Never underestimate the importance of address information.

Street addresses are one of the core data types you need to collect from customers. It enables you to run identity verification, prevent fraud, and stay connected with leads. 

Besides, this data source is highly reliable and easy to validate.

To reap maximum benefits from address information, you should make address verification a part of your business processes. Make sure all postal addresses you collect are accurate. It’s essential to regularly verify and re-verify mailing addresses with trusted software.

Read more about the best practices for re-verification of mailing addresses and get useful tips below:

• Street address verification: how does it happen?
• Why do businesses need to verify and re-verify mailing addresses?
• How often should your company verify and re-verify mailing addresses?
• Inkit’s Reach Enablement Platform for address verification

Street Address Verification: How Does It Happen?

We have recently published a detailed guide on postal address verification tools and best practices. You can check it to get a better understanding of all the verification subtleties.

Generally, the verification process includes the next stages:

1. The address is standardized and parsed. An address verification tool prepares an address record for further checks dividing it into components (e.g., street name, street number, ZIP code, etc.).
2. The software matches the address record with the connected database of the United States Postal Service. Since the USPS data is the most reliable and fresh, the source address checkers usually rely on it for their verifications.
3. The address is validated and fixed. The tool returns the result of the check and leaves or removes the address accordingly.

Without the tools that automatically verify and re-verify mailing addresses, you will need to manually complete all these processes. No company or individual has enough time and resources for such an amount of routine cross-checking work. Since manual address list verification would take hours instead of seconds, you should use automation software.

Now when you know the answer to the question “How to validate my address data,” let’s discover why you might need to run regular verification checks.

Why Do Businesses Need to Verify and Re-Verify Mailing Addresses of Customers?

After you implement an address management system, it will verify and re-verify all postal codes, street, city, and state data. Verification happens when a customer shares their contact information for the first time. Re-verification is performed afterward to make sure the stored address information is still valid and mailable. It’s a repetitive procedure necessary to maintain the database in order.

Here’re the main reasons to verify and re-verify mailing addresses.

Six reasons for companies to verify mailing addresses:

• To collect valid contact information from customers. Any contact details you collect from customers, including postal addresses, require an initial check. It allows you to build a reliable database and eliminate invalid addresses from the very beginning.
• To prevent fraud. Users that provide inaccurate personal information belong to a high fraud risk category. Thus, when you verify mailing addresses, you can automatically detect such individuals and double-check them to protect your business and existing customers from possible attacks.
• To verify customers' identity. Businesses that must comply with strict industry regulations or process financial transactions need to run identity verification. Validated mailing addresses verify customers’ identity and name, surname, and birth date.
• To standardize your database. To get the most out of your database, you should keep all data records in the same format. Since during the verification process, software standardizes address data, it will automatically do this for you.
• To deliver orders to customers. Those who run e-commerce stores collect customers’ addresses at the checkout. Verification enables them to ship orders to the right destinations and make sure no parcel gets lost on its way.
• To use location data for target audience analysis. Knowing the location of people, you can learn more about their needs and preferences. You can predict their approximate age, social status, annual income, etc. This information helps develop your marketing strategy and start tailoring your offer as soon as customers share their data.

Four reasons why companies need to regularly re-verify mailing addresses:

• To avoid delivery to addresses that don’t exist. If you verify and re-verify mailing addresses, you make your customer communications more likely to reach the target. Even if a specific address was valid two years ago, this doesn’t mean it’s still mailable. Street names change. New buildings are constructed. People move to other places and stop receiving mail from your company. Address re-verification enables you to update address data and remove invalid records from your system. As a result, you won’t deliver communications or orders to non-existent addresses.
• To reduce the volume of returned mail and cut expenses. When you send bills, invoices, or marketing materials that post offices return to senders because the address is invalid, you lose money. The higher the volume of returned mail, the higher the losses. Repetitive address validation reduces the risk of delivery failure. You get the latest address data in the necessary format to always reach customers as soon as needed.
• To use address data in multiple integrated tools. If connected, AVS checkers, marketing solutions, identity verification software, and other services access the same database with postal addresses. Given that address data is used by different tools, it’s essential to have all records regularly checked and standardized. Thanks to this, software integrations will work more smoothly.
• To enhance the customer experience. If customers expect to receive an important message, but you fail to reach them, they will be disappointed. Some of them will bounce; others just won’t trust you anymore. Regular address verification ensures the accuracy of communications. Customers always get their messages in time and appreciate your company for such an attitude.
  

As you can see, quality address verification solves a range of problems. No mail returns, automated identity verification, easy software integration are just a few of the benefits. That’s why you should view automated address checks as an upgrade to your business.

How Often Should Your Company Verify and Re-Verify Mailing Addresses?

As to the initial address verification, everything is clear. Each time a new lead shares the contact information, you need to validate it instantly.

But how often should you run re-verification?

Based on our experience, we recommend re-checking postal addresses at least every 90 days. This way, you will always have current data.

Although street addresses, ZIP codes, PO boxes don’t change too often, the USPS updates its delivery database every day. If you fail to keep up with these updates, your database will become outdated very soon.

Inkit’s Reach Enablement Platform for Address Verification

Inkit is a platform that unites several products with complementary functionality.

Verify is one of Inkit's services that provides address verification and autocomplete. After integrating it with just a few lines of code, you will be able to assist customers when they place an order and automatically check addresses.

When buyers fill out their address information to complete the transaction, a drop-down list with standardized addresses is displayed. Users can instantly choose the necessary option and proceed. This both streamlines the checkout and allows you to avoid invalid records in your system.

In addition to Verify, Inkit’s Reach Enablement Platform also offers Render, and Send services. Visit our Products section to learn more about how they work or contact our team for a personal consultation.