Qualified Address Blog

Is My Data Secure?

2009-11-23T13:54:00.001-07:00

YES! Absolutely. Your data is secure.

CASS-Certified Scrubbing or Standard Scrubbing -

When you upload your data to our website for CASS-Certified Scrubbing or Standard Scrubbing, you may securely erase it from our servers at any time. You click the button, we erase the data—permanently.

LiveAddress Verification API -

When you upload your data for LiveAddress, the data is never saved to disk. Because the leading technology of LiveAddress there is no need to save the data; the address verification is all done online—instantly.
For example, let’s say you type an essay in a word processor and print it. You close the program without saving the document, so it is deleted from the computer. You still have your essay even though you didn’t save it to a hard disk. It is the same with LiveAddress. Your data is processed and given to you without the need to ever save it to a disk.

Why Is Address Verification Important?

2009-11-18T11:40:00.001-07:00

Address verification is a process that will make sure each delivery address in an address list is valid before mail is sent to it. Every delivery address mailed to the United States must be verified before it can receive mail. Verification is done according the United States Postal Service’s Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS) standards.

CASS software will do the following for your address lists. First, it will standardize your mailing list. Standardizing means it changes an address to match a standard format. The addresses in your list are modified and corrected so that they meet the format the USPS expects.

Example:

123 Man
Anitwn California

---becomes----

123 S MAIN ST ANYTOWN, CA 91234-5678

Next, it will update outdated addresses. This means making sure all of the addresses are current and up to date. For example, if a street name or number used in your address lists changed, then CASS software would automatically update and edit the address to be current and correct. Last, CASS software will verify that addresses are valid and complete. Addresses that are undeliverable or do not exist will be discovered and reported back to you.

After the addresses have been standardized, corrected, and updated, they are compared with a list of addresses that the USPS considers valid and complete. This verification ensures that your mailpiece can be delivered to an address with the information you’ve provided on-time, every time.

Address verification saves you money by helping you obtain maximum postal savings from the USPS. Address verification saves you time by ensuring that communications reach customers accurately and on-time. It increases response rates from marketing campaigns, thus potentially increasing your business. Lastly, Address Verification increases your efficiency by making your address lists accurate and up-to-date.

QualifiedAddress.com PAVE Certification

2008-09-03T10:53:00.003-06:00

As many of you know, we have been working on a web based on demand PAVE solution for our customers. In keeping with our model of being a SAAS company, we will be the first company to offer CASS, PAVE, and other mailing related services on demand in a software as a service model.

For those that are not quite sure what PAVE means, here you go:

The Presort Accuracy, Validation, and Evaluation (PAVE) program is a process designed in cooperation with the mailing industry to evaluate presort software and determine its accuracy in sorting address files according to Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) standards. PAVE is available only to software and hardware developers, i.e., companies that develop presort software or manufacture presorting equipment for resale or internal use. Participation in the program is purely voluntary.

Although this program evaluates and validates presort products manufactured by developers, PAVE does not guarantee acceptance of mail prepared using PAVE-certified hardware and/or software; however, it does provide national approval of computer-generated facsimiles of United States Postal Service (USPS) postage statements, standardized documentation, and other presort documentation.

The USPS defines a PAVE-certified software product as a presorting product with source code specifically written to operate on a particular platform or operating system and assigned a specific version number. Many products use different language compilers to process files within different operating systems or on different hardware platforms. Therefore, to maintain the highest standards of quality assurance, PAVE will certify each product that operates on a particular platform at the current version number. One platform will be tested completely according to the test files ordered, and additional platforms will be tested randomly. The developer may either submit all platforms or just a few for certification. PAVE will evaluate each platform of the presort product separately and will issue a certificate for each platform that meets the PAVE accuracy requirements.

Companies use PAVE to effectively lower their mailing costs, and in some cases quite dramatically. We are close to gaining our PAVE certification and launching additional new products.

By the way; once we are PAVE certified we will be only the 8th company offering PAVE services to customers and the first SAAS model.

