Direct marketing software guide 1990. (includes related articles on providing list processing to retailers, calculating postal rates, and writer's block) (buyers guide)

DIRECT MARKETING 1990 SOFTWARE GUIDE

Computer literacy is essential in today's marketplace. Without it, companies cannot compete and be profitable. The right software must be part of the overall scheme of things in business. The 1990 Direct Marketing Software Guide hopes to take the thousands of software applications out there and boil them down so those publishers, catalogers, mail order marketers and others using database-driven marketing systems can review the myriad of systems listed and find those best suited to fit their needs.

With technology changing as fast as it does, as soon as many systems are purchased and installed a modification is made to them. Desktop publishing is now the rule, not the exception, for most marketers who are putting together some kind of internal or external literature.

The day is here when some list packages, like Lotus MarketPlace, are being put on compact discs and sold through retail outlets. Direct mail and direct response advertising are terms synonymous with almost all large businesses. Databases are commonplace and the high technology field is being used to target people, gaining more information about them than ever before.

As companies seek more and more information from prospective clients and customers, the need for software and hardware that can do the things they need is more important than ever.

The guide, which begins on the following page, presents some of the leading software packages that have captured the imagination of global marketers. The programs come from around the country; this is our most complete and diversified listing ever.

The listings are divided alphabetically and the software programs have been coded with symbols for easy scanning: integrated (Integrated); sales support (Sales Support); desktop publishing (Desk Top Publishing); telemarketing (Telemarketing); fulfillment Fullment; mailing system Mailing System; list management/database (List Management/Database); decision support (Decision Support); and miscellaneous (Miscellaneous).

We encourage you, our readers, to call theecompanies that appear in our directory. The packages are some of the most innovative and informative available in this field. While many are available through retail channels, most are available direct. Just remember: When discussing the new trends in software packages, say you saw it in Direct Marketing magazine.

A

Mailing System: ACCUMAIL Group 1 Software, Inc., 6404 Ivy Lne., Ste. 500, Greenbelt, MD 20770-1400 800/368-5806; 301/982-2000

Package features: Accumail allows user to process records either in batch or one by one. The system will add, correct or confirm 5-digit ZIP codes; assign carrier rout codes; insert ZIP+4 codes; and correct street, city and state data according to U.S. Postal Service conventions.

Specs: Runs on IBM PC,/XT,/AT and compatibles. Requires 640K RAM, hard disk drive. Operating system: PC-DOS MS-DOS ver. 2.0 or greater.

Training/Service: Free telephone suport for 90 days. Purchase of maintenance agreement provides unlimited technical support by telephone and upgrades of product.

Price: $795

Decision Support: ACD PERFORMANCE SOFTWARE Telecorp Products, 20830 Rutland Dr., Ste. 106, Southfield, MI 48075 800/643-1012

Package features: ACD Perofrmance Software can directly tap Northern Telecom SL-1 and report on all agent and phone activity. Generates reports on group or individual performance over any desired time period. It also allows long-term trending/forecasting and add-on printers, supervisory terminals and at-a-glance options.

Specs: Runs on IBM PC or compatible with a 20MB hard disk minimum.

Training/Service: Complete on-site training. Free one-year full warranty. Extended warranty is available as an option.

Price: $4,500-$50,000, depending on the size of the application.

Decision Supprt: A-CROSS Analytical Computer Service, Inc., 434 Sandford Ave., WEstfield, NJ 07090 201/232-2723

Package features: A-CROSS is a cross tabulation package for marketing and survey research, with a spreadsheet format. The package can handle up to 16.8 million data records, up to 9,999 variables per respondent, and his weighting, nets, sub-nets and Boolean Logic. It also outputs tables as ASCII files or Lotus worksheets, as well as to tables. A-CROSS accepts dBASE III and IV files, standard ASCII or column binary data and interfaces directly with ACS-QUERY and other telephone interviewing systems to automatically create stub formulas and titles.

Specs: Runs on IBM Pc,/XT,/AT and compatibles and IBM Ps/2. Requires 512K RAM and a hard disk drive, and operates under MS-DOS ver. 2.15 or higher.

Training/Service: Comes with manual including a tutorial. Training is available. Maintenance is free for first six months, after that $99 per year.

Users/Installations: There are 450 uses.

Price: $995

Telemarketing: ACS-QUERY Analytical Computer Service, Inc., 434 Sandford Ave., Westfield, NJ 07090 201/232-2723

Package features: ACS-Query is a PC-based interviewing software package for marketing research and telemarketing. The package has full sampling and call management capabilities, as well as quota control. Also enables the user to create quetionnaires, conduct interviews, list and sort open-ended responses, run marginal (frequency) counts and one-by-one cross tabs, as well as disposition reports and interviewer productivity reports.

