New Quality Standard For Mail Production (QMP) Launches In March
The launch date for the new Quality Standard for Mail Production (QMP) scheme has been announced by the Scheme’s Manager, The British Accreditation Bureau (BAB).
QMP will ‘go live’ on March 5th with its flagship web site www.qmponline.co.uk containing the details of over 300 fully accredited Mailing Houses.
QMP has been developed by Royal Mail and the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) with assistance from the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA) in response to an industry-wide programme of research and consultation. The aim of the scheme is to ensure the promotion and maintenance of high standards in direct mail production services. QMP is for Mailing Houses based in the EU that ‘enclose and dispatch’ direct mail. The scheme will help to raise standards across the industry and is overseen by a new Advisory Council consisting of representatives from the DMA, ISBA, Royal Mail and BAB. Royal Mail has funded the development of the QMP accreditation scheme and will continue to provide funding to ensure that the scheme is continually developed and promoted to meet the needs of the industry.
Brian Aspin, Head of Media Development at Royal Mail, commented “I am delighted by the positive response that QMP has received from the Mailing House industry. There is a genuine commitment to raise standards and to support best practice. I am sure that the scheme will continue to develop and act as a catalyst for quality.”
There is also widespread support for QMP from the advertising fraternity, Caroline George, Marketing Services Manager at the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers, said “QMP will act as a peace of mind solution to the users of direct mail services. It is an important step forward to making quality of delivery a valid selection criteria.”
The new scheme includes a knowledge test for customer account managers and production personnel, as well as on-site verification visits and an annual survey of end users’ satisfaction with Mailing Houses’ performance. David Fenn, Chief Executive of the British Accreditation Bureau, said “We are pleased that QMP is now ready to be rolled out to the buyers of direct mail services. The QMP web site is a powerful tool for locating suppliers who have had their services fully verified and are subject to ongoing performance monitoring. We believe that by working closely with the industry to implement the QMP scheme, a culture of continuous improvement will become established that will add value to the industry as a whole.”
David Robottom, Director of Development & Postal Affairs at the Direct Marketing Association, also welcomes the launch of the scheme, “As a member of the QMP Advisory Council, I am confident that the aims of the scheme are aligned to the best interests of the industry, in terms of both the suppliers and the buyers. This type of commitment to quality is needed to demonstrate to the outside world that we are serious about our belief in standards.”
The new QMP scheme will be promoted by Royal Mail and QMP accreditation is a condition for the Royal Mail commission scheme.
