its projected in-home delivery date. The system design is driven by the US Postal Service’s next-generation Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB) technology.
The IMB technology combines the capabilities of the USPS’s Postnet and Planet barcodes, as well as others, into one unique barcode system.
“In light of increased postage costs and the consistent need for our clients to improve response rates, Vertis Communications wanted to provide clients with appropriate tools to help them optimize their mailing campaign investment,” said Dave Colatriano, senior vice president and general manager of direct marketing at Vertis Communications, in an e-mail.
“We decided to partner with GrayHair Software to provide our customers statistically significant sampling methodology, consultative services and a robust suite of analytical reports,” he added.
Clients can access this mailing data collected by the USPS in a variety of formats through their Vertis MailTrail portal and a comprehensive set of reports powered by GrayHair.
The reports, updated twice daily, give a variety of views of the mailing data by campaign, mailing version and geography.
The system addresses several challenges for marketers. It allows for more accurate in-home delivery times, multichannel campaigns, managing call-center resources (since it accurately forecasts call center volumes) and rapid views of response rates and receptivity.
“By accurately tracking response rates against in-home delivery dates, marketers gain a much clearer insight into which days their target consumers are most receptive to responding to their mailing,” Colatriano said.