Specs: Runs on IBM PC and compatibles linked by the Novell netowrk to an IBM/AT file server. Requires 640K RAM and operates under MS-DOS ver. 2.10 or higher. Stand-alone version requires an IBM PC with two disk drives, or one disk drive and one hard drive.

Training/Service: Comes with manual. Training is available. Maintenance is free. Support also free for one year.

Users/Installations: There are 40 users.

Price: Starts at $2,000.

Mailing System: List Management/Database: Fulfillment: ADMS (Advanced Direct Marketing Software) CORTEX Konsultkollegium AB, Grustagsgatan 4 S-252 64 Helsingborg, Sweden 011+46-42 20 11 00

Package features: ADMS is a software package for an integrated direct marketing system. It hanpurge, deduplication; mail order one shot/catalog fulfillment; mail order continuity fulfillment; club continuity fulfillment; limited continuity fulfillment; and magazine subscription fulfillment.

Specs: Runs on IBM mainframe/AS400.

Training/Service: Manual, phone support available; training on site.

Users/Installations: There are currently 60 installations.

Price: Available upon request.

List Management/Database: Decision Support: AMSS (Advanced Marketing Selectivity System) Direct Marketing Advisory Services (DMAS), Inc., 19 Barstow Rd., Shelburne, VT 05482 802/985-2688

Package features: AMSS is a list segmentation system specifically designed for the direct mail industry to target promotional mailing by using statistical models. It is a name-by-name scoring system, incorporating proprietary mathematical algorithms, which enables a company to build statistical segmentation models without the need for a statistician. Applicable for both house files and prospecting lists.

Specs: Program runs on mainframe and minicomputers, including IBM, Honeywell, Control Data, Digital and Hewlett-Packward machines. Also runs on PC workstation and 1386 and 1486.

Training/Service: Training on site or at vendor headquarters.

Users/Installations: 20 installations.

Price: $125,000 perpetual lease pluse $15,000 yearly payment for mainframe version; $30,000 perpetual lease plus $7,500 yearly payment for PC workstation version.

Telemarketing: THE ANALYZER Affinite Corp., 11736 Administration Dr., St. Louis, MO 63146 800/325-2251; 314/569-3450

Package features: The Analyzer is a switch independent software system which can provide call centers with a detailed picture of overall performance. It can be used with a wide range of telephone switching devices and automatic call distributors in both ACD and UCD environments, and can also be used to collect, store, analyze and report a wide range of results.

Specs: Requires IBM Ps/2 Models 55, 70 or 80, 60-115MB disk storage, 406MB memory. Runs in the XENIX operating environment. Compatible telephone switches include Nortern Telecom, Rockwell, ROLM, AT&T and Telecom Technologies.

Training/Service: Includes comprehensive reference guides, toll-free hotline technical support, basic and advanced training classes, product upgrades, maintenance plans and implementation assistance.

Price: Starts at $10,000.

List Management/Database: ANCHOR MAIL SOFTWARE Anchor Computer, Inc., 1900 New Highway, Farmingdale, NY 11735 516/293-6100

Package features: Designed for both consumer and business-to-business marketers. Features of the Anchor Mail Merge/Purge package include list conversion, duplicate elimination, selection, label print or tape output, split streams and reports. The List Maintenance package features list conversion, maintenance, selection, label print on tape output and marketing analysis reports.

Specs: Runs on IBM 360/370, 43xx, 30xx systems and IBM plug-compatible systems operating in the DOS or OS environment.

Price: All packages available for purchase or lease. Prices available upon request.

Mailing System: A-ZIP Melissa Data Co., 32118-8 Paseo Adelanto, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675 714/661-5885

Package features: A-ZIP is a ZIP code database with six files. These files have such features as the first file's ZIP, city, state, telephone, area code, latitude and longitude, and the fourt file's Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) Code, MSA population and MSA name.

Specs: Runs on IBM and Macintosh computers; also available on 9-track magnetic tape. Has ASCII fixed record length file and requires 6MB of disk space.

Training/Service: Comes with a manual, phone support available.

Price: $395

B

Mailing System: BAGGING & BUNDLING SYSTEM Richard L. Fleischer & Associates, Inc., 135 Village Rd., Roslyn Hts., NY 11577 516/621-2826

Package features: Program prepare outgoing mailings to maximize postal discount and minimize labor costs in mailing facility. Prints post office qualification report, bag or tray labels, identifies first and last pieces in each bag and bundle. Can meet first-, second- or third-class mail acceptance requirements. Prints optional endorsement line. Written in COBOL.

Specs: Run on any mainframe or minicomputer with COBOL compiler.

Training/Service: Maintenance contract $500 annually.

