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Understanding the Mailing Preference Service: What It Is (and When You Need It)

By |2025-11-12T13:47:06+00:00November 12th, 2025|

The Mailing Preference Service (MPS) is one of the most important suppression files in UK direct mail. Managed by the Data & Marketing Association (DMA), MPS allows consumers to opt out of receiving unsolicited mail, that is, marketing they did not ask for and from companies they have no existing relationship with. In short, if you are sending cold mailings, the MPS is your best friend. It protects consumers’ preferences and keeps you compliant with best practice and data protection principles. When You Need to Use MPS Any business using third-party or prospect data for direct mail campaigns must screen against the MPS before mailing. This ensures that anyone who has opted out of receiving unsolicited marketing is removed from [...]

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Building Smarter, Faster and More Scalable Data Apps with the SwiftCore API Suite

By |2025-10-27T10:14:12+00:00October 27th, 2025|

At The Software Bureau, we have always believed that technology should make life easier, not harder. That is exactly what our SwiftCore API suite delivers: a set of powerful, cloud-hosted APIs designed to help you create your own self-serve web applications for your clients with minimal fuss. Calling our web APIs is refreshingly simple. Any competent developer can get started quickly and integrating them into your own web platform is a lightweight task that does not require a full development team or a huge budget. The result? You can offer your customers secure, scalable, self-serve access to address data enhancement, suppression screening and more, all powered by our proven SwiftCore technology. Behind the scenes, our APIs are driven by Microsoft [...]

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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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Why Homemover Trends Mean Marketers Must Get Smart With Address Data

By |2025-04-17T09:21:06+00:00April 17th, 2025|

The Shift from Moving to Improving New research reveals that the traditional pattern of moving up – or down – the property ladder is being replaced by a trend for staying put and adapting the current home to suit evolving needs. According to The Way We Live Now 2025 report from B&Q, flexible working and multigenerational living are driving a major rise in DIY. Nearly two-thirds of families have remodelled their homes to accommodate changing needs, and many now see their current property as their ‘forever home’. A significant number have carried out or are planning major transformations, such as extensions or reconfigurations, while others are staying put due to financial pressures like mortgage affordability or lack of deposit. Meanwhile, [...]

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In Conversation with MS Society: Exclusion is Key – It’s Not What They Want, It’s What They Don’t Want That Counts

By |2024-08-05T08:24:32+00:00June 19th, 2024|

In Conversation with MS Society: Exclusion is Key - It's Not What They Want, It's What They Don’t Want That Counts In the increasingly tricky world of data management, the key to success often lies in the details of what you exclude rather than what you include. This principle is nowhere more critical than in the charitable sector, where sensitivity and precision in data handling can significantly impact both operational effectiveness and the well-being of those they serve. We recently spoke with Rachel Draper, Database Manager at MS Society, about their approach to data cleansing using SwiftCleanse, which is proving key for ensuring that their communications are both accurate and respectful. Generating Goodwill through Relevant Communications The value of data [...]

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Why Data Hygiene for Councils is Key: Lessons from a Family’s Grieving Experience

By |2024-01-18T12:13:41+00:00January 18th, 2024|

In the wake of a family's distressing experience with Wirral Council, the importance of data hygiene in local council operations has come into sharp focus. Richard Sefton-Durrant's story about his late mother, Jane Durrant, underscores the emotional and administrative challenges posed by outdated or inaccurate data handling by councils. Jane Durrant, who passed away at 63 after a battle with bone cancer, continued to receive council tax bills at her previous address, despite having moved into supported living. This situation persisted even after her death, with her family receiving multiple letters and emails regarding her council tax obligations. This not only caused emotional distress to the family but also highlighted significant flaws in the council's data management systems. The issue [...]

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The Software Bureau adds Baby Mailing Preference Service to SwiftCore

By |2023-03-09T10:07:00+00:00March 9th, 2023|

The Software Bureau has integrated Baby Mailing Preference Service (BMPS) to its SwiftCore suppression data portfolio to give organisations specialising in baby related products and services more control over their direct marketing. BMPS, a not-for-profit service managed by the DMA, is a specific preference service which enables bereaved parents to opt-out of receiving baby-oriented direct marketing communications including mail, email, SMS and phone calls. Most parents and parents-to-be are happy to receive communications from relevant brands at this exciting time, but in the UK sadly one in five pregnancies fall victim to a miscarriage and almost 3,000 a year result in a still birth. The BMPS enables those affected by miscarriage and stillbirth the opportunity to stop unwanted communications at [...]

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Software Bureau’s Cygnus suite adds 125m records

By |2017-01-12T13:12:30+00:00June 7th, 2016|

The Software Bureau has added 125 million new records to its embedded suppression service within its Cygnus data processing suite. The update follows the REaD Group’s recent upgrade of its data hygiene suite – including the Bereavement Register, the Gone Away Supression File and GAS Reactive – to reach a claimed 100 million records. The refreshed data run through Cygnus provides 29 million new tracked address records and 96 million goneaways. This latest update makes Cygnus the most comprehensive data processing solution available for direct mailers, the company claims. Sitting within Cygnus is the company’s Lean DM workflow package which systematically addresses each of the five sources of waste and highlights opportunities to both optimise mailings and save money. The firm maintains [...]

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