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Those most likely to donate as a result of Direct Mail

By |2023-07-21T09:18:23+00:00July 21st, 2023|

A new study, The Future of Direct Mail 2023, reinforces the effectiveness of direct mail, with the overwhelming finding that 81% of people engaging with direct mail in some way. Almost two thirds were found to have purchased a physical product as a result of receiving a piece of DM, 43% took advantage of a discount or special offer that was promoted through the mail, 35% applied for a financial product whilst 25% donated to charity as a direct result of a call to action within a mail pack. With charity fundraising suffering as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, understanding the impact of direct mail and who is most likely to respond is incredibly valuable. The report finds that, [...]

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Data processing security is key data concern for 2023

By |2023-07-11T13:01:31+00:00July 11th, 2023|

Our latest review of the GDPR enforcements undertaken by the ICO over the past 12 months reveals that data processing security and right of access are the most common infringements since July 2022. Almost a third (30 per cent) of the 30 recorded infringements this year pertained to Article 5, the principles relating to data processing and of these 21 per cent were for Article 5 (f) which specifies that personal data must be processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security. Sixteen per cent contravened Article 15: Right of Access by the data subject and 15 per cent were non-compliant to Article 12 (data transparency) and Article 32 (security of processing). Last year the lion’s share of enforcements (61 [...]

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The Renaissance of Direct Mail Gathers Apace

By |2023-07-04T18:12:32+00:00July 4th, 2023|

As you may have read in Decision Marketing recently, I was quoted as saying that direct mail was experiencing something of a renaissance; and that this in part was a result of more responsible targeting due to GDPR (which turned 5 at the back end of last month). You can read the article here: https://www.decisionmarketing.co.uk/news/gdpr-five-years-on-the-death-knell-for-lazy-marketing In case there were any doubters, my assertions have been justified by the latest set of JICMAIL results: mail effectiveness is soaring. Direct mail engagement and effectiveness reached their highest level in a year, with the Q1 2023 results showing that despite another challenging quarter for consumers, a greater proportion of mail was engaged with than at any point in the previous year, and a [...]

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Death of customer service – but not at The Software Bureau!

By |2023-06-01T06:15:57+00:00June 1st, 2023|

So, earlier this month I was left incandescent with rage when trying to get in touch with not 1, not 2, but 3 of my suppliers urgently. And do you know what? It was a bloody nightmare. First up. EON NEXT. Like many others I was sent a communication saying my direct debit was yet again increasing, however due to some changes in circumstance I want to discuss this with them. Could I find a phone number? Could I hell. After 20 minutes or so of searching I furiously rang EON who very begrudgingly handed out EON Next’s number. I was then put on hold for 95, yes NINETY-FIVE, minutes (the hold music is now seared into my brain) until someone [...]

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8 reasons why should you switch to SwiftCore now for all your data processing and management needs

By |2023-04-26T08:10:19+00:00April 26th, 2023|

What is SwiftCore? SwiftCore is our powerful computing platform, hosted on the Microsoft Azure Cloud, that offers a range of services designed to help organisations process their CRM contact data more efficiently. Why is SwiftCore the best solution for you? It is secure One of the most significant advantages of the Azure Cloud platform is its robust security features. Azure provides multiple layers of security, including role-based access control, multi-factor authentication, and encryption, ensuring that data processed in Azure is secure and compliant with industry standards and regulations. It is compliant Because Swiftcore is a UK hosted solution, the data processed within it complies with all UK data protection regulations. This feature is particularly important if you handle sensitive or [...]

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On-prem v cloud data breaches: where is the safest place for your data?

By |2023-04-04T07:25:12+00:00April 4th, 2023|

According to the Cost of a Data Breach Report by IBM, the average total cost of a data breach for businesses in the UK stands at £2.9 million. This represents an increase of 9.4 per cent from the previous year's report. The report also found that the average cost per compromised record was £98 which is higher than the global average of $146 USD per record. Obviously, the cost of a data breach can vary depending on a range of factors, including the size of the organization, the industry, the type of data compromised, and the severity of the breach. However, the cost of a data breach can be significant, and can include expenses related to legal fees, regulatory fines, [...]

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Zero trust and the role of data hygiene 

By |2023-02-27T16:21:38+00:00February 27th, 2023|

Massive amounts of data are being generated daily - from exercise stats compiled by wearables through to smart building monitors that collect temperature and air pressure information every 15 minutes. If data creation continues at its present rate, more than a yottabyte (a million trillion megabytes) will likely be generated annually by 2030. We are really starting to put the big into big data!  But with data, comes data threat. The two are synonymous. Last year it is estimated that there were 4,100 publicly announced breaches in security equating to 22 billion records being compromised and a rise of over 25 percent is expected this year. In an attempt to mitigate these threats, it is unsurprising that within three years Gartner [...]

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Decision Marketing: Direct Mail revival beats rivals

By |2023-01-04T09:28:09+00:00January 4th, 2023|

Martin Rides writes for Decision Marketing about the role of mail moving forward into the new year. You can read the article here or below Brexit, Covid, supply chain chaos, cost of living crisis, economic freefall, postal strikes, train strikes, nurses strikes, economic freefall, worst and longest predicted recession… yep, the country is royally screwed and teetering on a knife edge. There’s no dressing it up, this year has been a shocker and next year is going to be even tougher for the marketing industry. Everyone is battening down the hatches and putting survival plans into place. Yet, there is one small glimmer of light… The resurgence of direct mail as a legitimate and effective marketing channel. If nothing else, [...]

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MIND THE GAP: THE 25% MAIL PRODUCTION AUTOMATION OPPORTUNITY

By |2022-12-22T06:15:41+00:00December 22nd, 2022|

New research amongst mailing houses carried out by The Software Bureau reveals a 25 percent automation gap. The survey shows that currently two thirds of mailing houses have automated 50 percent of their processes, however the optimum level of automation is considered to be 75 percent, revealing a 25 percent gap. Only one mailing house in the survey has automated all of its workflow processes. Data automation was found to be highest on the wish list for mailing houses, including postal sortation and cleansing processes, whilst automation of ‘run of the mill’ day-to-day processes was the next highest priority. AI-enabled solutions were revealed to be the area with the most potential, with 70 percent of businesses currently not using AI. [...]

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Data hygiene is all academic, isn’t it?

By |2022-11-14T11:09:16+00:00November 8th, 2022|

How alumni teams at higher education institutions can enhance relationships with past students and increase lifetime value Digital transformation scores a B+ According to a study by McKinsey, almost 80 percent of organisations reported that during the pandemic they initiated a process of digital and data transformation. Undeniably, COVID 19 fast tracked many organisations’ transformation intentions. For instance, the higher education sector - not one famed for its agility - had been toying with the concept of Responsive Blended Learning, a hybrid of traditional classroom based delivery and online learning for years, but it took lockdown for this to actually become a reality. Most institutions went from face-to-face teaching to digital delivery in a matter of days. And with exam [...]

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