How Business Automation
Addresses Mail Preparation
The Brainworks ERP for the newspaper industry shows the
cost savings and flexibility of integrating Satori Solutions
Brainworks software is a powerful Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.
Brainworks originally designed their software suite to help newspapers manage
advertising. When Brainworks added newspaper circulation management software
to the roster it needed one extra component: mail preparation.
Brainworks turned to Satori Software for the solution.
"We have the expertise for publishing and Satori has the mailing expertise, it’s a marriage made in heaven,"
says Brainworks General Manager Dick Kitzmiller. "Integration was about as plug-and-play as you can get. After we
had the sample code for MailRoom ToolKit Architect, integrating the module took our IT staff just a few development
hours."
The Brainworks ERP manages billing, marketing, classified, display, sales force automation, subscription fulfillment,
distribution and more. In other words, the software handles the entire business end of publishing through a single
application.
"We integrated MailRoom ToolKit Architect to handle all mailing logistics," says Kitzmiller. "All
the customer and subscriber management takes place in our application. Anything mail related passes through Architect
where all the class certification and postal discounts are applied."
Kitzmiller pointed out that data cleansing and mail preparation
procedures are far too complex for his company to develop on its own. He had to find an application that would provide
that functionality in a form that works seamlessly within the Brainworks product.
"Postal rules and regulations are dynamic and ever changing," says Kitzmiller. "It wouldn’t make sense
to re-create that capability in our product. Integrating third-party mail preparation software
into our management suite was essential, if we wanted to give our clients the lowest possible postage rates at a reasonable
price. Satori came through for Brainworks."
Mailing for the penny-wise
Integrating MailRoom ToolKit Architect into Brainworks software suite resulted in direct savings for publishers who mail
periodicals, flyers and billing subscriptions in bulk. Accuracy, standardized formatting of address lists, along with
optimizing postage rates and delivery options also add significant cost savings.
"Postage discounts and sorting options are all contingent on CASS™ processing, which corrects
and standardizes mailing addresses," Kitzmiller says. "MailRoom ToolKit provides instant transformation
of subscriber information into the USPS® preferred address format."
"We use Satori Software solutions to manage everything we mail, whether that’s renewal notices, subscriber mail or
our newspaper," reports The Morning Telegraph’s Sales and Marketing Operations Manager Jasper Curtis.
The Tyler paper sends an average of 6,000 to 9,500 renewal notices each month and 16,000 periodicals. Curtis says
tight financial constraints mean publishers have to follow postal rates closely.
"If a newspaper cannot meet the complex postal requirements, distribution costs would be prohibitive," says Curtis.
"There has to be something that manages the cost of our mailing operations. Integrating the Satori solution
decreased postage costs, while increasing productivity."
Integrating easily
The flexibility of the Architect API enables programmers to easily incorporate MailRoom ToolKit data-handling routines
in IT platforms, whether based in COM, .NET, or on a website. Users can also select the mailing and address correction
features that best fits their needs. For instance, the Tyler Morning Telegraph is currently adopting the Full-Service
Intelligent Mail barcode. The barcode allows USPS to identify service level, mail class, special handling and delivery
point information all in a single scan. The newspaper benefits by receiving a deeper postage discount.
The Tyler Morning Telegraph is one of many companies utilizing Brainworks management suite. Newspapers across the county
rely on Brainworks software to efficiently run their business.
"Finding a full featured mail preparation application that was affordable and would easily integrate into the Brainworks
management suite wasn’t an easy task," says Kitzmiller. "We were lucky to find MailRoom ToolKit Architect. It gave us
everything we wanted, plus regular updates to manage ever evolving postal codes."
About Brainworks
Brainworks software has been installed at over 800 North American newspapers over the past 25 years. Products include
fully integrated classified and display advertising, circulation, billing, accounts receivable, contract and credit
management, classified pagination, ROP ad layout, editorial and editorial pagination, and a state-of-the art Sales Force
Automation system supporting Web and Palm OS platforms.
Brainworks customers include individual newspapers as well as publishing companies, which incorporate multiple products
and divisions into a single database.
More information on Brainworks software products
About The Tyler Morning Telegraph
The Tyler Morning Telegraph, owned
by TB Butler Publishing, is a local newspaper serving Tyler and the East Texas region.