Guide for Initial Audits

Primary Contacts at ABC

Here is a list of several of the ABC departments, and their roles, with whom you are likely to interact during the initial audit process.

Accounting
Our accounting department is your primary contact for any inquiries regarding your account balance, charge or credit transactions, invoices, and anticipated charges for the future (when you might be doing budgets).

Marketing & Sales
This group provides prospective members with general information about an ABC circulation audit, the estimated cost of membership (including your initial audit deposit), and the application process. They can also provide you with information about additional services ABC offers such as Rapid Report, postal verifications, Web site activity audits (ABC Interactive), readership verification (Subscriber Profile) and electronic data (e-Data) products we offer to our members. They can also provide on-site training for your ad sales team. The marketing and sales staff is located in our New York City, Toronto, and ABC headquarters (IL) offices.

Publisher Relations Managers
The Publisher Relations group is dedicated to assisting and educating our publishing members. They handle any day-to-day inquiries you may have, including how to interpret and understand ABC rules, policies and procedures, how circulation from a particular program may be classified and disclosed on ABC reports, and whether circulation initiatives you may be considering are ABC compliant. This department can also provide training on record keeping, ABC rules and circulation promotions. Each Publisher Relations manager is responsible for all publications within a specific geographic area (or fulfillment operation).

Audit Managers
This group of ABC staff is dedicated to managing the field auditors, developing audit plans for each audit, making management decisions regarding audit findings, and conversing with our publisher members regarding audit results and possible resolutions. Each Audit Manager is responsible for all publications within a specific geographic area (or fulfillment operation).

Auditors
Our staff of more than 140 field auditors is responsible for executing the audit plans as assigned by their audit manager. They will contact you to schedule a time to begin the audit, provide a list of documentation you can prepare in advance and answer any questions regarding the audit process. During the audit they will request documentation from you that is necessary to complete the audit, perform the audit function, communicate any findings, and upon completion of the audit, present you with a draft audit report.

Customer service is also a priority for all ABC staff. The auditors can assist you with tips on improving your record keeping and making the audit more efficient. They can also assist you with general questions about ABC or the audit process. If they don’t have the answer, they can point you in the right direction.

Technical Review and Report Processing (TRRP)
The TRRP staff receives, processes and releases all ABC documents. The TRRP department is divided into six teams. Each team handles a specific geographic area (or fulfillment operation). It is the task of each team to review all documents submitted to ABC for quality and accuracy. This includes the auditor’s working papers for your initial audit and the Initial Audit Report. This also includes all subsequent Publisher’s Statements you will file, FAS-FAX documents, and the auditor working papers and Audit Reports for your future annual audits.

The TRRP department will send you a proof copy of your Initial Audit Report prior to its release. In the future, they will also send you proof copies of your Publisher’s Statements, FAS-FAX entries, and Audit Reports for review and correction prior to release into the marketplace.

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