DYMO Endicia

The Birthday Company

Automated Gift Services for Financial Advisors

Located in Coralville, Iowa, The Birthday Company is a fulfillment service specializing in customer appreciation gifts and greeting cards.

The Birthday Company logo In just three years of being in business they already have over 400 customers. Busy professionals from the financial planning industry and other industries rely on their services as a customer retention tool. The Birthday Company automatically sends personalized Birthday and other holiday cards and gifts to their clients' customer database.

The Birthday Company has become a real time saver to all their clients. But who saves The Birthday Company time? The answer is easy - Endicia.

Background.  As a former loan officer, Dave Chasse understood the importance of financial advisor/client relationships and how constant communication translates into customer loyalty and even referrals. Many financial planners send their clients cards and gifts on their birthdays to let them know that they appreciate their business. This common practice assists in retaining customers but can be very time consuming to those who practice it.

Wrapped birthday present

Dave realized he could offer a gift fulfillment service to the financial planning industry at roughly the same price it would cost the financial planners to do this on their own. Now they can spend more time on portfolios and less time buying gifts and cards and going to the post office.

In 2005 Dave founded The Birthday Company. Anyone can sign up for the service and email or upload a list of customers' addresses and birthdays. Depending on what level of service they sign up for, their customers will be sent personalized birthday cards and gifts such as specialty candy or even Starbucks Gift Cards. A personalized birthday card only costs $2.95, the same price it would in most stores. Gifts are inexpensive as well, starting at $5.95 for a box of premium toffees. And best of all - shipping is included in the price for everything that Dave offers. Dave couldn't be happier with the amount of time and money he's saved since switching to Endicia:

"Endicia has taken the guess work out of shipping, saving us countless hours per week and helping me to keep a close watch on shipping costs, which accounts for about 30% of our operating budget. Plus, their customer service is second to none."

Endicia’s Role. When The Birthday Company was just getting off the ground, Dave would drive to the post office, purchase stamps and apply them to all his shipments. For his packages he would have to use multiple stamps. The USPS only makes stamps in a few denominations, so Dave often overpaid for postage. Moreover, putting multiple stamps on packages for his clients' customers looked somewhat unprofessional. After awhile, the postmaster at his local post office suggested he look into printing his postage online.

Dave tried another PC Postage company, but wasn't very happy with them. He had developed a great relationship with a rural two-employee post office in his area and even opened a PO Box for The Birthday Company there. Unfortunately the PC Postage Company he originally chose, forced him to use a different post office. He called Endicia and discovered he could use his preferred post office with an Endicia account. He decided to sign up for an Endicia Standard Account at the annual billing plan of $99.95 per year.

He strictly uses Endicia's DYMO Printable Postage software and labels. The fulfillment process that he originally used is still in place, except now he prints his own stamps in any denomination he chooses. He doesn't have to buy stamps at the post office and no longer overpays for postage.

Sample of a birthday card

The Birthday Company routinely ships just a few different sized packages. A small box of candy goes First Class Parcel and a larger box goes Priority. Dave already knows the weight and postage needed for these packages so he prints out DYMO Printable Postage labels ahead of time in batches. Since DYMO Printable Postage is not date sensitive, he can have them on hand and ready for fulfillment anytime.

Dave orders DYMO Printable Postage stamp sheets in bulk from www.endicia.com and prints them on his Epson InkJet printer. They come out looking much more professional than multiple stamps. Currently they are shipping over 700 packages per week. He's now looking to save even more time on fulfillment by using USPS' free carrier pickup service.

The Future.   With a current list of over 400 clients and an additional 10-15 signing up for his service weekly, The Birthday Company's future looks stunning. And now it's not only financial planners using his service. The Birthday Company is also used by doctors, real estate agents and even restaurants.

With word quickly spreading about his great service and the universal importance of customer loyalty among all industries, Dave expects to see his client base double by October 2008.

To learn more about The Birthday Company, visit www.birthdayco.com.