Wishing you a fun-filled and safe Halloween!
From all of us at LetterScream 8-]
Category: Just for Fun
"Office": A Funny Video From Domtar
We stumbled across this hilarious video from our paper manufacturer the other day.
It doesn’t have much to do with mail, but it points out some of the silliness of cutting too much paper out of your workplace diet.
Domtar has a whole series of videos titled “PaperBecause“. This little beauty is #112.
Check out the entire series at www.paperbecause.com.
If you’re interested in real paper mail, contact LetterStream for solutions in Certified Mail, First-Class, and non-profit mail.
Give Stars – Get Starbucks
While we’d love to take you out for a cup of coffee and get some feedback on how we’re doing, we realize this might get a little impractical.
However, we have devised a way to buy you a cup of coffee for your feedback. It’s not quite the same as a sit down chat, but please know we will value it as much as a face-to-face meeting. Here’s how it works….
1. Go to your favorite business review site (Google+, Insider Pages, or another of your choice).
2. Give us a 5-star rating (if for whatever reason you can’t give us 5-stars, contact us immediately, and we’ll make it right).
3. Add some glowing comments.
4. Send us a message via our Contact page with a link to your review and your mailing address.
5. We will send you a thank you letter and a $5.00 Starbucks gift card*.
If you ever feel like you aren’t getting stellar service from LetterStream, simply call us and ask to talk to the President. He will always take the time to speak with you and work to improve our service.
*Limited to current customers only, one card per customer. Offer ends Sept. 30, 2013.
Follow @LetterStream On Instagram!
Hey all you #hashtag #instagrammers!
Over the years we’ve collected a lot of fun #photos of mail and related items, and we thought… why not share them with the world on Instagram?
If you aren’t familiar with Instagram, it’s a great way to share cool photos with friends and family… and the world. You can get the app for iPhone and Android phones alike. If you don’t want to install the app to share your own pictures, you can still use Instagram just with your computer. Go to instagram.com/letterstream to find our pictures, or click on the new Instagram button at the top right of this page.
Anyway, check out @letterstream or #letterstream on your Instagram app, or visit the website above.
When you take a cool picture of a post office box, USPS stamp, mail box, blue collection box, certified mail envelope or any other mail-related item, tag it with @letterstream to let us know!
Baja 500 Update – Class 11 Car #1162 – "PepeAzul"
Wow, time flies (as did PepeAzul, the class 11 VW we sponsored running in the Baja 500); I didn’t have time to get a post out telling you I decided to join Chris, Greg and the rest of the PepeAzul team on their journey to Ensenada Mexico for the 45th running of the Baja 500.
Running the Baja is an amazing experience, especially if you like adventuring outside the US, in a 40+ year old car with a 62 horsepower motor with no windows or A/C, traveling on roads that most people wouldn’t dare travel on even in a 4-wheel drive truck.
Turns out we had a top notch team and were surprised to discover that two of our team members were retired USPS employees, go figure! That meant we were prepared for rain or snow or high water and were determined to get there on time.
The entire event was a rush of excitement from the safety inspection (which was basically a huge parade and photo opportunity for the cars and team) to the race, to retrieving the car which was stuck near the top of a 1500 ft jagged rock hill.
I rode along side Chris from mile marker 95 to 230, bouncing, bumping through 135 miles of the rugged Baja Peninsula.
PepeAzul finally decided he could go no further at mile marker 255, slightly past the half way point.
I’m sure, due to the speed we were traveling, few could make out the LetterStream logo positioned on the hood of Pepe, but we do have operators standing by to pick up all those new customers who were exposed.
What Do VW’s And LetterStream Have In Common?
Well, VW’s and LetterStream don’t have a lot in common, except for both are sporting the LetterStream logo. It’s the result of a unique “marketing” opportunity that we couldn’t pass up.
Chris, who heads up our IT team, is racing a Class 11 VW in the Baja 500 this year and we had the opportunity to donate a few dollars to help his cause and get our name on the side of the car. We are convinced that displaying the LetterStream logo on the side of a dirt covered VW racing through the abandoned deserts of the Baja Peninsula in Mexico will yield thousands of new customers… or not.
