Letourneau used to send the mail to a vendor for processing, but now it's all handled in-house. It gives us a lot more flexibility and saves money. This year, we had an increase of 500,000 pieces, and my postage went down. As with any technology, it's a good idea to analyze costs before automating or outsourcing. We got our financial department involved.
Most financial departments can accomplish a study like that.
As for choosing a software package, it's wise to try the software first. Harrison says he regularly requests copies of software from companies so he can test them and see what features and options are offered. He also regularly analyzes costs. That's how he came to the decision to outsource sortation of nonbulk mail to a local company. So far, that choice has saved money, though Harrison is waiting for reports as to exactly how much.