Is your company engaged in a mail-driven marketing campaign and disappointed by the high rate of returned mailings? If you are interested in improving the accuracy and deliverability of physical mail through the United States Postal Service (USPS), then this article is written for you. It also explains ways to obtain the lowest postage rates and improve customer relations.
Verification Software
A wide variety of software is specially designed for USPS address verification. According to USPS, an address is only valid when it is CASS-certified, and the USPS Address Management System contains the full directory of CASS-certified addresses across the United States. Be sure that any address correction software you consider purchasing is based on CASS Certification. Furthermore, it will need to be able to process data from multiple formats, such as Microsoft Excel, comma separated values (CSV) format, or even from a program or website directly. Some software is designed with specialty features such as name validation (confirming that a person lives at a particular address), duplicate address elimination, and regular updates to lists that undergo frequent address changes. Verification software provides a cost effective solution for processing and validating bulk mailing lists.
Geocoding
Geocoding is particularly convenient for companies that do not already have the mailing lists they need. It uses latitude and longitude coordinates to define a target area on a map and find associated addresses and zip codes. Geocoding incorporates the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and/or geotagging. Geocoder software has proven to be extremely effective for companies that know the locations they intend to target but need accurate addresses.
USPS Direct Verification
A common, and free, method to verify addresses is through the USPS website directly. However, this is more practical for individuals rather than companies because the website only processes addresses one at a time, and the data cannot be pulled from another source – it must be typed directly into the field. This method is not worth the time it would take to verify addresses individually, especially for a company with bulk mailing lists.
Some companies have been known to rely on a third party contractor to perform all USPS address verification services on their behalf. While this is another option, it is not nearly as cost effective as using available software, which is just as effective find out here now. By ensuring the validity of addresses through tailored software, you can achieve the lowest postage rates and stay in touch with customers as they change addresses, thus strengthening customer relations.
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