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Directory Delivery Terms &
Acronyms
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Backchecking |
A quality
control method consisting of in-field spot checks.
More detail.
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Book on the Street |
The edition of a directory currently in
circulation.
Often abbreviated as BOTS. |
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Books Completed |
The number of books delivered
to date in a particular initial delivery. The term is
used in initial delivery progress reports and inventory
reports. |
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Books In Route |
Directory
inventory currently in the
possession of delivery workers during initial distribution. The term is used in delivery
progress reports and book inventory reports. Also called
books dispatched or dispatched books. |
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Book Rate |
The
pre-established piece-rate paid for delivering each directory.
The term applies to payments made to both delivery vendors
and to individual delivery workers. |
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Bound Printed Matter |
The U.S. Postal
Service mail category for items such as telephone
directories and catalogs. Other U.S. mail categories include First
Class Mail and Bulk Mail. (Note: The USPS recently replaced
the term Bulk Mail with Standard
Mail.) As with bulk mail, bound printed matter includes postage
discounts if certain conditions are met. Bound
Printed Matter is not the only category used for
mailing directories. For details, contact the U.S. Postal
Service or reference the USPS
Domestic Mail Manual (DMM). Note: The DMM - at about a
thousand pages in length - is a darn good reason to consider
hand instead of mail delivery. |
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Boxing-in |
The process of
verifying deliveries in close proximity to addresses that
reportedly did not receive books. Used to help
differentiate missed deliveries from false negatives and to
determine the extent of misdelivered routes. Usually
initiated from telecheck (routine delivery verification
calls) or in response to complaints from the public. |
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Bulk Drop |
A delivery of a large number of books to a
single delivery point. Examples include apartments, hotels,
motels, and large businesses. |
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TIP:
Calling
potential bulk drop locations just before delivery can save
delivery fees and allow better control of book inventory.
Potential bulk drop lists are available from
PictureRoute. The lists
indicate the number of employees at each
business location in a delivery market. The lists can also include SIC
codes (similar to yellow page headings) for each business.
These codes allow one to identify bulk users by type (such as
apartments and hotel/motels). The lists can also include the
business location's sales and type of facility (e.g.,
headquarters versus branch location), thus allowing the
lists to assist in ad sales. |
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Bulk drop lists can
also be shown on delivery or station maps. The yellow square
is an apartment complex. |
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(The blue
dots are residences. The red dots are advertisers.
The green dots are non-advertiser businesses.) |
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Bulk Mail |
The U.S. Postal
Service category for large mailings that meet specific
criteria. Other mail categories include First
Class Mail and Bound Printed Matter. Note: Bulk mail is now
call "Standard
Mail' by the U.S. Postal Service. Bulk rates include postage discounts
and are often used for mailing phone books. |
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BUS |
Short for "business" - commonly used
on reports and forms to denote
deliveries to business addresses. |
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Directory Delivery Terms &
Acronyms
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