Enhancing And Improving Your Mailing Lists

2008-06-26T08:34:00.004-06:00

Would you like to improve the quality of the data in your address database? Submit your address list to one of our mailing list data enhancement services. Qualified Address offers a line of services that will help you improve your marketing and communication while reducing your costs at the same time.

Qualified Address Scrubbing
Address verification and standardization batch processing service.

Corrects and standardizes addresses in your address list
Adds missing ZIP Codes
Converts 5-digit ZIP Codes to ZIP+4 Codes
Find Out More >>

Web Based - Real Time Solutions

We deliver address and mailing list services as a secure on-demand solution. Address Verification On Demand lowers your IT costs, enhances your business process flexibility, and increases your profitability. As the only web-based, real-time solution in the industry, we pride ourselves in delivering your data with accuracy and speed.

Do your Canadian addresses exist?

2008-06-13T16:15:00.005-06:00

I was reading the other day about some postal facts about Canada. Did you know that Canada Post Corporation processed 11.6 billion parcels and messages, serving more than 31 million Canadians and over 1 million businesses and other institutions. Canada Post collects, processes, and delivers across the whole world as the second-largest country (of course Russia is much bigger). Canada Post delivers to over 14 million addresses in Canada and mail is forwarded to almost every country in the world! Canada Post delivers a ton of mail.

Now, with that much mail being thrown around, it's important to keep in mind that there are people and businesses every day that waste their time and money because their mail goes to bad addresses. Zip Code Download has a product that can help with that called Qualified Address Scrubbing. Qualified Address Scrubbing has up to date databases that can validate addresses that you are shipping to. This people and business find addresses that no longer exist or were made up. This product has helped thousands of people and customers! Although it may decrease some of Canada's overall mail numbers, in the end, it helps your bottom-line. Click here to learn more.

Update on Post Office Closures

2008-05-01T11:04:00.005-06:00

For our customers that are in the Tennessee and Arkansas or areas that ship to Tennessee and Arkansas:

A tornado that ripped through Tennessee yesterday destroyed the Castalian Springs Post Office. All operations have moved to the Gallatin, TN, Post Office 37066. All drop shipments for the Castalian Springs Post Office should be directed to the Gallatin Post Office located at 380 Maple St., Gallatin, TN, 37066.

Service updates for Jackson, TN
North Side Station, Jackson, TN 38305

Window services and the Post Office Box section at the North Side Station at 161 West University Parkway in Jackson, TN, 38305, are closed because there are no lights in the lobby or box area. Residential and business deliveries will take place.

Service updates for Gassville, AR
Gassville, AR 72635

The lobby of the Gassville Post Office, 94 Highway 126 N, Gassville, AR, 72635, sustained extensive tornado damage. Operations have been relocated to the Mountain Home Post Office, AR, 72653. All drop shipments for the Gassville Post Office should be directed to the Mountain Home Post Office located at 975 Coley Dr, Mountain Home, AR, 72653.

Slowing Economy

2008-03-07T14:12:00.004-07:00

Bush said earlier today, "it's clear our economy has slowed," just hours after a government report showed a decline in payrolls for the second straight month. Many companies and other organizations have been feeling the burdens of a slowing economy. Some reports state that more companies are laying off people than they have in the last five years. Other companies are doing their best to keep their employess by cutting their costs.

One large cost that is constantly burdening companies and other organizations is the cost of mailings and other similar marketing ploys. Two websites that can help overcome these burdens is www.zipcodedownload.com and www.qualifiedaddress.com. Zip Code Download's and Qualified Address' products can help save companies and organizations thousands and thousands of money! They are supported by their parent company Exact Wave.

So, while many companies are cutting employees because of a slowing economy begin cutting costs so that employess don't have to go through the lay-off pains that may be imminent. With an economy that is slowing and moving closer and closer to a recession, begin making the best decisions for you and your company by visiting www.zipcodedownload.com and www.qualifiedaddress.com.

