As direct mail programs scale in size and sophistication, execution alone is no longer enough. Organizations with mature programs need strategic oversight that connects production decisions to risk management, efficiency, and long-term performance. Organizations rely on Production Plus to add an intentional layer of expertise that elevates direct mail from tactical fulfillment to a strategically managed operation.
The Situation
The operational burden of high-performing, complex direct mail programs can be significant. Countless hours are spent reviewing data, validating inputs and outputs, checking samples, and managing quality control across dozens of active direct mail campaigns.
This was the reality for one of Production Solutions’ nonprofit clients. They were keenly aware of the internal time and effort required to manage production oversight while also trying to maximize return on every donation.
What they needed was not just execution support, but a partner who could take ownership of day-to-day production details, proactively manage complexity, and assume responsibility for production oversight at scale, freeing their team to focus on mission, strategy, and impact.
The Solution
Production Plus was designed to meet that need, allowing their clients the ability to step back from the time consuming and attention-intensive review and approval process that complex direct mail programs require.
Under this model, the Production Solutions account team takes on the logistical heavy lifting. PS becomes the primary reviewer and approver across many of the most time-consuming stages of production, from print proofs through insertion approvals. This includes validating data and counts, reviewing personalization logic, inspecting samples, and ensuring accuracy before anything reaches the mailstream.
By centralizing responsibility for these details, Production Plus removes friction from the production process and reduces the need for repeated internal reviews. Clients are confident that production is being actively managed, not just monitored. With execution and quality control fully owned by Production Plus, they are free to focus on higher-level strategy, planning, and program performance, knowing the details are handled with discipline and care.
The Real Benefits
- Strategic Oversight
Production decisions are managed by postal experts, with full visibility into risk, cost, and impact. - Significant Time Savings
Labor-intensive production management tasks are absorbed, freeing internal teams to focus on higher-value work. - Reduced Risk
Data, personalization, and insertion issues are identified and resolved before they reach the mailstream. - Confidence at Scale
Programs remain accurate, predictable, and resilient as volume and complexity grow.
Client Experiences
With Production Plus in place, a nonprofit client experienced an immediate shift in how print production was managed. Instead of their staff spending time validating counts, reviewing data dumps, checking personalization logic, and inspecting insertion samples, those responsibilities were fully owned by Production Plus.
Over the course of a single year, nearly 1,500 work hours were saved for the client through Production Plus. Through this model, PS verified input and output counts across nearly 100 mailings, conducted data and personalization quality control for hundreds of production packages and setup files, and reviewed over 500 insertion samples to ensure accuracy and consistency on behalf of the client.
The result was not just time savings, but confidence. Production Plus provided the structure, discipline, and accountability needed to run a sophisticated program without overwhelming internal resources.
The Impact
- Nearly 1,500 internal work hours saved in one year.
- Client gained more confidence and focus on mission-driven strategy rather than production management.
- Production risk reduced while program scale and complexity continued to grow.
- Print proofs, data counts and dumps, live data signoffs or setups, insertions and package approvals taken care of by PS.