How to Choose a Lettershop
- Customer Service
- Experience
- Out-of-the-box, Innovative Attitude
- Reputation
It’s a given that your lettershop services partner should save you time, trouble, and have a positive impact on your costs. But what else should you look for, when choosing a lettershop?
1) Customer Service
Customer service should always be top of your list: Expect a face-to-face meeting or phone conference at your request, to get the ball rolling for your project. Use this time to review schedules, expectations and the production process. A quality lettershop will assign a team of experienced mail professionals to manage your mailing projects.
Speaking of service, what ancillary services can your lettershop provide? Mailpiece design, copywriting, presort and commingling services, and help with navigating the USPS and securing postage discounts? Integrated, one-stop service will dramatically streamline your job’s journey from the conception phase to the endpoint delivery.
2) Experience
There is no substitute for experience: A lettershop is like an orchestra, and the manager is the conductor ensuring all of the parts are moving in harmony. Ask about your lettershop manager’s experience and background, and be sure to inquire about inventory management, logistics, job tracking and client reporting.
It’s not just the sets of sneakers on the lettershop floor that matter; also, be sure to investigate the customer service and data teams that will be connecting around your account. Ensure your projects are assigned to an experienced, responsive and complete team from the outset.
3) An Out-of-the-Box, Innovative Attitude
Is your lettershop services partner an order taker, or a creative solutions provider? A seasoned staff of creative thinkers will come back to you with suggestions to save you time and money. “We don’t do that here,” is an easy, and lousy, answer. “We can figure this out!” is the attitude that will help ensure your project gets the attention it merits.
4) Reputation
You are hiring a lettershop to do the job for you; so, the last thing you need is to be anxious and second-guessing your decision in a lettershop services partner. How long has your lettershop prospect been in business? Who are some clients, past and present? And how does your lettershop partner propose to handle data security and disaster recovery? If your lettershop partner is anticipating your needs, and coming to you with solutions - not excuses - you have secured a trusted partner.
5) Security
Is your lettershop operating in a vacuum, or is there an IT and data team backing your project, and ensuring your sensitive data remains secure? Data security is critical, and your lettershop should be educated and speak intelligently on this topic when asked. How will your data be transferred, stored and secured?
There’s also the question of physical security: What security procedures and precautions does your lettershop take? Expect locked and secure areas, closed-circuit cameras and restricted access to your sensitive information, for starters.
What does a lettershop want from you?
When partnering with a lettershop service provider, you know what to look for. So, what does a lettershop want in a client? After all, this is a partnership.
In a nutshell, be as timely and organized as possible.
- Supply quality artwork, and make sure your materials arrive on time and in good shape if they are produced elsewhere.
- Be willing to communicate with the lettershop’s data team, providing data in the format requested.
- Be as punctual as possible. Lettershops are flexible and can usually take - and turn around - jobs last-minute, but consistently being late is not a positive client trait.
At Midwest Direct we pride ourselves on our amazing customer service team, we have been in the industry for 38 years, we constantly adapt and innovate with our clients, our reputation is top of the line, and we have security every step of the way. Contact us today to get started with a lettershop provider that you can trust.
