We use it to publicize a large health science research study for which we represent the state of PA. Working with PFL Direct Mail Platform allows us to target our mailing to specific groups or neighborhoods where we'll have enrollment locations. Working with PFL Direct Mail Platform also allows us to use many, varied formats in direct mail marketing throughout the state.
Pros
Printing
Responsiveness
Targeting
Cons
Mailing from local depot
Cost of lists
Likelihood to Recommend
It would be appropriate in many large scale campaigns. We were shipping a million pieces a month and that volume seemed very manageable for the team. They also excel and managing many different formats and types of content.
We used the PFL Direct Mail Platform to trigger welcome enablement kits to our practitioner base during their onboarding journey. The problem we initially had was that we didn't have a streamlined way of sending printed marketing materials as one organized kit for a select group of our customer base... PFL was able to offer a solution that could automate the production while 'surprising and delighting' our customers who weren't expecting a welcome kit in the first place.
Pros
Communication - weekly catch-up meetings meant we had a consistent communication channel!
Openness - they're open for honest feedback and ideas for improvement.
Design flexibility - the printed material assets, and items, were highly customizable.
Cons
Timing - it took months for a BD enterprise solution to transpire, and we're still waiting for a final pitch deck / wow-factor presentation to this day, even though we had asked for the solution back in August.
Technical capabilities - Reporting could improve (the way reports are generated and certain fields aren't separated in Excel sheets, for example), and there are limitations to the PMC that aren't a perfect 'unicorn' solution to what we need as a business.
Return policy - we lost several kits - for various reasons, but it'd be great if there was a contingency plan or if you offered a way to credit those kits.
Likelihood to Recommend
The reason it's not a seven or above is purely because of the timing of a solution we had requested originally back in August 2023. It's now February 2024, and we're waiting for a wow-factor pitch deck. Previously, we only received a demo recording and an order form quote. These truthfully aren't helpful enough to convince and sway our senior leaders into spending the $35k+ investment into the PMC.
In our organization, we use the PFL Direct Mail Platform to streamline our direct mail campaigns. The product helps us address the business problem of efficiently sending personalized direct mail to our customers and prospects. Our use case involves creating targeted mailing lists, designing customized mail pieces, and tracking the delivery and response rates to measure the effectiveness of our campaigns.
Pros
Personalization: The PFL Direct Mail Platform allows for easy customization of direct mail pieces.
Design Options: The platform offers a wide range of design choices for visually appealing mail pieces.
Tracking and Analytics: PFL provides real-time insights into delivery and response rates for effective campaign measurement.
Cons
User Interface: The user interface of the PFL Direct Mail Platform could be more intuitive and user-friendly, making it easier to navigate and use.
Integration: Improved integration capabilities with other marketing tools and platforms would enhance workflow and efficiency.
Reporting: More robust reporting features, including advanced analytics and customizable reporting options, would provide deeper insights into campaign performance.
Likelihood to Recommend
Probably is not needed if you do not use direct mail.
We utilized PFL's Direct Mail Platform to facilitate drip direct mail campaigns to over 7,000 contacts linked through Salesforce Sales Cloud. This system was fully automated through interlocking triggers to send mail based on stages, dates, and status of the account in Salesforce.
Pros
Reporting on finished jobs.
Support in onboarding and set up.
Support setting up complex or unusual direct mail strategies.
Cons
There is no built-in functionality to automate direct mail; this has to be created through triggers in Salesforce.
The sales cloud integration didn't give us the syncing or reporting we thought would be available.
We would like to see more support from team members in the post-onboarding process.
Likelihood to Recommend
PFL is well suited to a company that is doing a lot of batch, personalized direct mail. All the mail happens at the same time, and all the information is easily accessible within the CRM, which would be an ideal scenario. It is not as suited to a company hoping to achieve full automation.
We use PFL to automate our direct mail strategy. Before PFL, we spent a lot of man-hours managing lists and communicating with vendors. PFL helped us streamline things so that we our direct mail was triggered by salesforce actions and used salesforce data for dynamic content. I think it saved us a lot of time.
Pros
Customer support.
Technical Support.
Variability of content options. Other vendors were more limited in what they could provide.
Cons
Tools were harder to use than was advertised.
Not a lot of visibility into usage of pre-purchased credits.
Likelihood to Recommend
I think if you're well-versed in Salesforce and can navigate the complexity of Pfl's software integration, you're in a good place to use it. Once you get things going it's pretty seamless, but the setup takes time.
We utilize the PFL Direct Mail Platform to enhance our marketing campaigns by seamlessly integrating physical direct mail with digital efforts. This solution effectively addresses the challenge of engaging prospects in a multi-channel world. Our use case encompasses personalized mailers, automated workflows, and tracking to drive customer engagement and conversions.
Pros
Personalization: It allows us to create highly personalized direct mail pieces tailored to individual recipients. For instance, we can include the recipient's name, relevant product recommendations, or even custom images that resonate with their preferences.
Multi-Channel Integration: The platform seamlessly integrates with our existing digital marketing tools and CRM systems. It enables us to orchestrate cohesive campaigns that combine email, social media, and direct mail to reach our target audience through multiple touchpoints.
Automated Workflows: PFL offers robust automation capabilities, streamlining the entire direct mail process. We can set triggers, such as website visits or email engagement, to automatically trigger the sending of personalized direct mail pieces, ensuring timely and relevant outreach.
Variable Data Printing: The platform simplifies variable data printing, enabling us to print custom content for each recipient efficiently. This is particularly useful for A/B testing different messaging or designs within a single campaign.
