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Revolutionising UK Mail Sortation with USE, the Engine Behind Cygnus & SwiftSort

By |2025-10-28T06:59:54+00:00November 3rd, 2025|

For over 25 years, The Software Bureau has been at the forefront of data processing and postal sortation in the UK. Our commitment to innovation and accuracy has helped over 100 clients, ranging from direct mail producers to charities and corporates, navigate the ever-evolving complexities of bulk mail sortation. At the heart of our sortation ecosystem lies USE, the Universal Sortation Engine, a powerful on-premise API that drives our flagship products, Cygnus and SwiftSort. What is USE? USE is our Postal Sortation API, designed to automate and integrate the sortation of UK mail in compliance with all major postal service operators, including: Royal Mail UK Mail Whistl Citipost The Delivery Group Whether you're sorting for Mailmark, Zonal, or Unsorted services, [...]

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Automating Direct Mail and Data Cleansing Workflows: Why the Future Will Not Wait

By |2025-09-18T09:13:49+00:00September 18th, 2025|

At The Software Bureau, we know that efficiency is no longer a luxury. In a world driven by AI, robotics and real-time data, the old ways of processing information are about as modern as a fax machine. Manual data handling, endless spreadsheets and clunky batch processes might have worked once, but today they slow businesses down. That is why we built our SwiftCore Suite of API-led software applications. Designed to integrate seamlessly with no-code and low-code automation platforms, our technology allows organisations to automate direct mail production, postal sortation and data cleansing at scale. Whether you need a simple daily routine or a complex, multi-step workflow running continuously, we provide the tools to make it happen. The Case for Automation [...]

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Automation vs Accuracy: Striking the Right Balance in Data Handling

By |2025-04-30T17:03:29+00:00April 30th, 2025|

New stats out this week show that last year EU regulators imposed over €1.2 billion in fines for data protection violations, including a €310 million penalty against LinkedIn for unlawful data processing practices. While the ICO has taken a more restrained approach, issuing fewer fines in 2024, the message is clear: data governance lapses can lead to significant financial and reputational damage.​ In this regulatory climate, many marketers are rightly embracing automation to streamline operations and reduce human mistakes leading to non-compliance. When combined with strong data hygiene practices, automation can drive incredible efficiency and accuracy. However, without the right safeguards in place, it can also unintentionally amplify errors — leading to wasted resources and potential regulatory risk. At The [...]

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Automation in 2025

By |2024-12-04T15:03:27+00:00December 16th, 2024|

As we approach 2025, a new report reveals that direct mail automation is poised to transform marketing strategies, combining the power of personalisation, efficiency, and sustainability like never before.  Recent data from SeQual shows 61% of marketers increased their investment in direct mail automation in 2024, and the trend is accelerating.  With the global direct mail automation software market projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.3%, reaching $3.99 billion by 2030, the potential for this channel is undeniable. Unlocking New Possibilities with Automation Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are enabling hyper-personalisation, allowing marketers to tailor messages not just by name but by preferences, behaviours, and even predicted future actions. This level of precision is already [...]

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61% of Marketers Increased Direct Mail Automation Investment in 2024

By |2024-07-23T11:19:50+00:00July 23rd, 2024|

Recent research by SeQuel Response reveals 61% of marketers increased their investments in direct mail automation over the past year​. This trend underscores the transformative power of automation in enhancing the efficiency, personalisation, and effectiveness of direct mail campaigns. Here are six ways automation is enhancing direct mail: Optimised Personalisation Through Data-Driven Insights The era of generic mail pieces is over; now, campaigns are leveraging sophisticated algorithms to analyse customer data, tailoring messages to individual preferences and behaviours. This approach involves more than just addressing recipients by name—it’s about creating content and offers that resonate deeply with each unique recipient. The result is a significant boost in response rates and customer engagement, driven by the precise alignment of marketing messages [...]

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Embracing Automation for Growth and Innovation in the Direct Marketing Industry – a pro-people approach

By |2024-04-05T11:14:05+00:00April 5th, 2024|

The direct marketing industry, traditionally slower to automate compared to other sectors, is standing on the cusp of a transformative era driven by technological advancements. With new research from Pearson predicting a net increase of 390,000 jobs by 2027 in England alone, due to automation and augmentation, the industry faces both challenges and opportunities. The Role of Automation in Direct Marketing Automation in direct marketing is not about replacing human tasks with machines. It's about enhancing the efficiency, accuracy, and reach of marketing campaigns through the use of tools that automate data processing and cleansing, significantly reducing the time and cost associated with manual interventions. From postal sortation to address data enhancement, automation can streamline operations, improve compliance, and open [...]

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2024: The Year of Do or Die

By |2024-01-08T11:54:55+00:00January 8th, 2024|

As we rang in the New Year the collapse of Communisis marked a less than auspicious start for the industry. Tom Preston-Werner’s famous quote: "You’re either the one that creates the automation or you’re getting automated” has never been more pertinent. In an era where digital transformation is reshaping industries, the direct mail sector, traditionally reticent to change, is now standing at the crossroads of innovation and tradition. The crux of this transformation is automation, a concept that is essential for the future of the industry. Automation in direct mail streamlines processes including sorting, addressing, and packaging. This mechanisation significantly reduces the time and labour involved, translating to lower operational costs and higher efficiency. By minimising manual interventions, automation also [...]

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Is now the time for innovation in the direct mailing industry? 

By |2023-01-23T13:36:44+00:00January 23rd, 2023|

As many of our network will know, in December we carried out a research study investigating the automation opportunity for the sector. The overwhelming finding was that there is significant appetite to innovate particularly in terms of the use of AI. For the sector, it is therefore good news that the UK currently ranks first in Europe, and third in the World, behind the US and China in developing AI technologies. Moreover, the Government is keen for the UK to maintain this position. Investment continues to be high. As part of this in July last year The National Robotarium at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh opened its doors. It is the UK’s hub for robotics and artificial intelligence and has [...]

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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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