Small(er) book size delivers cost-savings benefit that keeps on giving

Home > Small(er) book size delivers cost-savings benefit that keeps on giving

One small suggestion turns into a significant long-term financial gain for a large government agency.

Listening to the big(ger) problem

Health, retirement, disability, unemployment and other types of personal benefits are an essential part of people’s lives. And a person’s understanding of his or her specific benefits is just as important. So, it is a big undertaking when one large government agency is required to provide personalized benefits information to millions of individuals each year. And one small suggestion at the beginning of this project turned into a significant long-term financial gain for the customer.

Understanding the benefits of a small(er) alternative

The agency asked NPC to create a Content Management System (CMS) to host all of the information and data necessary to create customized benefits handbooks based on an individual’s specific needs. Each book produced contains variable information specific to each person. That information is used to dynamically build the handbooks that have varying page counts and individualized information — no two books are the same — tailored to each person’s needs, and can be delivered in both print and digital formats.

Then one small suggestion in the middle of the project turned into a significant long-term financial gain for the customer.

The original specifications for the size of the printed handbooks was a traditional 8½ x 11 format. In an effort to greatly reduce the customer’s shipping costs, NPC recommended reducing the print layout size from 8½ x 11 inches to a smaller 5½ x 8½ format. And that’s where the real savings came into play.

Delivering a cost-effective solution

The customer agreed to reduce the size of the printed handbook. As a result, a smaller envelope was needed to mail each handbook and the customer amassed a 30% savings on postage for each handbook package mailed. And the savings continue to pile up for future mailings. All of that just by reducing the layout size of the book.