Ten Questions to Ask Your Postal Address Verification Provider Before You Sign-On.
Since there are so many address verification and validation software, finding the right one is more difficult than you would think. To help you get the best postal address verification service, here are ten things to ask your potential postal validation service provider.
Is the Provider’s Database Open Source or proprietary?
Access to databases should be required for postal validation services. Certain services also use mailing lists collected from other parties. Discovering the source of the mailing information is critical. Is it sourced from a trusted database or sourced from a third-party vendor?
Is the data of customers and visitors to the website secure?
Customers who enter their personal information onto online forms or checkouts want that information to be protected. The service provider should implement thorough data security and privacy policies to secure the customer’s private information.
How Frequently does the Provider update the Database?
According to the United States Postal Service (USPS), there were about 36 million address modifications in 2020. We may assume that consumers are always moving. Verification service providers must record and update client address data as often as feasible to keep an accurate database.
Experienced service providers give better work for obvious reasons. In addition, they are well-versed in the validation process and are aware of the crucial difficulties that might jeopardize the validation efforts. As a result, experienced service providers are well-versed in system integration challenges, typical shipping address validation blunders, and more.
Do They Offer Customer Service?
For all interactions, customer support is a vital service. When a consumer has a question or concern, the validation service provider should respond quickly and comprehensively. Think about what would happen during peak buying season if your integrated software went down. Does it take a long time to get a hold of the service provider, or can you quickly get in touch with them? Customer satisfaction is a win-win situation for both the company and the consumers.
Do They Offer a Validation System?
When extracting user information, the provider’s address validation mechanism has a significant influence. If just a piece of the address information is verified, this is known as partial verification. Shippers of high-value goods need a supplementary service. Post-entry verification might be more beneficial since it confines clients to a predetermined list, reducing the potential for mistakes.
Is the Provider’s Service Available Worldwide?
For firms that operate outside the territory’s boundaries, international coverage is a must. Customers in foreign nations may use a postal system that is completely different from your own. One of the world’s most well-organized postal systems, the US postal system has street-level information, zip code, state, and city information grouped in a certain way. Street-level information may not be available in other countries, such as Japan. Verification service providers must have access to reliable, up-to-date databases in the locations where their clients are shipping.
Is the Provider’s Software Easy to Integrate with Your Current System?
Setting up certain systems is straightforward; however, setting up others is labor-intensive and requires the involvement of programmers and a significant amount of time. Depending on the size of the company and the number of assets that need to be connected with the verification software, the integration procedure should take a fair amount of time and effort.
Is there anything more you can get from them?
Address validation companies may or may not provide other products such as geocoding, direct mail automation, phone number validation, and so on in addition to address validation itself. Get a system that provides more services to grow your firm and collect more datasets.
What Do Other Clients Say About Them?
Finally, inquire about what other consumers have to say about the company you are considering. A company with many positive reviews is likely to give high-quality service. On the other hand, good client feedback identifies organizations that are typically trustworthy.