GENERAL
- Why should I use Addressed Admail instead of another advertising medium?
Addressed Admail can help you increase response and reduce waste by targeting your message to those most likely to respond. Addressed Admail is also an excellent medium to build relationships with existing customers including up-sell and cross-sell promotions. For more information go to Addressed Admail Benefits.
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- Who is using Addressed Admail?
Addressed Admail is an integral part of the marketing mix for small, medium and large businesses in a wide range of industry segments, including: automotive, government, finance and insurance, e-commerce, retail, pharmaceutical, consumer packaged goods, not-for-profit, utilities, publishers, real estate, travel and transportation. Businesses of all sizes use Addressed Admail to achieve successful business results.
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- What response rate should I expect to have if I use Addressed Admail?
There are never any guarantees on response rates. Response rates are a result of your individual campaign and whether or not you have reached your target audience. Other factors that could contribute to a campaign's success include: the timing of your campaign, the creative behind your Item, whether or not there is a call to action, the quality of your mailing list and your offer.
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- Can Addressed Admail work for a small business?
Yes! Addressed Admail is a perfect service for all business sizes. If you have a list of customers, you have your mailing list! A direct mail campaign doesn't have to be complicated; in fact, it can be done quite easily. For example, mail a letter to existing customers to announce an upcoming sale. Keep in touch with your customers and keep your services top of mind. If you don't, your competitors will.
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- Do Canadians welcome mail?
Addressed direct mail is well received by customers. Indeed, of all forms of Direct Marketing, Canadians most welcome mail. The main reason is that consumers maintain control over what they bring into their homes and when they focus on the Item. They can pay attention to it on their own time, to fit in with their schedule. It is highly portable - meaning that the recipient can take the Item with them on the bus, to the cottage, and so on.
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- What Items fail to qualify as Addressed Admail?
All Addressed Admail Items must be promotional in nature - meaning that they must motivate an individual to buy or acquire a product or service or to contribute to or support a cause. Examples of non-promotional printed matter include: statements, invoices, reference guides, updates to professional handbooks, notification of price changes, tax forms, and non-promotional announcements.
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- Can I send statements and bills with promotional Items in Addressed Admail?
No. Statements and bills are not advertising or promotional in nature and are not permitted in Addressed Admail. These Items can be sent using Lettermail.
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- Can I send samples with Addressed Admail?
You certainly can. Samples are promotional and therefore accepted as Addressed Admail. If your sample is outside the dimensions of regular Addressed Admail, you may qualify for Dimensional Addressed Admail.
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- Can I mail outside of Canada?
No. Addressed Admail is a domestic service and is available only to customers who deposit their mail in Canada, for delivery in Canada. If you need to mail to a foreign destination, please visit International Letter-post.
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PREPARING THE MAILING
- How does the new generic indicia design apply to Addressed Admail?
Effective July 4, 2007, customers have the option to use a new, generic indicia with perforated edge design for multiple services as the design and specifications lend themselves to a wider degree of flexibility. The generic indicia applies to Addressed Admail, Dimensional Addressed Admail, Catalogue Mail, Lettermail, Incentive Lettermail and Publications Mail services.
The following conditions apply to this design:
- In the case of Addressed Admail or Dimensional Addressed Admail use, customers add "Addressed Admail" or "Dimensional Addressed Admail" as applicable, in addition to their customer number to the artwork as per the instructions available by selecting "Postal Indicia" from our website at www.canadapost.ca/postalservices where the indicia can easily be downloaded;
- All current specification requirements regarding indicia minimum and maximum sizes, font sizes, etc., continue to apply.
Please note that the new design is not intended to replace the current indicia. It is meant to provide customers with additional options and greater flexibility.
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- How many business days do customers have to deposit mailings for Addressed Admail?
Customers must deposit all partial mailings of an Order (Statement of Mailing) within 15 business days.
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- Do customers need to provide a sample item with each partial deposit when a mailing is inducted in more than one deposit?
No, when a mailing is inducted in more than one deposit, customers need to provide a representative sample of each item only when they deposit the first partial Order (Statement of Mailing).