Stamp Prices To Increase

2008-02-15T13:06:00.001-07:00

Stamp prices will increase 1 cent as well as some other price changes (see chart below). Over the past few years we have seen an increase in stamps and mailing costs as electronic emailing and transfers have become much more popular and we will continue to see the cost of snail mail stamps and supplies increase.

As the costs of snail mail increase it is important not to waste your money, time, and other resources on mail that may never get to your clients. To learn more about how you can save money and time on your mailings visit www.qualifiedaddress.com and zipcodedownload.com.

Changes will be effective May 12, 2008.

Selected Prices & Services	Current	New (Effective May 12)
First-Class Mail Letter (1 oz.)	41¢	42¢
First-Class Mail Letter (2 oz.)	58¢	59¢
Postcard	26¢	27¢
Large Envelope (2 oz.)	97¢	$1.00
Money Orders (up to $500)	$1.05	$1.05
Certified Mail	$2.65	$2.70
First-Class Mail International Letter (1 oz. to Canada and Mexico)	69¢	72¢
First-Class Mail International Letter (1 oz. to other countries)	90¢	94¢

Size and Scope of USPS

2008-02-08T16:18:00.000-07:00

We deliver to every home and business in the United States. Every American has access to our services and pays the same postage regardless of where they live or work. We …
Process and deliver more than 213 billion pieces of mail — letters, cards, ads, bills, payments and packages — every year.
· Nearly 703 million pieces per day
· More than 29 million pieces per hour
· More than 488,000 pieces per minute
· More than 8,000 pieces per second
· Deliver mail to more than 300 million people at 146 million homes, businesses and PO Boxes in every state, city and town, and in Puerto Rico, Guam, the American Virgin Islands and American Samoa.
· Add 1.8 million new addresses each year to our delivery network — equivalent to the number of addresses in a city the size of Chicago.
· Serve more than 9 million customers daily at nearly 37,000 Post Offices.
· Have annual operating revenue of nearly $73 billion.
· Are the second-largest employer in the United States.
· Employ nearly 700,000 career employees.
· Pay nearly $2 billion in employee salaries and benefits every two weeks.
· Do not receive tax dollars for operations. We are a self-supporting agency, using the revenue from the sale of postage and products to pay expenses.
· We handle more than 46 percent of the world's card and letter mail volume — delivering more mail to more addresses to a larger geographical area than any other post in the world.
· We move mail using planes, trains, trucks, cars, boats, ferries, helicopters, bicycles, hovercrafts, subways and even mules.
· We operate the largest civilian vehicle fleet in the world with more than 216,000 vehicles driving more than 1.2 billion miles each year and using nearly 121 million gallons of fuel.
· When fuel costs increase one penny, our costs increase $8 million.
· Each letter carrier delivers an average of nearly 2,900 pieces of mail a day to more than 500 addresses.
· In 2006, we processed and delivered 25.9 billion pounds of mail — 85 million pounds per day.
· About 14 percent of the nation’s population moves every year, generating more than 45 million address changes.
· We add an average of 3,500 new deliveries every day.
· We forward more than 2 billion pieces of mail a year.
· Rural carriers drive 3.4 million miles daily to deliver to 37 million addresses.
· We issue nearly 900,000 money orders per day.
· Automated Postal Centers (APCs) are self-service kiosks that provide customers with access to the most frequently purchased postal products and services.
· Customers can purchase stamps at:
· More than 33,000 commercial retail outlets.
· 17,000 banking and credit union ATMs.
· 2,500 APCs.
· Thousands of vending machines located nationwide.
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.

These words, inscribed at the top of the James A. Farley building in New York City, are considered to be the motto of the Postal Service. In fact, it isn't a motto at all. The phrase is the translation of an ancient Greek work of Herodotus describing the Persian system of mounted carriers, c. 500 B.C.

