ResponsePost -New Australia Post Direct Mail Tool

ResponsePost is a powerful new tool developed by Australia Post to help improve the accuracy and cost-effectiveness of direct mail responses.

A critical issue impacting the performance of any direct mail campaign is the ability to turn direct mail responses into valuable, accessible and actionable data that can be used immediately.

Australia Post says ResponsePost is the answer to this challenge, providing a solution that automates the processing of inbound mail responses, ensuring accurate and reliable response information. Daily response reports are provided within 24 hours of responses being received by Australia Post.

Post’s Carolyn Johnston says it’s ideally suited to charities, marketers, researchers or anyone required to collect response information.

Johnston says the ability to access daily response reports via the Internet means being able to react to direct mail responses and leads quickly.

How it works
Responses to direct marketing campaigns, which are mailed using postage paid ResponsePost envelopes, are collected, sorted and counted using the latest in automated technology.

In addition, ResponsePost captures actual response information, including payment details if required, using the latest automated data capture technology. All the information is captured digitally, translating handwriting into editable copy.
To make the collection of customer data simpler, ResponsePost has designed a range of pre-tested data capture templates to include in creative material.

This also makes it easy for people to respond and enables a high level of data capture accuracy.

The range of pre-priced and pre-tested templates has been designed to accommodate a broad range of information capture needs.

Carolyn Johnston says that if none of the templates satisfy the requirements of a campaign, users can design their own unique template and add in new fields.

Segmenting responses

Australia Post predicts a diverse range of applications for ResponsePost – from acquisition and loyalty campaigns, strategy testing and refinement, and concept tests, to product trials and sampling, lead generation and customer or donor re-activation.

One important area Carolyn predicts ResponsePost will be valuable is being able to measure responses to a number of predetermined segments – for example testing responses to different offers or different lists and obtain results in separate reports.

She says the level of marketing focus and information ResponsePost provides is unprecedented and immediate.

Within 24-hours sales teams can not only talk to customers, they will know their preferences and can track sales directly to that sales zone.

She says it’s a big boon for charities which can acknowledge donations, fulfil orders and also follow up any leads.