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- Do customers need to state "Partial Mailing" on copies of the Order (Statement of Mailing) that accompany the partial mailings when they are deposited?
Yes, a copy of the first Order (Statement of Mailing) must accompany subsequent individual partial mailings when they are deposited and the copies must indicate "Partial Mailing". If customers are using Electronic Shipping Tools (EST), they must select the Partial Mailing option or check the appropriate box on the manual Order (Statement of Mailing).
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- What are Phantom Prices?
The phantom price refers to the base price for the service option that is applied to the difference between the actual volume and the minimum volume required in a mailing. For instance, the minimum deposit per Order (Statement of Mailing) to access the Addressed Admail LCP price is 1000 items. If the customer mails only 900 Addressed Admail items, the customer is charged the base price for 100 phantom items. This allows customers to still access lowest priced services even though they do not have the minimum volume.
Phantom pricing is not available for Partial Mailings.
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- What is the current list of FCP levels in the National Presortation Schematics?
Verify the current list by clicking on this link.
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- Where do I, as a customer, get more information on preparing mail?
For further information go to canadapost.ca/postalservices and select Mail Preparation and Presortation Guides, then select the appropriate service guide.
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CREATING THE ORDER
- What is the Electronic Shipping Tools (EST) software and how does it benefit me as a customer?
EST is an Internet-based shipping tool that automates the preparation and processing of Statements of Mailing and Manifests for Mailing with Canada Post. For the customer, it reduces paperwork, saves time and improves billing/transaction accuracy, allows for online payment, provides access to incentive prices and any potential volume discounts, to name but a few. EST is available at www.canadapost.ca/obc
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TRACK A MAILING
- What is Track a Mailing (TaM)? What are the benefits?
Track a Mailing is offered through the Online Business Centre. This tool uses state of the art barcode technology to provide Customers with information on the actual deposit date of the mailing and all associated container destination arrival dates. Some of the benefits of using TaM are:
Increased Visibility
- Scans can be captured at induction and at the container destination.
- This information has never been available to Customers before the introduction of Track a Mailing.
Increased Convenience
- Track a Mailing will provide convenient, up-to-date, self-service information to the Customer, via Canada Post’s Online Business Centre Web site.
Better Quality of Information:
- By providing Customers with useful mailing information, Customers can monitor the progress of their mailing and help them plan and schedule activities that support their advertising campaign (e.g. time the staffing of Call Centres).
Improved Service:
- Track a Mailing will provide reports to the Canada Post staff for potential service issues so they can be resolved before they impact our Customers' business cycles.
Greater Collaboration:
- Track a Mailing will help to share information with our Customers about our supply Chain business processes. This will help us to work together to identify areas for mutual continuous improvement.
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- How does a Customer get access to TaM?
Customers access Track a Mailing through the Online Business Centre. Register for a User ID and password online at www.canadapost.ca/obc
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- How much does Track a Mailing cost?
Track a Mailing is free to Canada Post Commercial Customers.
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- As a customer, will any of my Addressed Admail mail preparation processes change when using Track a Mailing?
Some Customer business processes may be impacted, such as:
- Customers must use the desktop version of EST to prepare and submit their Orders (Statements of Mailing)
- Customers must create their mailing plan and barcoded mailing labels using barcode-recognized SERP presortation software
- Customers must apply barcoded mailing labels to their mailing containers
- Customers must provide a barcoded Packing Slip for partial mailings
- Customers must produce a brief Mailing Summary
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- Why are only LCP customers able to access Track a Mailing?
In order to access Track a Mailing through the OBC, customers must use Barcode Recognized Software along with EST VCD to submit their mailings. Customers who mail Machineable or NDG Addressed Admail do not use software to prepare their mailings.
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- Why is Track a Mailing only available using EST VCD and not EST Online?
Due to technological impediments (long wait times) customers may only access Track a Mailing if they submit their mailing using EST VCD and the Barcode Recognized Software supplied by their SERP vendor.
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