Source: http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/postalfacts.htm

Address Verification Software Stops Customer/Consumer Frustration

2008-01-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

How many of you have had a shipping problem? I'm guessing a few of you have, if not all of you. One of the reasons you may have had problems with shipping is that you accidentally mistyped your address.

Qualified Address helps business and companies dissolve this problem with their address verification software. Qualified Address Scrubbing formats addresses according to the postal services standards. The software abbreviates addresses, appends missing data, and updates rural addresses to city-street addresses. To see an example of the address verification software please click here.

This product is important, especially to the consumers of these products. There is nothing more frustrating than not receiving a shipment on the expected date all because they made a simple address mistake. Do your customers/consumers a huge favor and supply the services of Qualified Address' address verification software today.

Marshall Islands and Micronesia

2007-11-09T23:53:00.001-07:00

The other day I went to buy some pants for what I thought was about $40 dollars only to learn when I went to pay for it that they were only 12! Maybe the same kind of thing will happen to you come November 19, 2007 because on that day mail addressed to the Marshall Islands as well as to the states of Micronesia will no longer be considered as international mail but as domestic, meaning much lower prices! It's always a happy day when you have to spend less money than you realized.

That's why Exact Waves new product, Qualified Address, is so important--it can literally help you save money every day so that every day is happy day. To learn more about how Qualified Address can save you money click here.

LACSLink and Rural Routes Converted to 9-1-1 Addresses

2007-10-17T08:58:00.000-06:00

The Post Office loves acronyms. That's why Qualified Address has products with CASS, LACSLink, and DPV in their names. Other products and services that you might hear connected with the USPS are NCOA, PAVE, and MASS. Even 'ZIP' in ZIP Code is an acronym for "Zoning Improvement Plan." It can seem like the post office has its own language sometimes.

Some of these acronyms are more interesting and confusing than others. One of the questions we get a lot is, "What is LACSLink?" 'LACS' is an acronym for "Locatable Address Conversion System." A "Locatable Address" has reference to a 9-1-1 system. It means that addresses are named and numbered in such a way that shortens response times to emergencies.

In many areas of the country, rural route addresses have been used to deliver mail in the past. As these areas adopt 9-1-1 systems, the rural route addresses are replaced by locatable addresses. For a few years, the Post Office will continue to deliver mail to the rural route, but eventually it will be returned as "Undeliverable As Addressed" to the mailer. That's where LACSLink comes into play.

LACSLink is a system that converts addresses that have been renamed or renumbered into locatable addresses. This is an invaluable service for those who send out bulk mail because you might otherwise lose contact with many of your contacts.

Qualified Address offers LACSLink processing with all its products - including its Address Entry Pro API. LACSLink is also required for all CASS Software.

Dedupe Your Mailing Lists

2007-10-15T16:49:00.000-06:00

Qualified Address has added free de-duping services to all its data scrubbing products. If you are a current customer, this service is already available in your account.

You can find out more about these services at QualifiedAddress.com.

XML Address Verification with PHP

2007-10-10T13:23:00.000-06:00

We've just added a section to the Address Entry Pro User Guide that explains how to use our XML Address Verification with PHP. We now have examples for C#, Java, Visual Basic, JavaScript, and PHP included in the guide.

You can download the updated User Guide here: http://www.qualifiedaddress.com/Library/User-Guides/APIGuide.pdf

Proposed Change to Address Requirements for Automation, Presorted & Carrier Route Letters

2007-10-10T09:09:00.000-06:00

This is a change that the USPS is proposing that may affect many mailers. It deals primarily with type size and spacing requirements for printing a delivery address on a letter-sized mail piece.

Here is what the USPS says about the changes:

We are proposing revisions to the address standards for letter-size pieces mailed at automation, presorted, or carrier route rates. Under the new standards, all letters mailed at discount rates must be addressed using a minimum of 8–point type. In addition, for automation rate letters, the lines and the characters in the address must not touch or overlap, and each element on the address line may be separated by no more than three blank character spaces.

