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Overview and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2024

The Company operates four reportable segments: Marketing Services; Customer Care; Sales Services; and Fulfillment & Logistics Services. Our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) is considered to be our chief operating decision maker. Our CEO reviews our operating results on an aggregate basis for purposes of allocating resources and evaluating financial performance by using the two financial measures: revenue and operating income.

Accounting Principles

Our unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). In the opinion of management, the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments of a normal recurring nature that are necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the interim periods presented. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results for a full year. The information included in this Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with information included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 (the “2023 10-K”).

Consolidation

The accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Harte Hanks, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. As used in this report, the terms “Harte Hanks,” “the Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our” may refer to Harte Hanks, Inc., one or more of its consolidated subsidiaries, or all of them taken as a whole, as the context may require.

Interim Financial Information

The condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 8-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included.

Use of Estimates

Preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported and disclosed in the financial statements and the accompanying notes. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates due to uncertainties. Such estimates include, but are not limited to, estimates related to lease accounting; pension accounting; fair value for purposes of assessing long-lived assets for impairment; revenue recognition; income taxes; stock-based compensation and contingencies. On an ongoing basis, management reviews its estimates and assumptions based on currently available information. Changes in facts and circumstances could result in revised estimates and assumptions.

Operating Expenses Presentation in Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive (Loss) Income

Operating Expense Presentation in Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive (Loss) Income

The “Labor” line in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss (Income) includes all employee payroll and benefits costs, including stock-based compensation and temporary labor costs. The “Production and distribution” and “Advertising, selling, general and administrative” lines do not include any labor, depreciation, or amortization expense.

Revenue Recognition

We recognize revenue upon the transfer of control of promised products or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to receive in exchange for those products or services based on the relevant contract. We apply the following five-step revenue recognition model:

•Identification of the contract, or contracts, with a customer

•Identification of the performance obligations in the contract

•Determination of the transaction price

•Allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract

•Recognition of revenue when (or as) we satisfy the performance obligation

Certain client programs provide for adjustments to billings based upon whether we achieve certain performance criteria. In these circumstances, revenue is recognized when the foregoing conditions are met. We record revenue net of any taxes collected from customers and subsequently remitted to governmental authorities. Any payments received in advance of the performance of services or delivery of the product are recorded as deferred revenue until such time as the services are performed or the product is delivered. Costs incurred for search engine marketing solutions payable to the engine host and postage costs of mailings are billed to our clients and are not directly reflected in our revenue.

Revenue from agency and digital services, direct mail, logistics, fulfillment and contact center is recognized when the work is performed. Fees for these services are determined by the terms set forth in each contract. These fees are typically a set fixed price or rate by transaction occurrence, service provided, time spent, or product delivered.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standard Codification ("ASC") 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, (“ASC 820”) defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. ASC 820 also establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used in valuation methodologies into three levels:


Level 1			Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level 2			Observable inputs other than Level 1 prices, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.
Level 3			Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities.

Because of their maturities and/or variable interest rates, certain financial instruments have fair values approximating their carrying values. These instruments include cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, accounts receivable, trade payables, and debt. The fair value of the assets in our funded pension plan is discussed in Note H, Employee Benefit Plans.

Leases

We determine if an arrangement is a lease at its inception. Operating and finance leases are included in the lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets and in the current portion and long-term portion of lease liabilities on our condensed consolidated balance sheets. ROU assets represent our right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent our obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Operating lease ROU assets and liabilities are recognized at the commencement date of each lease based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. As most of our leases do not provide an implicit interest rate, we use our incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the commencement date of each lease to determine the present value of lease payments. The operating lease ROU assets also include any lease payments made and exclude lease incentives. Our lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease, which are included in the lease ROU assets when it is reasonably certain that we will exercise that option. Lease expense for lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. We have lease agreements with lease and non-lease components, which are generally accounted for separately. For certain real estate leases, we account for the lease and non-lease components as a single lease component.

Recent Accounting Guidance Not Yet Adopted

In November 2023, the FASB issued accounting standards update (“ASU”) 2023-07, which enhances the disclosures required for reportable segments in annual and interim consolidated financial statements. ASU 2023-07 is effective for the Company for annual reporting periods beginning with the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, and for interim reporting periods beginning in fiscal year 2025. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that this update will have on its disclosures in the consolidated financial statements.

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, which requires enhanced income tax disclosures, including disaggregation of information in the rate reconciliation table and disaggregated information related to income taxes paid. The amendments in ASU 2023-09 are effective for the annual periods beginning with the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that this update will have on its disclosures in the consolidated financial statements.

No other new accounting pronouncements recently adopted or issued had or are expected to have a material impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements.

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

Consistent with GAAP, we present sales taxes assessed on revenue-producing transactions on a net basis.

Disaggregation of Revenue

We disaggregate revenue by four key revenue streams which are aligned with our reportable segments. The nature of the services offered by each key revenue stream is different.

