Important Information You Need To Know When Verifying Addresses In Bulk

Considering recent technological advances, it’s no surprise that so many companies are focusing on SMS services and support. However, those same companies also know that it’s a mistake to neglect other communication mediums such as mail delivery and voicemail drops. Though SMS is a strong way to connect with customers, the most robust marketing strategies utilize a variety of mediums.

Sending mail and packages to customers continues to be one of the most important and underutilized communication methods. Like any medium, it has both benefits and disadvantages, though the benefits far outweigh the advantages. One of the largest disadvantages was the issue of how to ensure addresses are valid. But this issue and a number of the other disadvantages have since been solved by leveraging a powerful tool: bulk address verification.

What is Bulk Address Verification?

Bulk address verification is a three-in-one process that standardizes, corrects, and validates addresses. Uploaded addresses are formatted to United States Postal Service (USPS) standards, updated to fix incorrect information, and compared against the USPS database in order to verify they exist and are in use.

Address validation APIs are useful for a number of reasons, including that they help prevent fraud, increase campaign results and ROI, and save businesses time, money, and resources. All industries can benefit from such services, from debt settlement companies to marketing agencies to financial institutions and more.

#1: Three-Pronged Validation Approach

Despite what their name may imply, address validator APIs provide more than just verification services. Instead, they provide comprehensive address service by employing a three-pronged approach: standardization, correction, and validation. Postal APIs update addresses to adhere to USPS standards, correct any shipping addresses that are wrong, and compare addresses against the official USPS database to ensure their validity.

Because of this, PAV APIs are the most reliable method of ensuring your customer mailing addresses are correct and ready to be used. They decrease the amount of undeliverable mail and increase your connections as a result. This approach not only ensures that all of your company’s mail and packages are delivered to the right address, but also allows the mail to be delivered as quickly and efficiently as possible.

How to Use Postal Address Verification

Once you’ve signed up for an address verification service, it’s easy to start sorting out valid addresses from fraudulent and incorrect addresses.

• Integration – The first step is to integrate the validator with your company’s website, database, or system. Many APIs use Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) or Representational State Transfer (REST) protocols. Generally this is a simple process, but businesses can easily contact the service’s customer support for help, if necessary.
• Familiarization – After this is completed, businesses should familiarize themselves with the various features, abilities, and specs of the verification API. Some APIs automatically return data, while others allow companies to choose which types of data they’d prefer to receive, when they receive it, and/or under what circumstances.
• Utilization – This is what everyone has no doubt been waiting for: actually using the API. Businesses upload their customer contact information or mailing lists, at which point the API will scan all the addresses and run them through the three-step process. It will return valid addresses, flag or remove invalid ones, and provide customers with additional data.

By this point, businesses should be well versed on how to use their new postal address validation service. You’ll be able to upload and verify addresses in bulk in the blink of an eye, revolutionizing your mailing campaigns in less time than it takes to craft a message for them.

What to Know About Bulk Address Verification

Besides ensuring customer information is correct and allowing businesses to leverage a variety of benefits, there is some other important information to know when verifying addresses in bulk. Bulk address validation does more than just standardize, correct, and validate addresses. Verification software comes with a veritable host of abilities and features that can be utilized to meet almost any marketing or communication need.

• Return Data – Besides letting businesses know which addresses are valid, address verification services also let customers opt-in to receive return data such as census data, geolocation data, and legislative data. Names are also included in data for addresses that are high-volume businesses and buildings.
• Integration and Scalability – Not every business is the same, which is why address verification isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Verification software integrates with websites, systems, etc. and is completely scalable so that it can be customized to fit both current and future business needs, from bulk uploads to batch processing and more.
• Additional Features – Bulk address verification services don’t just include the three steps described above; they also come with a host of valuable features like Residential Delivery Indicator (RDI), eLOT®, Intelligent Mail Barcode Generator (IMBG), POSTNET, and USPS Delivery Point Validation (DPV).

Bulk address validation does more than simply validate addresses, although that is its primary purpose. It has since expanded to provide customers with a more holistic validation experience, providing customers with all of the information they need to customize services and guarantee contact.

Choosing A Bulk Address Verification Service

If your business decides to leverage the many advantages that come with address verification, it’s important to do your research and find the service that meet your company’s needs. Scalability, reach, and budget are three components that many businesses give priority to.

In addition to all of this, below are some additional features that quality validation services offer.

• Updated Information – In order to make sure businesses have the most up-to-date addresses and information, verification services must have current information as well. Services should receive updates from USPS at least once per month.
• CASS™ Certification – For an address verification software to gain CASS™ Certification, it must have extremely high accuracy scores for the following features: ZIP+4 codes, carrier route, LACSLink®, delivery coding, DPV®, and RDI™.
• Customer Support – A strong and reliable customer support team is integral to a successful address verification service. Dedicated account managers, 24/7 emergency support, and live support are essential to making sure services are always available.

The best bulk address validation services will include all of the features described above and more. For more information about each specific service, businesses can sign up for free trials or contact customer service for a demo.