Founded in 1941 by John Thysse, Thysse provides a broad variety of brand and marketing solutions all backed by a core founding principle— deliver exceptional outcomes. And given its growth from a small garage and a single letterpress in Madison, WI, to Thysse’s current 95,000 sq. ft. facility, one can say that the company must excel at delivering on that promise. Now in its third generation as a family run business, Thysse continues to grow its operations, a large portion of which is still print and direct mail services.

Thysse first discovered Altrans Postal Solutions when one of its marketing firm clients wanted to utilize drop shipping to save on its mailings. A fairly mail-savvy client, they had some great ideas but not necessarily the industry connections or knowledge to know which carriers were best suited for this kind of work. 

“We knew it was vital to use a freight company that specialized in mail because there are nuances on a postal unit dock that most freight companies aren’t familiar with or don’t want to deal with,” says Thysse Mail Manager, Kristina Peer. “If you aren’t comfortable with the United States Postal Service process, you jeopardize the mailing not getting there at all.”

That’s when they contacted Altrans.

Altrans was able to arrange a freight solution that took the ins and outs of drop shipping to Sectional Center Facilities (SCFs) into account, successfully implementing the drop shipping strategy. 

“Seeing the success this client experienced, it was an easy decision to expand the approach to more of our mail customers,” comments Peer.

Thysse utilized Altrans’ expertise to ensure the time-sensitive delivery of several large mailings for another client to promote its events in multiple locations. These campaigns were also highly successful, landing in home on the target dates as promised with a guaranteed delivery rate that kept the projects on budget.

“This client’s concerns weren’t even necessarily about budget, but about getting their pieces into the hands of potential customers on a specific date,” explains Peer. “With their markets scheduled for the weekend, it was essential that these pieces get there before the scheduled events.” The cost savings were a bonus win, making Thysse an even more impressive partner for their customer. 

Do it. Don’t think twice. I may have knowledge of the local offices and companies and how they work, but Altrans has relationships all over the country and has been able to negotiate rates I’m just not able to.” – Kristina Peer, Mail Manager at Thysse

Thysse continues to use Altrans with the bulk of its customers for mailings of all sizes with varied requirements and Peer couldn’t be happier.  

“Partnering with a company like Altrans really lines up with our value set, they offer peace of mind and consistently go above and beyond,” she continues. “I’ve had Jeremy Albright get on a video call and help me restack pallets to lower freight costs. He’s called me after hours to resolve paperwork issues with carriers to avoid redelivery fees and keep mailings on schedule. The whole team has taken care of everything from how to get mail onto a truck, making sure paperwork is in order, to pricing, scheduling and more. That’s the kind of service you get with these guys, they take care of it all.”

Peer has been managing shipments and mail for over eight years and is quite knowledgeable about the process, but still has this advice for other shipping managers when it comes to hiring a logistics company like Altrans:

“Do it. Don’t think twice. I may have knowledge of the local offices and companies and how they work, but Altrans has relationships all over the country and has been able to negotiate rates I’m just not able to. Plus, working with Altrans eliminates the need for me to go out there and get multiple quotes. When I need to do a mailing, it’s as simple as one email or call to Altrans and they do the rest.”

Thysse’s exceptional print capabilities and Altrans’ leading-edge logistics solutions are a great example of how the right strategic partnerships can add value for both the provider and client. Interested in learning more? Contact us for a no obligation consultation. 

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On July 14, 2024, the United States Postal Service (USPS) increased postal rates for the second time this year. While this was announced well in advance and the agency has been increasing rates at more frequent intervals recently, many will still be concerned about hitting postage budget limits before year end.

What are the best ways to manage an inevitable situation drastically affecting your budget?

Keep a clear and open mind.

Price increases are an unfortunate part of doing business. Whether you figured an increase into this year’s budget estimates or not, you can adjust to these changes if you approach it with a clear and open mind. The market will typically justify your company’s pricing with profits following suit. Have faith in your ability to manage your business and be flexible to options that help you stay on track. If a postage increase is the worst thing that happens to your business this year, consider it a great year!

Be creative with your systems and designs

If you are faced with needing to cut your postal budget, look to more affordable piece sizes and weights or consider different delivery options or services. Although a glossy, full-color catalog may stand out in the mailbox, you can also try testing a lighter, flat mailer with a QR code that takes your customers to your website with those same products and see how that performs. Adding more lead time to your campaign and using a different mail service can also help cut costs. Could LTL, comailing or comingling be something you could take advantage of?

Whenever possible, look to changes in your creative or delivery services and save cutting your audience size as an absolute last resort. You may even find that these changes free up budget allowing you to increase your list size and reach even more potential customers.

Review and investigate every aspect of your program

It can also pay to take a second look at your entire approach to mailing, not just the big budget hits. Putting a fresh set of eyes on your lists, designs, schedules, service providers and anything that touches your mail campaigns can open up opportunities for not only cost savings, but delivery efficiencies and performance improvements.

When was the last time you really dug into the details of how your mailers are being produced and delivered? The industry is changing and innovating, and postage increases are nowhere near as simple as they seem on the surface. Most times they are accompanied with changes to service-level discounts that are added or eliminated. That means a class level, service or drop-in point that once made good financial sense for you may no longer, but without being well versed in the intricacies of the postal code, it’s hard to keep up with that.

Think ahead

The bottom line with this increase, and others you will see this and next year, is that costs can and will rise, it’s the nature of the economy. If you didn’t plan ahead for an increase this year, be sure that you keep it in mind for next year’s budgeting. Your best course of action with postage is the same as with all aspects of your business: look for creative ways to cut costs without negatively impacting your operations.

And when it comes to the complexities of mail, bringing in an industry expert to review your lists and systems is a worthwhile investment, especially in the face of changes like what we’re facing now. Our team is always happy to provide a complimentary consultation that brings fresh eyes to your program. We specialize in helping companies catch up to industry trends and find efficiencies that extend budgets a little further.

In shipping and logistics, we’ve been watching the slow decline of the United States Postal Service for some time. And although many carriers and drop shippers like Amazon have taken a bite out of its package business, there’s one place the USPS still reigns supreme—direct mail.

Who’s Still Using Direct Mail?

If you’ve visited your mailbox recently, you know mail isn’t dead, but most likely it’s not a letter from Grandma waiting for you or even your electric bill. Instead, it’s a hefty stack of direct mail pieces of all shapes and sizes. So who’s sending these? According to direct mail marketer, Postalytics, the top industries utilizing direct mail are:

• Automotive
• Travel
• Financial Services
• Insurance
• Retail and E-commerce
• Home Services
• Real Estate
• Non-Profits
• Education
• Healthcare

And why? Well why not? It’s targeted, personalized, can have a great response rate, be highly trackable and best of all, it’s tangible.

The Lifeblood That’s Draining Your Budget

Direct mail is arguably the lifeblood of the USPS and, if you’re in one of these businesses that relies heavily on direct mail, it’s likely a large part of your budget. So while certainly not taking its last breath by any means, the USPS has definitely struggled in recent years to reinvent itself (Postmaster General Louis DeJoy unveiled a decade-long plan, Delivery for America, in 2021) but that innovation comes at a price that is passed on in the form of regular increases to postage and shipping rates, five of them in fact, since 2021 with more sure to come.

You Can Lower Your Postage and Shipping Costs

So when your business relies on direct mail, how do you fight these ever-rising costs while ensuring your pieces are delivered on time and to their target audience? Check out Four Ways to Save on Your Mailing and Freight. It’s filled with insights from professional mail planning and logistics experts that can help even the savviest of mailers up their direct mail game. Check it out and let me know what you think.