Our contracts with customers may consist of multiple performance obligations. If the contract contains a single performance obligation, the entire transaction price is allocated to the single performance obligation. Contracts that contain multiple performance obligations require an allocation of the transaction price to each performance obligation based on a relative standalone selling price (“SSP”) basis unless the transaction price is variable and meets the criteria to be allocated entirely to a performance obligation or to a distinct good or service that forms part of a single performance obligation. For most performance obligations, we determine SSP based on the price at which the performance obligation is sold separately. Although uncommon, if the SSP is not observable through past transactions, we estimate the SSP taking into account available information such as market conditions and internally approved pricing guidelines related to the performance obligations. Further discussion of other performance obligations in each of our major revenue streams follows:

Marketing Services

Our Marketing Services segment delivers strategic planning, data strategy, performance analytics, creative development and execution, technology enablement, marketing automation, and database management. We create relevancy by leveraging data, insight, and our extensive experience in leading clients as they engage their customers through digital, traditional, and emerging channels. We are known for helping clients build deep customer relationships, create connected customer experiences, and optimize each and every customer touch point in order to deliver desired business outcomes.

Most marketing services performance obligations are satisfied over time and often offered on a per project basis. We have concluded that the best approach to measure the progress toward completion of the project-based performance obligations is the input method, which is based on either the costs or labor hours incurred to date depending upon whether costs or labor hours more accurately depict the transfer of value to the customer.

Our database solutions are built around centralized marketing databases with services rendered to build custom database, database hosting services, customer or target marketing lists and data processing services.

These performance obligations, including services rendered to build a custom database, database hosting services, customer or target marketing lists and data processing services, may be satisfied over time or at a point in time. We provide software as a service (“SaaS”) solutions to host data for customers and have concluded that these solutions are stand-ready obligations to be recognized over time on a monthly basis. Our promise to provide certain data related services meets the over-time recognition criteria because our services do not create an asset with an alternative use, and we have an enforceable right to payment. For performance obligations recognized over time, we choose either the input (i.e., labor hour) or output method (i.e., number of customer records) to measure the progress toward completion depending on the nature of the services provided. Some of our other data-related services do not meet the over-time criteria and are therefore, recognized at a point-in-time, typically upon the delivery of a specific deliverable.

Our contracts may include outsourced print production work for our clients. These contracts may include a promise to purchase postage on behalf of our clients. In such cases, we have determined we are an agent, rather than principal and therefore recognize net consideration as revenue.

Customer Care

We deliver customer care services in the United States, Asia, and Europe to provide advanced solutions such as voice, SMS/chat, email, integrated voice response, web self-service, social cloud monitoring, and analytics.

Performance obligations are stand-ready obligations and are satisfied over time. With regard to account management and SaaS, we use a time-elapsed output method to recognize revenue. For performance obligations where we charge customers a transaction-based fee, we use the output method based on transaction quantities. In most cases, our contracts provide us the right to invoice for services provided, therefore, we generally use the “as invoiced” practical expedient to recognize revenue associated with these performance obligations unless significant discounts are offered in a contract and prices for services do not represent their SSPs.

Sales Services

Our Sales Services segment enables customers to optimize their go-to-market function by offering a range of outsourced services including sales process optimization, sales play development, inbound lead qualification and outbound sales prospecting.

Fulfillment & Logistics Services

Our services, delivered internally and with our partners, include printing, lettershop, advanced mail optimization (including commingling services), logistics and transportation optimization, monitoring and tracking, to support traditional and specialized mailings. Our print and fulfillment centers in Massachusetts and Kansas provide custom kitting services, print on demand, product recall support, trade marketing fulfillment, ecommerce product fulfillment, sampling programs, and freight optimization, thereby allowing our customers to efficiently and effectively distribute literature and other marketing materials.

Most performance obligations offered within this revenue stream are satisfied over time and utilize the input or output method, depending on the nature of the service, to measure progress toward satisfying the performance obligation. For performance obligations where we charge customers a transaction-based fee, we utilize the output method based on the quantities fulfilled. Services provided through our fulfillment centers are typically priced at a per transaction basis and our contracts provide us the right to invoice for services provided and reflects the value to the customer of the services transferred to date. In most cases, we use the “as invoiced” practical expedient to recognize revenue associated with these performance obligations unless significant discounts are offered in a contract and prices for services do not represent their standalone selling prices. Our direct mail business contracts may have included a promise to purchase postage on behalf of our clients; in such cases, we have determined we are an agent, rather than principal and therefore recognize net consideration as revenue.

Transaction Price Allocated to Future Performance Obligations

We have elected to apply certain optional exemptions that limit the disclosure requirements over remaining performance obligations at period end to exclude the performance obligations that have an original expected duration of one year or less, transactions using the “as invoiced” practical expedient, or when a performance obligation is a series and we have allocated the variable consideration directly to the services performed.

Contract Balances

We record a receivable when revenue is recognized prior to invoicing when we have an unconditional right to consideration (only the passage of time is required before payment of that consideration is due) and a contract asset when the right to payment is conditional upon our future performance such as delivery of an additional good or service (e.g. customer contract requires customer’s final acceptance of custom database solution or the delivery of a final marketing strategy presentation before customer payment is required). If invoicing occurs prior to revenue recognition, the unearned revenue is presented on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as a contract liability, referred to as deferred revenue.

Costs to Obtain and Fulfill a Contract

We recognize an asset for the direct costs incurred to obtain and fulfill our contracts with customers to the extent that we expect to recover these costs and if the benefit is longer than one year. These costs are amortized to expense over the expected period of the benefit in a manner that is consistent with the transfer of the related goods or services to which the asset relates. We impair the asset when recoverability is not anticipated. We capitalized a portion of commission expense, implementation and other costs that represents the cost to obtain a contract.