List Preparation Services

At VMS Mailing Services, our list preparation services are divided into two categories; standard services and enhanced services. Standard services such as CASS certified address correction, duplicate elimination, and PAVE certified presorting are services that are performed on all of the mailing lists we receive from our customers. The cost for standard services is included in our base rate.

Enhanced services such as NCOA processing, merge/ purge, and data entry incur additional charges. However, often the cost savings provided by the enhanced service more than offsets the cost of the service itself. If you have any questions concerning whether or not our enhanced list preparation services can benefit you, please give us a call.

CASS Certified Address Correction

CASS certified address correction also known as CASS certification provides to substantial benefits. The first is that the CASS certification process compares the addresses in your mailing list against the addresses in the Postal Service’s database to ensure the address correct and the mail piece is deliverable. If the address is not correct but is correctable, our software program uses the data in the postal services database to correct the address as required. If the address is not correctable it is marked and a decision can be made on whether or not to eliminate it from the mailing. As you can see this process can save you a substantial amount of money by correcting or eliminating addresses that without the process would be undeliverable.

The second benefit of the CASS certification process is that it satisfies one of the requirements necessary to receive the postage discount for automation compatible mail pieces. For example, a letter mailed standard (bulk) class at the basic presorted rate would require $0.268 in postage. However, the same mail piece would require only $0.219 in postage if it met the requirements for automation compatible mail. A savings of over 20% in postage! Although automation compatible mail must meet other requirements as well, the postal service requires CASS certification for all automation compatible mail.

Duplicate Elimination

At VMS Mailing Services, all of our customer’s mailing lists are sent through a sophisticated software program designed to detect and eliminate duplicate records. This process can save you a substantial amount of money by preventing the mailing of two (or more) mail pieces to the same recipient.

Merge-Purge

Merge-purge is the process of combining multiple mailing list files into one correctly formatted list they can then be prepared for mailing. During the process, any duplicates (records that exist in both files) can be either eliminated or suppressed (hidden). One example of when the merge-purge process is beneficial is when a business with existing customers wants to send out a mailing to acquire new customers. If the business purchases a mailing list of potential customers it can be merged with their list of existing customers to prevent sending the mail piece to the existing customers.

PAVE Certified Presorting

Presorting is the process of sorting the mail and packaging it in containers that are then labeled, sleeved, and strapped. Presorting is also the key to postal rate discounts. By presorting we are actually performing some of the postal service’s work for them and in return for this they offer a discounted postage rate. At VMS Mailing Services, our PAVE certified presort software runs a “computer model” based on information such as the list of addresses, the size and weight of the mail piece, the class of mail, and the USPS’ rules and guidelines. The computer model determines the optimal method of sequencing sorting and packaging the mail to receive the highest postal rate discount.

Data Entry

Thinking of sending out a mailing, but concerned about not having your mailing list in electronic format? Because we know your time is valuable and you probably don’t want to spend it typing names and addresses into the computer, we offer data entry services. At VMS Mailing Services we can take your typed or hand written records and have them entered into a computer file. We believe our rates for this are very competitive; particularly when comparing them to the time it would take you to do it yourself.

NCOA Processing

Every year, over 40 million Americans change their addresses! At VMS Mailing Services, we have access to the National Change of Address (NCOA) processing service offered by the Postal Service. This service provides updated addresses for families, individuals, and businesses that have moved (as long as they filed a change of address form). The Postal Service maintains a database of all change of addresses submitted over the last 36 months. When a mailing list is submitted for NCOA processing it is matched against this database and the new address is provided (when available). Keeping in mind that the Postal Service does not forward standard (bulk) rate mail, this service can provide a substantial cost savings by reducing the number of undeliverable mail pieces.