Returned Mail

I just heard how one of our customers handles returned mail.

Our customer files all returned mail by address. If there is only one return for an address, they consider it inconsequential. They figure that something unusual happened like – there was a substitute mail carrier, it got sorted wrong at the post office, or something along those lines.

If several returns are in the file for one address, then our customer takes the time to see what needs to be done.

This seemed like a good plan to me

A huge Merge/Purge

A customer asked for a merge/purge. In particular, as my software said, the customer wanted to “combine files, eliminate duplicates, and retain only those records that do not match an exclusion record.”

I have dome this process a few times before for this customer. This time there were 21 primary files to combine and 6 exclusion files for pulling records out.

When the mailing software I use could not finish the operation, I tried a few things. What finally worked showed that the problem was the size of the merge/purge the software was working with.

What worked was doing the merge/purge against the 6 exclusion files for only 7 of the primary files at a time. I clearly named each output file using “A”, “B”, and “C” at the end of the file names so I knew which was which.

Then I combined the three output files into one file and did a duplication search on the one file.

So, if you have a lot of files to work with in a merge/purge, you do not have to do the merge/purge on all files at once. You can break it down into a few files at a time. Just remember to clearly name each output file, to combine the output files into one file, and to dedupe the combined final file.

Tab or Comma Delimited

I have been having trouble with address files being read correctly by our VideoJet addresser. Don’t take for granted that any file you export that is correctly delimited when opened by Excel will be correctly delimited by your inkjet device.

It happened to me yesterday. I exported a tab delimited file. I found that when a field length ran past the tab stop of the previous record, our inkjet device read two tab stops between the fields. Needless to say, that export did not work.

I changed the export to be a comma delimited file with a double-quote qualifier. This worked because, in a comma delimited file, the length of a field does not matter. The double-quote qualifier preserved the veracity of the fields that had a comma somewhere in the middle of the field.

Mandatory Barcode Change

The update to our postal software came last week. Along with the update came a little notice saying that the “USPS will elimainate automation discounts for the POSTNET barcode in May 2011.”

This means that between now and May 2011 we have to start using Intelligent Mail barcodes.

Our plan is to test Intelligent Mail barcodes and to start using them sparingly, gradually increasing until May 2011. We expect this gradual use will allow us to work out the “kinks” a little at a time and make the transition a lot smoother.

Apostrophes

Yesterday I was doing a merge purge that kept failing. I tried four different fixes until I finally came upon the problem. In this particular case the email field contained a record that included an apostrophe. After I took out the apostrophe and saved the file the merge purge went fine.

So, one problem to look for is apostrophes in an email field.

Standard Export File

Making a standard export file to retrieving addresses to mail merge saves a lot of time. You will find that a lot of mailings use the same fields or most of the same fields.

Your mailing may not require one of the fields in your standard export file. Go ahead and use the standard export file. You do not have to include the unused field in the merge.

My standard export file includes the following fields:

• Bar code
• Endorsement Line
• Full Name
• Title
• Business
• Address 1
• Address 2
• City, State, Zip
• Country
• Sort Position
• Tray Number
• Break Mark

Move Update Files

Here is a list of the files I generally send back to a customer after a move update is performed. Keep in mind that in Satori Software’s Bulk Mailer, address correction is performed at the same time.

• Failed Move Update – a list of all addresses that failed NCOA processes.
• Failed Delivery Point Validation – a list of all addresses that could not be validated by the post office.
• Move Update – a list of all the addresses that returned a new address during the NCOA process.
• Passed Delivery Point Validation and Move Update – a list of all the addresses that are updated and verifiable by the post office.

Remember to include in the key fields in the lists, such as account number, to help the customer identify addresses.

Nonprinting Characters

Okay, so I am plugging along with a mail merge when all of the sudden in the middle of the merge errors start popping up about not finding data. What gives? It was there for the first some-odd records and there is no different set-up in the middle of the file.

I have found that this occurs when the data provider puts a non-printing character within a field in the middle of the file. For instance, a carriage return in a field will make the one record export as two records, half of the original in the first record and the other half in the second. The first field of the second record picks up where the first record left off.

The solution is to remove the nonprinting characters from the file before exporting.

I will use either Satori Software’s Bulk Mailer program or the Easy-XL addition to Microsoft Excel to take out nonprinting characters.

Java and a Mail Merge

When you need help for a Java rule on a mail merge you should contact the mail merge program’s support rather than Java programming support.

I ran across this when I used the tab command (“</t>”). It was returning a space rather than a tab. I did a Google search to double-check the code for the tab. According to the sources on the web my code was correct.

I ended up contacting the support at the mail merge program I use. I was told to use “<t>” instead of “</t>”.

The moral of the story is that one of the first sources of resolution to a Java coding problem is the mail merge program support rather than normal Java support. The mail merge programming can be a touch different than regular Java script.

Where to keep files

Where do you keep files relevant to a specific title? Do you keep a file folder for the specific title? Or do you jeep a file folder for each issue associated with a title?

I keep a file folder for each issue associated with a specific title. I go so far as to keep a copy of repetitive files in each issue’s folder. I want to be sure of what iteration of a file is associated with each issue.

This may be a little overkill, but it is a system. I have one system to remember and I know which copy of a file was used with each issue.

keep looking »

Recent Articles

• Returned Mail
• A huge Merge/Purge
• Tab or Comma Delimited
• Mandatory Barcode Change
• Apostrophes
• Standard Export File
• Move Update Files
• Nonprinting Characters
• Java and a Mail Merge
• Where to keep files

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