Maintaining and managing your customer mailing list

Mailing list management often falls between the marketing department and the IT department.

Data input is often undertaken by temporary staff and, because of the nature of the task, there is usually a high turnover of dedicated data input and updating staff. Only a few companies have implemented rigorous checking procedures and consequently data is inconsistent, poorly spelled, badly typed and prone to duplication.

When Publishers Direct handles your mailing list, we guarantee to:

1. Enter Chinese, Arabic and Spanish names so that you can address all your customers correctly (either formally or informally).
   • For example, can you enter "Mao Tse Tung" so the name appears correctly but you can personalise as "Dear Mr Mao"?
   • Can you enter "Maria Teresa Ribeiro Alves Rodrigues Pinto" in full and do you know which combination of the last four names to use when addressing her?
2. Edit all city, state and country names before entry so that addresses are up to date, accurate and easy to deduplicate.
   • For example, do you have addresses in Copenhagen, Kobenhaven, Kobenhavn, or all three?
   • Do you automatically check Chinese addresses to see whether they are in Taiwan or the PRC?
   • Do you use "Buenos Aires" or "Capital Federal"?
3. Check the format and position of all postcodes.
   • For example, do you automatically output postal codes into the correct position before, after or on the next line after the city name?
   • How do you format Indian postal codes?