These changes probably won't effect most mailers, but it is something to be aware of in the future. If you have comments on the changes, they can be submitted before December 10, 2007 to

Manager, Mailing Standards
U.S. Postal Service
475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW
Room 3436
Washington DC 20260-3436

Read the Complete Announcement

Proposed Changes to Address & Barcode Requirements for Flats

2007-10-10T09:02:00.000-06:00

This is from the October 10, 2007 Federal Register:

The Postal Service proposes new address placement requirements for Periodicals, Standard Mail, Bound Printed Matter, Media Mail, and Library Mail flat-size pieces sent at automation, presorted, or carrier route rates. We also propose to require an 11-digit POSTNET barcode or Intelligent Mail barcode on flat-size First-Class Mail, Periodicals, Standard Mail, and Bound Printed Matter sent at automation rates. In addition, we propose related revisions to the address requirements for automation and presorted First-Class Mail flats.

Comments on the proposed change must be received by December 10, 2007. They can be mailed to

Manager, Mailing Standards
U.S. Postal Service
475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW Room 3436
Washington DC 20260-3436

Read the Full Announcement

Changes to the USPS Change of Address Policy

2007-10-10T08:53:00.000-06:00

Starting October 10, 2007, the USPS has changed its policy for Temporary Change of Address filings. The changes will make it easier for those who forget to put an end date on the paperwork, but will create more work for those who want to temporarily change their address for more than six months.

Here is the word from the government:

The changes state the minimum duration for a change of address order is 15 days; the maximum duration for the initial change of address order is 185 days; and the maximum duration for the additional change of address order is 179 days. A customer seeking the longest duration for temporary change of address, can accordingly submit an initial order for 185 days and a second order for 179 more days, thus reaching the maximum period of 364 days.

Previously, a temporary change of address could be filed for an entire year. The USPS claims that this shouldn't impact most postal service customers since the 62% of all temporary change-of-address requests are for less than six months.

Customers will be sent a reminder to submit a second temporary forwarding request at the end of six months.

Move Update Requirements Update for Standard Mail

2007-10-04T08:30:00.000-06:00

The Postal Service announced a major change in requirements for Standard Mail last week when it was determined that Standard Mail would be required to comply with Move Update requirements starting November 23, 2008. This notice was made public in Volume 72, Issue 188 of the Federal Register.

According to the Federal Register, "the Move Update standards provide ways for mailers to reduce the number of mailpieces that require forwarding or return by the periodic matching of a mailer's address records with customer-filed change-of-address orders." So, what does this mean? It means that the USPS wants those who mail at a Standard Mail rate to determine whether or not a recipient has moved on its own or pay an additional fee to have the USPS forward the mail.

Along with making Move Update a requirement for Standard Mail, the USPS also increased the frequency requirements for Move Update processing. Instead of the minimum frequency being every 185 days (6 months) the minimum frequency will be every 95 days (approx. 3 months). This change will effect both First Class and Standard Mail for bulk mailers.

"We believe that the revised standards...are crucial to the continued vitality of the postal system as well as the business interests of mailers," the Federal Register explains. Undeliverable-as-Addressed Mail (UAA) is a major expense for the USPS and costs upwards of $1.9 billion dollars each year. Standard Mail accounts for 62.8% of this undeliverable mail.

This change brings up several concerns. Many believe that the requirement will be difficult and expensive for small business mailers and non-profit organizations. The Post Office dismisses this concern and believes that there are methods available for every budget level. Another concern was that this change was being made before the benefits of the recent changes to CASS processing have been realized, but the new requirements do not affect move-related UAA problems, the main source of UAA Mail for Standard Mail.

