Address Verification goes beyond just validating that an address exists; it determines that an address is deliverable by comparing it against third party reference data (such as the USPS) and involves address correction when possible.
Some solution providers may or may not utilize a CASS/DPV certified address engine to perform address validation. Using Google Maps as an address verification tool for example, does not verify that an address is deliverable, but rather displays an approximation of the address on the map and even a photo of the non-existent area where the house should be located.
When addresses are correctly formatted and within a valid range of addresses in the USPS data file and includes Delivery Point Validation (DPV), you can be sure that the address actually exists and can be delivered to – right down to the apartment or suite number.
Bad data can enter an organization’s system due to typos/misspellings, formatting issues, or incorrect information - and the consequences are costly. When it comes to maintaining data quality, trust is a key consideration for data stewards who are trying to decide between an in-house or commercial solution. There are many factors that go into that decision, but the challenge with building an in-house solution is keeping up with ever-changing, or “active” customer data and having the right tools to manage it. Simply validating that an address or phone number exists is not enough; verifying that the address is deliverable and the phone number is callable ensures accuracy. Once the data is standardized, cleaned, geolocated, formatted correctly, and more, organizations can leverage it to enhance analytics and power business intelligence.
Melissa has helped businesses for more than 35 years with leading-edge address management and mailing solutions. Melissa’s Address Verification solution matches the input address against the USPS DPV file to confirm the address is valid and deliverable. We verify addresses at the point of entry and in batch to ensure only valid billing and shipping addresses are captured and used in your systems. In addition, we combine a global knowledge database with location reference datasets for over 240 countries and territories and proprietary parsing rules to:
Our postal certified address engine uses official government data including CASS (USPS), SERP (Canada Post), PAF (Royal Mail) and more to keep your addresses correct, current and deliverable.