Virtual Systems Corp., creator of Mail-Shop and Digi-Shop software solutions for direct mail and printing, announced the release of a postal-data-integration solution that will facilitate the automated importing of postal paperwork.

The new automation - made possible through coordination of technology with BCC Software, Inc., of Rochester, N.Y. - leverages the expertise and knowledge base of both BCC and Virtual Systems in their respective core areas of postal technology and job-shop management. The system will be available to all common customers of the two companies.

"This time-saving feature is another way for Virtual Systems to fulfill a longstanding goal of seeking new ways to integrate and simplify complex customer systems with easy-to-use tools for managing elements related to mail business management," said Ted Seward, Virtual Systems' vice president of marketing and product development. "Used in conjunction with Virtual Systems' already intuitive postage accounting process, this new solution will provide BCC and Virtual Systems customers with an added advantage in dealing with a previously awkward process that has proven to be a weak spot in productivity for some companies."

This integrated solution simplifies the postal auditing functions that are necessary for any professional mailing operation by eliminating human error often seen during redundant data-entry activities. By linking postage calculations to jobs that are stored in Virtual Systems' Mail-Shop and Digi-Shop programs, customers can now enjoy the following advantages:

* More accurate and timely postage requests;

* Elimination of double data entry for postal requests and
billing;

* Faster postage reconciliation; and

* Higher accuracy of postal details - from postage requests
through postal reconciliation - at any and all points within a given job.

"The new postal import can streamline a company's postage accounting and postal paperwork efforts," Seward added. "In this complex industry, eliminating unnecessary steps at any stage of an operator's workflow will improve overall productivity by maximizing efficiency and accuracy."