Summary of Changes
- Move Update, which was previously only a requirement for First Class Mail, will not be a requirement for Standard Mail in order to reduce UAA mail.
- Mailers can comply with the Move Update requirement in three way: (1) NCOA^Link, (2) FASTforward MLOCR processing, or (3) On-piece ancillary service endorsements (except "Forwarding Service Requested").
- Changes will be effective on November 23, 2008

9-digit ZIP Code (ZIP+4) for Finding Representatives & Legislators

2007-10-01T10:43:00.000-06:00

If you have a website that lets people lookup U.S. Government legislative districts or find representatives, you've probably been frustrated with finding a good way to get people to get their ZIP+4 Code. Since the +4 Code is pretty much required to find the correct congressional and legislative districts, it's a problem that a lot of webmasters face.

A lot of people end up directing their visitors to find the ZIP+4 Code on the USPS Lookup. This is an OK solution, but it isn't the best solution. It takes the visitor away from your site and is inconvenient.

By using the Qualified Address API, you can implement a better solution. Our Address Verification API can be integrated into any website form in as little as 15 minutes and would allow the visitor to enter their address and get their ZIP+4 right on your website. It's convenient for both you and your user.

Please visit the Address Verification API product page at QualifiedAddress.com for more information on how you can use this on your website to improve your lookups that require ZIP+4 Codes.

XML and JavaScript Address Validation at QualifiedAddress.com

2007-09-25T13:56:00.000-06:00

It's finally available!

A lot of our customers have contacted us to find out when our Address Verification API would finally be ready to go. I'm excited to announce that the API is ready. You can learn more about it by visiting the Address Verification API product page on our website.

I'm impressed with how nice the JavaScript version of the API looks. Our designers really did a great job! I'm not really much of a programmer (I know HTML and that's about it), but I was able to figure out how to install it on one of my websites without any help. For those who are a little more savvy with programming, there is an XML web service that you can use (it doesn't come with the cool interface though).

Many people don't realize the benefits of validating addresses at the point of entry. If you're sending a lot of mail, the benfits are obvious - You can catch bad addresses before you spend the money to send out a mailpiece or product. There are other benefits also. For example, with credit card processing you might be able to get lower fees by submitting a +4 Code with an address. Also, you standardize the data in your database, which helps with data quality. Customers who validate addresses as they are collected also have much better results when CASS Certifying their mailing lists later.

If you're interested in finding out how address validation can help your business, visit QualifiedAddress.com or call 1 (877) 216-8883 ext 701.

QualifiedAddress.com Provides a "Green" Alternative to Mailing Software

2007-09-25T11:15:00.000-06:00

The green color that dominates QualifiedAddress.com does more than just contribute to an attractive website. It represents the company’s commitment to developing “green” software that reduces environmental and economic waste by leveraging the improved speed and efficiency of the internet.

The Environmental Protection Agency reports that product packaging, including software packaging, accounts for one-third of the trash thrown away in the United States. Businesses are responsible for an estimated 85% of this garbage. In its definition of product stewardship, the EPA urges businesses and consumers to "share responsibility for the environmental impact of products."

The internet has enabled many software companies to adopt a "zero waste" product model. Known as "on-demand software" or "software-as-a-service," this model eliminates all waste associated with creating disks for software, printing manuals and guides, packaging software, and shipping software to end users. Popular on-demand software companies include SalesForce.com, Omniture, and RightNow Technologies.

QualifiedAddress.com was launched in early 2007 to provide on-demand mailing software and address list services to businesses. In August 2007 it became the first on-demand software company to be CASS Certified by the USPS. Users are able to upload their mailing lists to a secure account on the internet and perform services such as data standardization, address verification, and CASS processing. Point-of-entry address verification software is also available, and additional on-demand services are currently in development.

The environmental benefits of on-demand mailing software are not limited to the elimination product packaging. Because of the address verification system at QualifiedAddress.com, users are able to remove invalid mailing addresses from their lists before printing a mail campaign. This reduces environmental and economic waste created by printing mail pieces that will be returned as undeliverable by the post office.

Businesses and consumers interested in learning more about how they can reduce waste by using on-demand mailing software and address verification can visit http://www.qualifiedaddress.com/Green/.

