If you read my earlier post you would have gathered knowledge about how USPS and QuestMark can help track letters and replies as they make their way through the postal system. In this post, I will cover some additional, and possibly less conventional ways to track your correspondence. Keep in mind that many of these ideas apply not only to “snail mail”, but electronic delivery – which include delivery methods such as email, SMS (text messaging), and app notifications.
• Payment Received – Obviously, if you received payment for an invoice after the invoice was sent out, then there is a high probability that this event occurred as a result of the correspondence being received.
• QR Codes – A strategically placed QR code can be used by your customer for such things as requesting coupon, check incentive point balances, check account balances, or register for electronic delivery. Embed a tracking code within the QR code so that you can tie the activity to the specific delivery method.
• Personalized URLs (PURLs) – A personalized URL on your correspondence can achieve a similar tracking results as QR codes described above.
• SMS (text messaging) – Invite your recipients to subscribe to or interact with a short code to get information. Use some unique message phrase or number to help track these interactions.
• Phone/IVR – By calling in to a designated number and utilizing caller ID, you can connect the recipient to the outgoing message. Use an interactive voice response (IVR) system to help capture additional information an interact with your customer to provide them with additional information.
• USPS Informed Delivery – Informed delivery is a USPS service that lets consumers see images of the mail pieces as they are en route to them. With an optional “ride-along” graphic ad the consumer can be directed to a website where additional details can be captured and tied back to the original mailing.
In summary, I’ve presented a few additional ideas here about how to track your correspondence. Tracking is important for many reasons – mainly to help you learn what works and what doesn’t. Your communications can be tailored to fit each individual and optimize the success of your collections or marketing campaigns.
Stay tuned for part three of this series where I will talk about some of our experiences using tracking data to assist with litigation, evidence, and legislative compliance.
Contact us to work with you to develop your personalized strategy.