Today I’m heading out into the local Sonoran desert a few miles north of our offices in Scottsdale to watch them do some test runs and see how the car performs on winding and rocky roads. I figure I’ll take a few pictures of the car with my Andriod phone and send some real USPS postcards to myself while testing out our new postcard-sending app that Chris and his team is working on.
What’s cool is that Chris will be able to take photos with his own phone while traveling at high speeds down the Baja Peninsula, and instantly send real paper postcards to his family and friends in the U.S. (who might even receive the postcards before Chris crosses the finish line!). Starting at just $.59 each, printed and mailed, the postcards are an inexpensive way for Chris to keep his family up-to-date on his progress in a fun, keepsake format.
We are excited about your adventure, Chris.
Make sure you drive slow enough for everyone to see our logo!
Going Out On A Limb
We decided to try a different kind of giveaway at our booth at the National CAI Trade Show this year, and to be honest, it could have backfired on us.
This year we took the risk of offering “I Love LetterStream” ribbons to our customers and API partners as they stopped by our booth. We were hoping that a few would attach the ribbon to their trade show attendee badge. But whatever happened, we knew it would be a learning experience.
You see, when you ask someone to wear a ribbon that says they love you, you open yourself up to a whole lot of scrutiny. Would our customers and partners love it or hate it?
We waited patiently as the Expo doors opened and attendees started filing into the aisles. Then the first visitors approached our booth, they looked up to survey our exhibit, they noticed the LetterStream banner, and then we heard these words… “LetterStream!!, We love LetterStream!!” We breathed a sigh of relief and passed out the “I Love LetterStream” ribbons, which were quickly applied to their trade show badges.
Indeed it was a risky move, and one that might have caused us to be accused of excessive boldness. But in the grand scheme of things, it certainly created an honest feedback mechanism. And we discovered what we hoped would be true; that our customers LOVE the LetterStream experience. We passed out slightly over 100 ribbons at the Community Association Institute (CAI) national trade show and the CAI Arizona show.
We work very hard to provide incredible speed, impeccable accuracy and crazy good service; and we are tickled to know that it is appreciated by our customers.
To our customers and API partners that were happy to wear our ribbons, we say “Thank You!”. Thank you for your feedback, your partnership and your appreciation.
For those who aren’t that familiar with LetterStream, check out some of the positive things our customers are saying about us on our testimonials page. And if you have something you want to add, please keep the comments coming!
World’s Longest Receipt?
When we returned from the Post Office the other day, we thought we might have set the world record for the longest receipt. After all, the cash register receipt was 48 feet and 8 inches long! Turns out we were a little short. The longest receipt is well documented online at 57 feet and 6 inches.
Why did we have such a long receipt? Sometimes we print and mail rather unique jobs for our customers, and if that means generating a receipt at the local post office that’s nearly 50 feet long, so be it. In this case we were mailing certified mail flats that necessitated a trip to the post office due to something special we were doing for our client.
If you find yourself pondering how you are going to get your next certified mail project out the door, keep LetterStream in mind. We have a lot of fast, automated processes for mailing certified letters.
And if we don’t already have an automated solution for your complex mailing, you might just be the opportunity we need to get a real world record receipt!
Thanks to the team and our friends at the local post office for making the magic happen when complex mailings arise.
Toys for Tots Update
We had a great time at the Toys for Tots drop in North Scottsdale this year. LetterStream’s toy giving was up quite a bit from last year.
I am continually amazed at the generosity of our team… Thanks guys!
However, due to the wet-est cold-est day in Scottsdale, the total number of toys retrieved by the Marines was only about 12 jumbo boxes full. But those who dared to experience our winter wonderland heard great holiday tunes, were warmed by hot chili, and were greeted by Santa.
For you locals, be sure to put this event on your list of to-dos for next year. It’s a wonderful family outing and it benefits kids who appreciate a few more gifts under the tree.
*Picture provided by dasFOTOhaus.com. (More pictures of the event can be found on their website.)
Warm Wishes and Holiday Hours
Wishing you the very merriest of holiday seasons this year!
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