Having Partnered with BCC Software, Arandell Looks to the Future with “Excitement”

The major printer/mailer feared the worst in transitioning away from a declining provider, but BCC's Mail Manager Full Service made the difference

Having enjoyed steady growth since its founding in 1922, Arandell Corporation today is among the top four catalog printers in the United States, producing and mailing 800 million pieces each year. The company's deluxe printing standards have proven particularly attractive to the fashion industry, and major clothing retailers and other clients have come to depend on Arandell to print and distribute catalogs from its Menomonee Falls, WI, facility with the utmost quality, speed and efficiency.

Not long ago, however, the same attentiveness to detail and rigorous production demands that have led to Arandell's success prompted company decision-makers to doubt the ability of their postal solutions provider to meet their needs. According to Don Landis, Arandell's Vice President of Postal Affairs, they simply could no longer count on their vendor to be there for the company.

"Whether it was an issue with the software itself, or a question about something new coming in from the Post Office that required a change, or just something that we wanted to change ourselves, the support wasn't there any more – or it was taking too long to get us the results we needed," Landis says. "For every day they delayed, it cost us more money."

A change needed to be made, but after a 15-year relationship with that vendor the prospect of switching to another system was intimidating. Arandell met with several prospective vendors, and BCC Software's Mail Manager Full Service quickly emerged as the front-runner. With BCC's obvious commitment to working closely with Arandell staff in crafting a superior solution model, it became clear to Landis that his company had found not just a provider, but a partner that would make an optimal transition possible.

"When BCC came in and did their presentation, [our reaction was] 'Wow, OK – this is it'," he says. "We saw right away that the software would be easier to deal with, and that the transition from our other software to BCC would go very smoothly."

Having worked with key members of the BCC team in the past, "We knew we could expect a certain level of commitment, but it was still more than we expected," Landis says. “For instance, we knew we were going to have weekly conference calls [during the transition phase], but when BCC people would also just call unexpectedly to see how we were doing, it was surprising. We appreciated that.

"Anything they could do to help us switch over smoothly, they did. And when we did switch over, it was seamless."

With the transition complete and Mail Manager Full Service now fully integrated into Arandell's systems, the company is exploring more ways to improve their client offerings using their new software’s value-added features. Arandell became a Full Service Intelligent Mail user during the changeover – thanks in large part to BCC's software-based ability to conveniently manage Mailer IDs on behalf of the mailer – and the addition of co-mail capabilities and other innovations should further enhance Arandell's end-user services.

"We have become in many ways an extension of our customers – they want us to suggest new ways for them to get better results. Doing that saves them money, and of course helps us keep them as clients," Landis says. "With BCC we’re going to be able to offer more to our customers [and] make their lives easier. We’re looking with excitement to the future."

At a Glance

Client

• Arandell

Headquarters

• Menomonee Falls, WI

Specialization

• Catalog Printing

Website

• www.arandell.com

BCC Solution Set

• Mail Manager Full Service
• Professional Services
• NCOA^Link® FSP processing
• Track N Trace® Credits
• Network Licenses