Romax

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the marketing & CRM manager for the English National Opera, an opera company based at the London Coliseum. I’m responsible for our direct mail campaigns.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Romax?

We needed to hire an external resource to mail our “What's On Guide” for the launch of our 2019/20 Season.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to ensure customers received the new Guide so they’re able to book tickets, ensuring a strong ROI for the mailing. We also wanted to reduce the environmental impact of our mailings.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Romax was recommended to us by a number of other arts organizations. We asked them for a quote and compared it with quotes from vendors we’d used previously.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Romax provided advice on the best use of postage assets. They printed the envelopes and letters to go with the Guide, creating different envelope advertising for our six different audience groups. They also provided data processing services, handling postage to over 30,000 customers. 

What was the team composition?

We worked with one client services manager and two client services coordinators.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Sales for the 2019/20 Season have been the best we've seen for a number of years, including strong year-over-year growth. The efficient and timely delivery of our “What's On Guide”—and an effective newly-designed envelope—were certainly contributing factors. Romax guided us through the change from plastic wrap to a recyclable envelope, and we’ve subsequently received zero complaints about the environmental impact of the mailing. 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was excellent. Romax was always quick to respond, as well as offer assistance and solutions. They ensured that the mailing landed on the agreed date.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Romax was a pleasure to work with. They're incredibly responsive and flexible, and the process was so smooth.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, there are no areas for improvement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a marketing project manager for Fantastic Services, which provides cleaning and maintenance services to both consumers and businesses. We have several sub-brands specializing in different services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Romax?

We needed them to organize our direct mail campaigns. As part of our planned monthly campaigns, we are doing B2C mailing, using our own database of new and returning customers.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to increase our revenue and improve brand awareness. Our objective is to acquire new customers through a purchased database and re-establish contact with customers who had not used Fantastic Services for some time or used us only once.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We researched online and Romax was one of the vendors we contacted with a request for a quote. We chose from a shortlist of four companies because they offered the most complex solution and met our specific needs.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Romax made a series of recommendations to help make our direct mail campaign a success. They first recommended digitally printing the letters in full color, which allowed us to personalize them. We also added the company logo onto the envelopes to help promote our brand and create recognition for those already familiar with it. Finally, they designed and ran sample packs of different options for client approval, adding promotion codes to incentivize potential and convince existing customers to engage with us.

We also pre-agreed to quick turnaround times to ensure the packs arrived promptly, in order to ensure that the acquired data did not become outdated. After the initial mailing, Romax continued to send incentivized promo code mailings shortly after a client used a service in order to prompt additional activity and improve revenue per client.

What was the team composition?

We were initially in contact with Charlene (Client Services Manager, Romax). Chenyse (Client Account Manager) later took over communication. They both organized our campaigns from beginning to end.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We’re very pleased with the returns we’ve seen on Romax’s targeted mailing. We saw a 349% ROI for 2017 on the overall direct mail campaign.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Chenyse has been helpful and easygoing, and our communication and workflow have been effective. We communicate via email and we are so synchronized at the moment that we are organizing our monthly campaigns with her in an hour. We really appreciate that she’s saved us time, which is the main reason we’ve decided to use Romax for all of our future direct mail campaigns.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We will keep using them on a regular basis as the direct mail solutions they offer are complex and flexible and always meet our business needs.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the assistant director of giving at a U.S.-based institution with approximately 26 different schools and programs in different countries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Romax?
Our Europe campus has a strong alumni base, but it was taking our mail up to three months to reach them from the U.S. We needed to find a vendor who could print our direct mail appeals in Europe and also distribute them.
 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?
Romax managed the printing of our direct mail assets. I provided an outline of the services we wanted, and they suggested a few ideas to be more efficient with our international mail. Most importantly, they securely handled our data, which is the alumni file that we ensure is protected and never compromised. Romax’s FTP site meets all of the security requirements for handling our type of data, and they make sure it stays safe.

How did you come to work with Romax?
I found them online. They had good reviews, and I contacted a few of their references. Their facility was impressive, and they handled sensitive data well, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?
We spent about $32,486 on the different projects we’ve worked on.

What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together from September 2017–March 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
I was extremely pleased with the quality of their work. They improved the in-home delivery by about 60% over what we could do in the U.S.

How did Romax perform from a project management standpoint?
Their project management was highly impressive. They quickly understood the complex interplay between our data and direct mail pieces, and their first proofs had only a few minor issues. I never had to wait long to get a response to any of my questions, and they provided a site that allowed me to access proofs and data easily. 

What did you find most impressive about them?
Unlike many other agencies, they know what they’re doing and have great customer service. 

Are there any areas they could improve?
Their site for pulling proofs down could be less cumbersome. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?
Provide as much information as possible and clearly outline your expectations. Then, let them take the lead; they’re experts and know what they’re doing.