Users/Installations: There are currently six users.

Price: $6,000-$12,000

Sales Support: BRANCHBANKER Ampersand Corp., P.O. Box M-84, York, PA 17405 717/845-5603

Package features: Branchbanker is designed to support marketing, sales and delivery of retail financial products and services.

Specs: Runs on the IBM PS/2 family of computers.

Training/Service: Training and maintenance available.

Price: Single site license, $5,000.

Telemarketing: Sales Support: List Management/Database: BROCK ACTIVITY MANAGER SERIES[TM]

Brock Control Systems, Inc., 2859 Paces Ferry Rd., Atlanta, GA 30339 800/221-0775

Package features: This multiuser series is designed to automate and support the areas of database marketing, telemarketing, sales account management and marketing information. It features a central relational database with integrated functions to manage lead generation and qualification, account management, field sales, order processing and customer support. Individual modules include. Telemarketing Activity Manager, Sales Activity Manager, Customer Support Activity Manager and Order Processing Activity Manager.

Specs: The UNIX-based system runs on all major hardware platforms. Minimum memory required is 2MB. Source language is C.

Training/Service: Free maintenance for first 90 days. Thereafter, 1.5% of purchase price/month for maintenance contract, which provides services via toll-freee hotline. Free bi-annual product updates and documentation. Regular training classes offered on site or at vendor headquarters.

User/Installations: 400 + installed customer.

Price: Approximately $2,500 per user (three-user minimum).

Miscellaneous: BROOKLYN BRIDGE Fifth Generation Systems, Inc., 10049 N. Reiger Rd., Baton Rouge, La 70809-4562 800/873-4384; 504/291-7221

Package features: Brooklyn Bridge is a utility program for transferring files and managing data between any two IBM compatible computers. Users can view files and directories on both the source and destination drives simultaneously. Keystroke macros allow for complete automation of common operations; file manager provides a variety of disk management utilities; and the command mode allows users to share periphereal devices, such as printers tape backup systems, plotters, Bernoulli boxes and optical disks. Serial and parallel cables are provided.

Specs: Runs on any IBM PC /XT, /AT, and PS/2; any size floppy or hard disk can be useD.

Training/Service: Telephone technical support available.

Users/Installations: 50,000 users.

Price: $139,90

Sales Support: BULLSEYE Target Microsystems, Inc., 444 Castro St., Ste. 400, Mountain View, CA 94041 800/735-5776

Package features: Bullseye automates inquiry processing, paces/monitors sales lead follow-up activities and measures payback on ad investments. Its automated inquiry processing functions include: follow-up assignments based on territory and product responsbility, personalized letters of inquires, sales lead sheets and performance reports. It also monitors salesperson's follow-up effectiveness.

Specs: PC-based, DOS 2 and 3 series. Requires 640K RAM plus hard disk.

Training/Service: Training available on site or at vendor's facility. Free phone support offered.

Users/Installations: 50 + installations.

Price: $495 for single-user version. LAN version depends on option mix.

List Management/Database: Mailing System: BUSINESS MERGE/PURGE Group 1 Software, Inc., 6404 Ivy Lne., Ste. 500, Greenbelt, MD 20770-1400 800/368-5806; 301/982-2000

Package features: Program identies and/or eliminates duplicates on business lists within single files or across multiple files. Limits the number of mailing pieces going to a particular company, even when misspelling or deviations of company name exist. Produces a wide variety of reports, list comparisons and statistics to hel analyze list sources and mailing efficiency.

Specs: Runs on IBM mainframe or plug-compatibles. Required operating systems: OS/DOS/VM.

Training/Service: Free training offered.

Price: $25,000

List Management/Database: BUSINESS MERGE/PURGE-DUPLICATE ELIMINATION Richard L. Fleischer & Associates, Inc., 135 Village Rd., Roslyn Heights, NY 11577 516/621-2826.

Product features: This package utilizes complete address, individual name, company name and title or any subcombination thereof in logic. Employs phonetics, address standardization, data compressor techniques. Provides many user options and complete set of reports.

Specs: Written in ANSI COBOL 74, can run on almost any computer.

Training/Service: Purchase price includes training and documentation. Maintenance $1,000 per year.

Price: $27,000 to $35,000

C

Desk Top Publishing: CA-CRICKET PRESENTS Computer Associates International, Inc., 10505 Sorrento Valley Rd., San Diego, Ca 92121-1698 800/531-5236; 408/432-1727

Package features: CA-Cricket Presents is a professional desktop presentation program, which can be used to plan, organize and create presentation, then produce overhead transparencies, 35mm slides, speaker's notes and audience handouts. Presentations can be created automatically or frame-by-frame using object-based tools for drawing, graphing and charting. …

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