LetterStream Team | LetterStream Blog

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2014! Years seem to feel more like months these days. I’m not sure if that’s because we are having too much fun and making time fly, or if we are just distracted by the opportunities to assist our customers. Either way, a new year is upon us.

We want to say thank you to all our customers, vendors, employees, friends and families who all have been so supportive of the products and services that we offer. We are grateful… Thank You!

In response, and as our New Year’s resolution, we will continue to innovate in the mailing industry in order to deliver hi-tech mailing tools to assist you with your mailings. We will also continue to offer a degree of speed and precision that few in the mailing world can provide, and we will continue to offer stellar customer service, the kind that you can only find by turning back time.

Please continue to communicate with us and give us your feedback so that we can partner with you in helping you accomplish your goals this year as well.

Thank you! …and Happy New Year!

LetterStream Uses Same Help Page Software As Pandora

Our IT crew is always working on things to make creating and managing mailings as simple and as easy as possible. However, due to the complex nature of mailings, there’s occasionally the need for a little assistance.

If you ever find yourself in a position of needing some help, please don’t hesitate to contact us in whichever way you feel most comfortable. There’s nearly always someone around during business hours who can readily pick up the phone and give you some old-fashioned customer service, and sending us an email is never a bad option either.

Now you have yet another way to get assistance from us. We’ve packaged up the most common questions we get asked into a brand new help system.

Since one of our frequently asked questions is “What does FAQ stand for?”, we simply call our page… “Help“.

The link to the Help page appears in the lower right-hand corner of every page after you have logged in, and is always available in the footer of our website as well.

The new Help page is packed with handy tips and instructions (organized by category), and a powerful search tool is available to help steer you in the right direction. In addition, we’ve included some short, easy-to-follow instructional videos packed with how to’s and product overviews.

Our phone number and email are handy on the right side if you can’t find exactly what you need.

Bottom line is, we are here for you. Phone. Email. Videos. Help Page.

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?

PepeAzul

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!

Mailing W-2s, 1099s, and/or Charitable Giving Statements?

Tax Forms with Glasses

It’s January, which means it’s time to send out 1099‘s, W-2‘s, Charitable Giving/Contribution Statements and other tax related documents for the current tax year.

If you are still trying to figure out how to get your documents mailed without mandatory all-night stuffing parties, we might be the right people to call.

With our hi-tech production facility and knowledgeable staff (friendly staff, too), we can take the burden out of printing, folding, stuffing, licking, stamping and mailing your critical documents.

Call us today and get some expert assistance no matter how many (or how few) documents you have.

Fun Burrito Postcard

Unique Thank You Postcard

I was walking through our facility and saw this postcard in our production department. I’m always fascinated by the creativity of our customers and enjoy seeing unique ways to communicate information.

This particular postcard jumped out at me as it had our company name on it. Who’d be sending a postcard with LetterStream printed on the front… other than a LetterStream employee?

Turns out one of our vendors bought us lunch (which was greatly appreciated) the same day that our new tech services manager started. Our new manager learned how easy it is to make postcards as well as created a fun and creative way to say “Thank You” at the same time!

Hello world!

inc5000

Well, LetterStream.com has come a long way and we have our loyal customers and outstanding employees to thank.

Thanks to them, we have made the INC Magazine 5000 list for 2011!

We always strive for continued improvement, and as part of that we are releasing a revamped website along with this new blog. We hope you’ll add your email address on the right side of this page and follow our random thoughts about printing, mailing, software development and whatever else comes to mind (you might just see some recipes, musings about music or maybe some fishing tips from some of our talented employees).

Thanks again for supporting us and we look forward to continued mutual success!