Cons
User Interface Complexity: The platform's user interface can be complex, making it challenging for new users to navigate and utilize its full potential. Simplifying the interface and offering more user-friendly onboarding resources would be beneficial.
Template Customization: While PFL offers template options, more flexibility in designing and customizing templates would be appreciated. Users should have the ability to create unique designs without limitations.
Campaign Reporting: While the platform provides tracking and analytics, enhancing the reporting capabilities with more granular insights and visualization options would help users better understand campaign performance and make data-driven decisions.
Likelihood to Recommend
PFL Direct Mail Platform is well-suited for:Multi-Channel Campaigns: When organizations want to orchestrate multi-channel marketing campaigns that seamlessly integrate physical direct mail with digital channels like email and social media, PFL excels in coordinating these efforts for maximum impact.Personalized Outreach: In scenarios where personalization is key, such as sending personalized thank-you notes, welcome packages, or customized offers to high-value customers, PFL's ability to create tailored direct mail pieces is highly effective.Lead Nurturing: For lead nurturing campaigns, especially in B2B settings, PFL is useful for sending targeted follow-up materials after webinars, conferences, or trade shows, helping organizations stay top-of-mind with prospects.Account-Based Marketing (ABM): PFL is a valuable tool for ABM strategies, enabling organizations to send highly personalized and attention-grabbing direct mail pieces to key accounts, enhancing engagement and building relationships.Reactivation Campaigns: When re-engaging dormant customers or subscribers, PFL's automation and tracking capabilities allow organizations to craft compelling reactivation offers and monitor their effectiveness.Seasonal Promotions: For businesses that run seasonal or holiday promotions, PFL can be used to create eye-catching, themed direct mail materials that stand out in customers' mailboxes.Compliance-Heavy Industries: In industries with strict compliance requirements, such as healthcare or finance, PFL's security features and data protection ensure the safe handling of sensitive customer information.However, PFL Direct Mail Platform may be less appropriate in scenarios where:Low-Volume Mailings: For organizations that only occasionally send direct mail and have low volumes, the platform may be more cost-effective to outsource to a local print shop or use simpler tools.Limited Design Customization Needs: If design customization is not a priority, and organizations only need basic, non-personalized mailers, simpler and more cost-effective solutions might suffice.Short-Term Campaigns: In situations where campaigns have a very short timeline and the setup process for PFL may take too long, it might not be the ideal choice.Minimal Integration Needs: For organizations that primarily rely on standalone direct mail efforts and do not require extensive integration with other marketing channels or systems, a simpler direct mail solution could be sufficient.
We use PFL to send customized packages, swag, and brochures to our customers. We have been using this platform for 3 years and have run into many problems. There is no way to see inventory on a product on the UI and you have to email them every time you want to make an order. The UI is very old and leads to lots of problems and you have to physically enter addresses of customers and pick sizes and the gift. Other competitors like postal actually enable you to set a price range on a gift and give a link to customers to add their address. You can also laser in the customers logo alongside yours on demand on things like yetis and bottles etc. PFL is far behind the industry standard and their customer service is very slow.
Pros
Notecards
Shipping
Cons
Inventory
Customization On Demand
Customer Support
Likelihood to Recommend
Working with PFL has been a total headache for us as a company. Emailing to find out inventory every time someone on our team wants to order is time consuming. The customization factor is not there and they don’t enable you to send a link for customers to pick their gift and enter their own address.
We use the PFL Direct Mail Platform to send out incontinence supplies from a vendor. it addresses us not having to go back and forth with the vendor to send out samples for us, where us as a company can go right in and input addresses and pt info to mail out samples in fast a timely manner. It is very very helpful.
Pros
Easy to use
Easy to Understand
role friendly
Likelihood to Recommend
its well suited when you have reps that dont respond in a timely manner and you need the product to go to the patients home fast. it eliminates the wait time for the patient to get the products they need.
I use PFL to send our customers mailer kits in order to start conversations or thank them for their time/business. Its a great way to reach out without the usual email/phone call, as its something new and different. Most customers like receiving something customized in the mail making them feel valued and unique. I love the ability to link this product with other tools such as Marketo and Salesforce. It makes data and results analysis and tracking super easy! Love the products we can include in the mailers from Yeti mugs to custom blankets. The PFL team is super helpful in creating the packaging design and kits and starting this process off for new PFL customers. Would recommend!
Pros
Customer service for new users
Kit design
Product availability for kits
Speed of shipping
Cons
Affordability with lower cost mailers
Likelihood to Recommend
I like to use PFL when reaching out to a customer in order to engage them or start a conversation. Its a great place to start as most people love receiving a mailer kit vs an email or phone call. An email or phone call can follow after the kit if need be, but customers will reach out themselves if given the option to.
We use PFL to send swag to conference attendees and VIP customers of our platform. Individual account managers can request that their customers be sent items and kits at any time, provided they requisition the appropriate budget first. The gifts are intended to thank customers for their participation in events after the close of a sale, or to incentivize an executive meeting.
Pros
Intuitive UI within our Salesforce instance.
Easy to track sending and budget.
Cons
As a Canadian employee of a US-based company, provisioning my personal access to PFL was painful. Neither my Salesforce admins nor the PFL team seemed to be able to align the correct settings.
Likelihood to Recommend
PFL is a great tool for marketing teams who are looking to empower front-line sales execs with access to the collateral they can use to supplement the sales cycle, whether: softening up a customer prior to an in-person meeting, "Hey, did you get that swag pack I sent you?" thanking a customer for their participation in an event; "Just wanted to say thanks for attending the webinar last week." showing VIP customers some love and appreciation; "Happy holidays, so glad we took the time to deepen the partnership this year!"