9-digit ZIP Codes for Medicare Claims

2007-09-24T15:10:00.001-06:00

We've had a couple customers call us regarding some changes that Medicare has made regarding billing. I just wanted to post how the Qualified Address solutions can help providers with this billing change.

In the past, Medicare assigned the payment locality for services performed by looking up the county using a 5-digit ZIP Code. Unfortunately, quite a few ZIP Codes cross county lines. Medicare was running into problems with assigning the right county to an address using only the 5-digit ZIP Code and, starting October 1, 2007, has begun to require that some physicians and providers use a nine-digit ZIP Code when filing their claims.

Qualified Address has a few solutions that can help physicians with this problem.

First, we have a data cleansing service that will add the +4 Code to any valid address. This solution costs as little as $29.95. For more information, please visit QualifiedAddress.com. This will update all the addresses currently in your database with the +4 Code.

Second, we have a Address Validation API that can be used to add +4 Codes to addresses as they are entered into your database. This solution costs as little as $19.95/month. For more information, please visit the Address Verification API page at QualifiedAddress.com.

Please contact our sales department if you have any questions on these solutions - 1 (877) 216-8883 ext 701.

2007 US Postage Rates

2007-09-21T15:10:00.000-06:00

We just added a page on our website with the latest USPS postage rates. This is an invaluable resource for anyone who does a lot of business mailings.

Latest USPS Postage Rates

Great Suggestions for Improving Your Mailings

2007-09-21T15:09:00.000-06:00

Mr. Tooker, an expert in the Direct Mail Industry, gave some great advice in the May MAILCOM seminar "Quit Throwing Your Money Away." I didn't have a chance to attend the seminar, but, thankfully, MAIL Magazine did a writeup on it in the August/September 2007 Issue of their magazine. Here's an excerpt from the Mail Magazine article that has some great suggestions:

[Tooker] said, "Do you really want to mail to people who don't qualify for your offering? Do you want to mail to the wrong name at that address? How about dead people, prisoners, parolees on work release, people in nursing homes or people who "live" at Mail Boxes Etc? Of to the wrong gender? You need to have advanced data hygiene processes."

Mr. Tooker suggested that you edit and standardize your data. Reformat all sources to standardize, assign gender codes, compare quantities against expected volumes, edit incoming records based on client-specific business rules and document rejected records for possible later resolution. He added that Address Element Correction is key. It corrects or provides missing address elements (example: apartment numbers) that CASS-certification software cannot correct. It also makes problem/undeliverable addresses into deliverable ones that will take maximum advantage of USPS automation.

Mr. Tooker cited NCOA-link as a helpful tool. It is typically performed quarterly on client files and includes suppression files. It also includes USPS Locatable Address Conversion System (LACS) which can convert renumbering rural routes to conform to city-style addresses. Delivery Point Validation (DPV) confirms, corrects, appends and standardizes address elements like ZIP and ZIP+4, carrier routes, and LOT codes. DPV also determines whether or not a secondary address element is missing or invalid and flags Commercial Mail Receiving Agencies.

"So is all this worth the effort?" Mr. Tooker asked. "Using advanced data hygiene can typically reduce undeliverable mail by 3 to 5 percent. The impact can be significant to large mailers."

Address Verification API Beta Testing Begins

2007-09-11T15:09:00.000-06:00

For the past few months Qualified Address has been developing an Address Verification API that can be used on website forms. We have been testing the API on our websites and are ready to start opening the beta testing up to other companies.

If you'd like to participate in the test, please contact our sales department by calling 1 (877) 216-8883 ext 701. You need to have a website with a form in order to participate and you'll receive free access to the API during the beta period. This initial version uses JavaScript, but we will also be releasing an XML version in a few weeks. Make sure to let us know which version you're interested in using when you call.

To see how the API works, preview it on the ZIP Code Finder and ZIP+4 Lookup at ZIPCodeDownload.com. This API accesses our CASS-certified address scrubbing.