FAQ — Southern Solutions Direct Mail Data Processing

Question 1

What is a Computer Service Bureau (CSB)?

Accepted Answer

A Computer Service Bureau is a company that provides data processing services for direct mail organizations. Southern Solutions acts as a secure home for your donor file, performing NCOA/CASS updates, merge/purge processing, suppression management, and more — so your mailings reach the right people at the right addresses.

Question 2

How long has Southern Solutions been in operation?

Accepted Answer

Southern Solutions has been in operation since the 1980s. We are an independent, privately owned bureau with over 30 years of experience serving non-profits, political organizations, candidate campaigns, PACs, and fundraising agencies nationwide.

Question 3

What types of organizations do you serve?

Accepted Answer

We serve a wide range of organizations including non-profits, charities, political action committees (PACs), candidate campaigns, direct mail agencies, and other fundraising organizations. If you rely on direct mail to reach donors or constituents, we can help.

Question 4

Are you licensed and insured?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Southern Solutions is fully licensed and insured. We take data security and compliance seriously, and our operations meet all applicable USPS regulations for NCOA and CASS processing.

Question 5

What is NCOA processing and why do I need it?

Accepted Answer

NCOA (National Change of Address) processing matches your mailing list against the USPS database of address changes. It ensures your mail reaches recipients who have moved, reducing undeliverable mail and postage waste. USPS regulations require NCOA processing within 95 days of a mailing for certain mail classes.

Question 6

What is CASS Certification?

Accepted Answer

CASS (Coding Accuracy Support System) Certification is a USPS program that validates and standardizes mailing addresses. CASS-certified addresses qualify for postal discounts and have significantly higher deliverability rates. We perform CASS as part of our standard data management service.

Question 7

What is Merge/Purge processing?

Accepted Answer

Merge/Purge combines records from multiple data sources (house files, rented lists, etc.) while removing duplicates, do-not-mail suppressions, deceased records, and DMA pander files. NCOA/CASS is included. We have refined our proprietary Merge/Purge system over 30 years to deliver highly accurate results.

Question 8

Can you handle multiple file formats?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We convert, reformat, and clean up virtually all file formats — fixed-width, delimited, Excel, and more — so you end up with a clean, standardized, mailable file regardless of how your data arrives.

Question 9

What suppression files do you apply?

Accepted Answer

We apply deceased suppression, do-not-mail (DNM) files, DMA pander records, and any client-supplied suppression files. These are applied during Merge/Purge or as a standalone suppression pass to protect your brand and comply with industry standards.

Question 10

What is a Congressional Append?

Accepted Answer

A Congressional Append adds current elected official information to each record in your file based on the recipient's address. We update Congressional Senate and House of Representatives names daily and append district numbers, House Rep names, Senior and Junior Senator names, and Governor information.

Question 11

How often is your Congressional data updated?

Accepted Answer

Our Congressional data is updated daily, ensuring that your mailings always reference the most current elected officials — critical for political organizations, advocacy groups, and issue-based campaigns.

Question 12

How quickly can you fulfill list rental orders?

Accepted Answer

We turn around list rental fulfillment orders quickly — typically within hours, if not minutes. There are no extra charges for selects, omits, or previous order omits. Monthly list rental reports are included at no additional cost.

Question 13

What is Bluebook Analytics?

Accepted Answer

Bluebook Analytics is our self-serve online reporting suite for tracking mail campaign performance. You can import house, prospect, and caging data, then run reports by organization, date, job, or job type. Reports can be exported to PDF or Excel.

Question 14

Can I access my donor file online?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Through our Online Donor Management portal, your donor file and donation histories are available 24/7 via desktop or mobile browser. You can search across all fields, run queries, and retrieve counts based on any criteria.

Question 15

How do I get started with Southern Solutions?

Accepted Answer

The easiest way to get started is to request a quote. Tell us about your organization, the services you need, and your estimated record volume. We'll respond within one business day with pricing and next steps.

Question 16

How do I send my data files to you?

Accepted Answer

We support secure file transfer via SFTP and other methods. Once you become a client, we will provide you with secure transfer credentials and walk you through the process. Contact us at info@southsol.com or call (888) 490-0370 to discuss your specific needs.

Question 17

What is your typical turnaround time?

Accepted Answer

Turnaround times vary by service and file size, but we are known in the industry as a speed leader. Most standard jobs are completed same-day or next-day. Rush processing is available — contact us to discuss your deadline.

Frequently Asked Questions

General

Data Processing

Congressional Appends

List Rental & Analytics

Getting Started

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