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The PACS products and services are, to put it simply, the products of frustration. In the mid-1990’s a few communication professionals lamenting the quality of the products and services available at the time decided to do something about it. For some, it was the quality of the products available in Canada, for others the cost.
All agreed there was a gagging lack of understanding of both the needs of communication professionals and the media they dealt with.
Initially, they, under the rubric PACS, which stands for practical and common sense, decided to produce a more comprehensive media directory and because the flip-side of media relations is government relations, a detailed directory of elected officials at the federal and provincial levels. This, however, was little more than a phone book with more names and more numbers and for users there was still several time-consuming steps before that actually had lists and coordinates that allowed them to contact and deliver information.
PACS, taking note of new fax technology available at the time, created a host of fax lists, which gave clients a way to quickly contact both media and legislators at an affordable cost, and for a time, this approach was the state of the available art.
PACS was always driven by new technology, which not only made targeting through the media and directly to legislators more effective and efficient, but considerably less expensive. At the turn of the century, the PACS Media-Legislator database was the result of this evolution in available programming. Throughout this incremental process, PACS benefited from the thoughts and suggestions of its client base.
Today, PACS is both a downloadable database with unique features specific to the needs of professional communicators and, again, driven by technology and the wants and needs of the industry, a web-based product, soon to be unveiled.
Throughout this evolution, PACS has been driven by the firm belief that the amount of money available to communicate effectively and affordably should not be the final arbiter as to whether an organization gets its message out.
The cost of using PACS allows the little guy, so to speak, to compete with the big guy when it comes to getting a message out in a timely and effective way. PACS doesn’t charge by the word, email, fax or tag on additional cost if a client wants to include an attachment or add a logo to a release.
The cost of a license can fit in almost all communication budgets and from that point a client can dispatch as many press releases as deemed necessary. And there is no time-consuming need to move data from one application to another to get a final product, nor is there an unnecessary delay in sending a press release or communiqué. The only delay before reaching the target audience is the time it takes to write and approve a message.
As said: this product and service is a result of our frustration with the tools available and the sometimes exorbitant cost. We know what it’s like to spend hours cobbling together a list that is dated by the time you need to communicate publicly a second time. We know what it’s like to debate internally whether we can afford to call some big named distribution firm and pay an exorbitant fee with no guarantee of coverage.
PACS Database and web-based services relieve you of these pressures and allows you to concentrate on what you do best: communicate.
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Practical And Common Sense
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We are Canadian professional communicators who’ve acquired talent, judgment and skills through journalism and public-media-government relations in both the public and private sectors.
We, like you, have struggled to do more with less — less money, less time.
PACS Canada is the only truly Canadian product and service available.
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PACS Canada’s database products are practical and common sense by-products of our experience, coupled with the understanding that every organization must communicate in a timely and effective manner.
Your reputation depends on timely, accurate and useful information. PACS Canada products and services are designed to help you do this.
The Media, for one, has little sympathy for budget or personnel issues that might beset a communication branch and its ability to meet their needs. Nor will the media or government, for example, hold off on a story or making a decision while you struggle to put together your communication strategy, tactics, and execution.
The PACS line of products and services ensures the timely delivery of your message and your ability to quickly follow-up with your target audience.
With PACS Canada’s products and services you can put time and money on your side!
You may not be able to predict your future communication needs, but you can prepare for them.
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Every day, thousands of communiqués are sent and due to inaccurate targeting, hundreds end up in a wastebasket.
These PR tools, used individually or in tandem, are the most effective and cost-efficient media and government relation’s access and delivery products on the Canadian market.
They are designed for simple use by non-technical users and built with an understanding of how to segment target audiences and reach them on a moment’s notice. Their purpose is to ensure you get real returns for your effort and money.
The PACS communication tools are priced to help make certain that an organization, no matter its size, can effectively communicate.
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The continuously updated Media/Legislator databases can be quickly and easily downloaded to your desktop/laptop. PACS products and services are fully pre-programmed and there’s no need to transfer data to other applications to create a final product. Communiqués go directly from the client to the target without any delay via Outlook or an in-house mail program.
PACS Canada databases can:
- allow you to instantly contact a news outlet, an individual editor, reporter, producer or legislator via email, phone, fax.
- allow you to quickly put together “Beat” contact reports with coordinates.
- allow you to “batch” emails to the media or legislators.*
- allow you to mail merge and produce mailing labels with just a few mouse clicks.
- monitor news organizations or individual reporters via Twitter.
* The distribution feature of the PACS Database is compliant with the new Canadian anti-spam legislation as its purpose is to target the media as conveyors of information to the broader public or informing legislators of specific views on public policy, not to convey commercial messages for products or services.
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PACS products and services are more than competitively priced to meet needs great and small. For example, unlike competitors, PACS does not charge by the word, email or fax and there are no additional costs for including a logo on a press release or for an attachment. There is no extra charge for distribution of communiqués for PACS licensees.