There are several things on each invoice that you should always check to be sure that there are not any errors that could end up costing your company additional expense:
- Make sure that the quantities match what was sent from you or a vendor – whether it is for database or merge/purge or list rental.
- Verify that the pricing that you are being charged, including minimums, is what you were quoted.
- If running a merge/purge with hygiene, make sure that they only ran the hygiene steps that you requested on the specific lists that you requested. Also, make sure that the total hygiene quantity does not exceed the merge input quantity.
- Review each processing step that you are being charged for. Are there any instances where the service bureau could have eliminated or streamlined any steps?
- If there are any excessive steps, such as reuse and segmentation, discuss these processes with the service bureau. It might be possible to send your data in a different format to eliminate the additional work and the additional charges.
- Review your shipping charges. Unless you have agreed on expedited shipping, the shipping charges should be minimal.
- Never hesitate to discuss your bills with your vendor. Many times, they are willing to adjust a line item to keep your business.
- Minimums should not be applied consistently. If they are, then the minimums are set too high for your processing needs and should also be discussed with your vendor.
- If you run various hygiene products, do not be alarmed when you get your invoice. Although hygiene products at first glance look expensive, they will actually save you some money in the backend.
Deanna Cruzan is Senior Marketing Coordinator at Bethany Beach, DE-based Lett Direct