Client:
A major high end designer retailer

Description of Job:
Outsource database administration, data capture & direct mail fulfillment.

Business:
High-end retailer of cosmetics, products are sold through 250 outlets in department stores thoughout the UK & Ireland.

Problems:
The client captures thousands of client’s records collected from individual stores. Each record contains customer information such as individual customer skin types, products bought and areas of interest.

The records were recorded on an inhouse database and managed by the IT department as and when time was available. The database used was a SAP application that was totally unsuitable for the job in hand. The client's IT department were responsible for the maintenance and support of all the client's software and hardware and therefore had little time to develop and manage the database. Temporary staff were used to capture the records from hard copy resulting in inconsistencies. A backlog of un-captured records would regularly build up.

Solutions:
Recover all the data from the SAP system and the remaining un-captured hard copy records. Develop a database suitable for the client's needs. Upload the original client's data and complete the data capture of the remaining hard copy records in to the new database.

Audit and clean the whole database undertaking the following tasks: Remove duplicate records, deceased ndividuals and movers. Supply new addresses for records that matched with the National Change of Address (NCOA) file. Correct the casing and produce a valid salutation for each contact. Correct the spelling and accuracy of the addresses using the Post Office Address File PAF.

Distribute a report to each of the 250 stores that contained the detail of the records associated with it. Record amendments made on individual records by the store manager.

Put in place a quality procedure document for the data capture.

Mail promotional material to the entire database.

Benefits:
Reduces mailing costs by removing duplicate records, deceased individuals. Further reduce cost by apply mailing discounts.

Increase revenue and response rates from direct mail activity.
Provide monthly reports and statistics to the marketing department so that they can make informed choices about mailing segmentation.

Provide Recency, Frequency and Monetary (RFM) analysis.