Printer Profile: Bassett Direct

Exceptional 24/7 customer service and a rare dedication to traditional values have made Markham-based company an industry leader in innovative direct-mail solutions

Rich Bassett could be your proud uncle, or kind father, or understanding boss—that is, if you’re very, very lucky!

What comes across loud and clear when you first meet the award-winning president of Bassett Direct is his warmth, obliging attitude, and genuine concern for both his customers and his employees.

Escorting me on a tour of his offices and plant at 165 Shields Court in Markham, Ontario, was like seeing old friends again—even though I had never met him or his staff before.

These were not employees acknowledging “the boss,” but rather friends and colleagues exchanging genuine smiles and handshakes amidst the usual hectic, deadline-filled production day.

What Rich Bassett really represents is a veteran of the printing and direct-mail wars who has somehow managed to instill in virtually every one of his 36 employees a personal commitment to every single customer. Some might call it pride, but whatever it is, rest assured it’s a rare commodity in the industry these days.

If you don’t believe me, check out some of the smiling faces on these pages. Or better still, visit bassettdirect.ca, click on ‘our team’ and see what Arthur, Pauline, Jennifer, Esther, Brenda, Sam, and all the other employees have to say. Their boundless passion, enthusiasm, and eagerness to keep up-to-date are obvious and might surprise you—but doesn’t shock their boss.

“Every single project we do, regardless of size or scope, is handled from start to finish by a dedicated team committed to total customer care 24/7,” says Bassett. “Quite simply, that’s our culture . . . that’s what we’re all about.”

That unwavering care occurs every day. But if you had to choose one incident that best illustrates that commitment, it would likely be one desperate phone call made to Bassett’s home on Boxing Day, 2004. The call was from World Vision, (one of his many not-for-profit clients) and came after one of nature’s cruelest inventions, a Tsunami, devastated Southeast Asia. It was a tragedy that shocked the world.

That very day, and each day throughout that holiday week, Bassett’s team leapt into action. When the printers stopped and the stamps dried, more than 500,000 personalized, direct-mail pieces, aimed at fundraising to help the victims of this tragedy, had been mailed—at the astounding rate of about 100,000 a day!

Speed To Market

Bassett calls this reaction STM, or Speed To Market, and it’s been one of the foundations of his company’s success since its founding in November of 1994.

“Our world today is an instantaneous one. You can go online and access anything in an instant. Clients now demand ‘faster and cheaper.’ And though printing is less expensive today than it was 25 years ago, runs and margins are shrinking for most printers across the country.”

Bassett believes that a major solution is STM through variable printing on demand. “It’s important to consider what drives printing technology, rather than simply the technology itself,” he advises. “In other words, think twice before putting that enormous high-end press on your plant floor until you’re 100% certain you have a loyal, ongoing customer base to keep it running regularly.”

The latest technology

Bassett did think twice recently, and because of increased business, he added a Xeikon 5000 and a Xerox iGen2 110 to his equipment repertoire.

The Xeikon is a roll-fed variable-imaging printer that has opened up tremendous creative possibilities, including virtually unlimited sizes. The Xerox can print on mixed stocks during a single press run. Bassett also has Bell and Howell’s Jet Vision Gold Video item-matching technology, which provides unsurpassed quality control, accurate reporting, and unique matching capabilities in the lettershop area.

The rest of Bassett’s equipment reads like a list of leading-edge ‘must-haves’ for the high-end direct-mail industry. It includes laser personalization equipment, ‘intelligent’ inserters and folders, and some unique bindery solutions.

But again, aside from this leading-edge technology, it’s really the people at this “customer care company” that drive its success. Data programmers, form creation specialists, customer service representatives, and accounting staff are all actively involved in every project.

For example, estimates are prepared within hours, work-back schedules are decided live with customers, invoices are generated immediately upon completion of a job, and all customer communication is direct and immediate.

He has many loyal clients too, besides World Vision—banks, advertising agencies, car manufacturers, insurance companies, loyalty programs, and a host of leading corporations, large and small.

Speaking of loyalty, most of his initial customers have remained with his company since its inception 14 years ago. Even more phenomenal is that Bassett Direct does not employ any salespeople.

In an industry where impersonal e-mails report progress to clients, Bassett adds that non-typical personal touch—they actually talk to you! It sounds old-fashioned, but it’s a fact.

An award-winning veteran

A graduate of the graphic arts management program at Ryerson University in Toronto (then Ryerson Polytechnical Institute), Bassett spent 25 years at Toronto’s Yorkville Press and was instrumental in transitioning that company from a commercial printer to a direct mail house.

In 1991 he became President, Corporate Marketing and Sales, for the Maclean Hunter Group of Graphic Arts Companies. Soon after the acquisition of Maclean Hunter in 1994 by Rogers, he founded Bassett Direct. Today, Bassett Direct is one of Canada’s premier direct mail production companies.

Bassett was named Direct Marketer of the Year in 1997 (DMAT) and received the Canadian Parketing Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. In 2003, he was chosen as one of Canada’s 50 most influential people in the Graphic Arts Industry.

Yet, through all the success and personal accolades, Bassett has managed to keep things in perspective and maintain his humility and infectious smile. A family man, father, and boss, you won’t find an ego here.

“To tell you the truth, I really look forward to coming to work each and every day. After all these years, it’s still very exciting and challenging for me,” he said. “That’s my passion and the people I work with share it, believe me. I consider myself a very lucky person in that regard.”

Legendary Green Bay Packers’ football coach Vince Lombardi once quipped: “nice guys finish last.” I guess he had never met Rich Bassett!

For more information (and to discover how that rare mix of warmth, traditional values, and non-traditional direct-mail solutions can help you), please call (905) 940-4740 or visit www.bassettdirect.ca.