Real-time CASS Addressing

OVERVIEW
Names and addresses are the lifeblood of every direct marketing business.  Yet, address quality and accuracy is often not considered until long after it's been created in the database.  With our web/XML-based CASS module installed, every address -- whether imported or hand-keyed at order entry -- is perfected and standardized (incl. zip+4) before it's recorded.  This real-time address correction is available for all touch points including order entry, order importing, plus customer, ship-to, prospect and vendor maintenance.

The Problem
According to a study by The Data Warehouse Institute, incomplete or inaccurate addressing costs U.S. businesses upwards of $600 billion every year.  Unless you check and correct addresses during data entry, or frequently perform data cleansing (either internally or through an outside service bureau), your company is contributing to that frightening statistic.

Poor Address Quality
Many factors can contribute to inaccurate addressing including data entry errors, incomplete information and, most commonly, carelessly entered data on web and shopping cart forms.  Zipcodes are sometimes miskeyed, and missspelled street names and directional indicators are not uncommon.

The Real Cost
Unfortunately, the slightest deviation from the complete (and correct) address can trigger an “address correction” and a corresponding penalty [typically $10.00 from UPS] which can add up fast!  Moreover, poor addressing can delay delivery of the customer’s order and, worst case, result in non-delivery altogether. The result is an unhappy customer, excessive shipping charges and, ultimately, lost profits.   

The Solution
RESPONSE offers real-time address verification for all customer-facing data streams.  Order entry, real-time web integration, batch order importing, and even manual data input of customer, prospect and vendor address data are all expertly managed.  Our CASS-compliant web service instantly corrects and standardizes all newly-entered address data.  The result is a postal-perfect address every time.  Not sometime after data entry, but before the information ever hits the database. This “system-wide address perfection” translates to significantly lower operating costs and happier customers. 

No Special Software to Install or Update
With our hosted web service there’s no software to install and no data to update or maintain. The new address data is passed through a secure connection to be processed by our CASS-certified engine and then returned to RESPONSE fully standardized and corrected … all in a split
second. 

Batch Processing Feature Is Included!
Not only will RESPONSE perfect every address you create -- whether during routine data entry or importing (real-time or batch) from your shopping cart – it can also batch update records that you import from outside lists.  So, rather than spending extra money on data hygiene services prior to importing into RESPONSE, just launch the batch CASS engine and let RESPONSE do the work.  There’s no additional cost and no limit to the number of records you can process!

THE COST
$10/user*/month ($150 max per month)**
 *total # licensed Response users
**unlimited address corrections including a batch interface to process imported names and lists

This cost is probably lower than what you're paying UPS in address correction fees right now! Not to mention the waste and aggravation of misshipped packages that could easily be avoided by perfecting EVERY address that comes into RESPONSE from the get-go. That includes imported orders which are flagged and put on hold when they fail to CASS certify. Customers mistype address info into shopping carts all the time. Now you can nip that problem right in the bud!  An activation code, which installs in two seconds, turns it on.  Our web-services approach keeps your costs low.  And it's 100% maintenance-free because there's no software to install or update - ever. All you need is an internet connection and you're set!

Upshot
The customer database is, without question, your company’s most valuable asset.  The integrity of that database is unecessarily compromised when you lack correct and complete address information. The unfortunate result is carrier surcharges for address correction and the additional time and effort required to update your database – if it’s updated at all.  Or, worst case, non-delivery of the customer’s order, return of the shipment to your warehouse and a very unhappy customer.  Think about what it ultimately costs to ship an order to an invalid or incomplete address and you’lll agree that the cost of real-time address checking and correction is miniscule in comparision to the benefits it provides.