The MCH team is gearing up for a great show in San Diego. If you or one of your clients would like to learn more about the power of institutions and why they are so important right now, we'll be happy to visit with you. Call us today to arrange a time when we can meet with you in San Diego!

Stop by Booth #1443 to visit with Sean Sinnott and Larry Buchweitz, the newest industry veterans to join MCH. And don't forget to check in with the rest of our team: John Hood, Jerry Reisberg, Joan Whitney, and Kirk Chritton.

A joint research study by edWeb.net, MMS Education, and MCH investigated K-12 educators' use and attitudes about social networking and Web 2.0 collaborative technologies including blogging, wikis, video-sharing, and more. The survey was deployed to 70,000 K-12 principals, teachers, and school librarians. Educators who responded provided insight on the overall high value they see in using social networking in education.

Key findings of the preliminary survey include:

• 86% of educators who have joined a social network have joined Facebook. There are a number of social networks dedicated solely to education but these sites are just beginning to penetrate the market.
• Looking ahead, educators expressed a strong preference to join a social network dedicated to education.
• Educators who have already joined a social network are far more positive about the technology and its value in education than educators who have not joined a social network.
• Nearly 50% of schools and districts block educators' access to social networking websites.

To get the final results of the survey, click here to register for the free MCH webinar.
To download the preliminary survey results, click here.

Word is circulating that the USPS will be submitting a "winter sale" proposal to the Postal Regulatory Commission in the near future. The incentive rebate will be offered to the top 3,500 mailers and will be applied to any 2010 increase in mail volume above volume mailed from January 1, 2009 through March 31, 2009. While there may be similarities with the summer sale, the winter sale will not require a comparative period because mail volumes had already dropped by January 2009. As reported in All About ROI on September 21st, the ACMA "has been working to educate PRC staffers on the myriad of issues involved here." MCH will be watching industry publications for the latest news regarding the winter sale.

Click here to read the entire article in All About ROI.

In 1992, Congress proclaimed the first full week in October as Customer Service Week to honor people who serve and support customers with top levels of professionalism. In this economic climate, customer service should one of the top priorities in any business environment. Take a minute to think about your organization and the people who are on the front line interacting with your customers.

• Has your executive team clearly communicated that customer service is a top priority?
• Do you regularly recognize the superstars who go above and beyond to take care of customers' needs? The people in your organization who talk with customers most frequently often have the best ideas regarding how to improve customer satisfaction.
• Have you conducted customer satisfaction surveys? If so, do you use the information to initiate organizational change?

We all know how frustrating it is to be on the receiving end of substandard customer service. A Google search of the term "poor customer service" returned 64.2 million results. To quote Pete Blackshaw, "Satisified Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3,000." Make sure your organization is putting its best foot forward!

Click here to see a learn more about Customer Service Week.
Click here to access customer satisfaction tips in the Free Management Library.

Healthcare: More good news for marketers of healthcare products and services. President Obama recently announced a $5 billion plan to fund medical and scientific research and upgrade laboratory capacity. In a speech at the NIH, he outlined his plan to create 10,000 healthcare jobs in manufacturing and supply of medical equipment and building or modernizing labs and research facilities. More than 12,000 grant awards will pay for "cutting-edge medical research in every state across America."

Education: On September 15th, Education TURNKEY Systems released Special Reports on:

• New Title I guidance on opportunities for professional development and expanded tutoring. The guidance provides greater flexibility of the "supplement not supplant" rule that generates increased opportunities for firms that provide training products and services.
• Analysis of new guidance on how IDEA stimulus funds could be used; and
• Preliminary comments on Race to the Top by education groups focusing on school improvement models and use of funds.

To receive a copy of the October 1, 2009 issue of Education TURNKEY's TechMIS issue and state profile updates, please contact Charles Blaschke at 703-536-2310.

Institutions need office supplies from pens and pencils to office equipment to operate on a daily basis. If you are a marketer of office supply products, the institutional market should be one of the top priorities when you're developing a mailing campaign. This lucrative niche spans all segments of the B2i market and deserves a careful look.

Click here to review datacards that are suitable for marketers of office supplies and then call your MCH sales representative to get a count on those "why didn't I think of that?" institutions you may have missed.

DMA09
October 18-20, 2009
San Diego Convention Center
Booth #1443

Click here to request a quote for any of MCH's institutional databases and services.