USPS Standard Blue Presentation

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What are Bad Addresses What Do You Do with
Them Exactly? National Postal Forum May 17
20, 2009
Wanda L. Key, Manager, Address Quality,
USPS Stephanie Miracle, Senior Product Manager,
DST Output
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QUALITY ADDRESSING PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE
This session qualifies as one of the four
Addressing sessions in addition to the Tuesday,
May 20th General Session needed for the Address
Quality Specialist Certificate!
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Topics

• Examples of Bad Addresses
• Costs of Bad Addresses UAA Study
• A Standardized Address
• Validating Standardized Addresses
• LACSLink
• DPV
• SuiteLink
• AEC / AEC II
• Summary

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EXAMPLES OF BAD ADDRESSES
Can You Recognize A Bad Address?
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EXAMPLES OF BAD ADDRESSES
Can You Recognize A Bad Address?
Bad addresses exist, even when they have what
appears to be a valid ZIP 4 code and/or
barcode assigned.
BARBARA L. WILSON 612 KING RIDGE CV. COLLIERVILLE
TN 38017-1714
NIXIE 4910 1
02 04/20/04 RETURN TO
SENDER NO SUCH NUMBER UNABLE TO FORWARD
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America is on the Move and Growing!
46 million Americans move
1.08 million new addresses
149 million residences, businesses and PO boxes
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USPS determined up to 23.6 of all mail contains
common addressing errors
ERRORS IN BAD ADDRESSES

• Directional/suffix missing 6.0
• Street name/number incorrect/invalid 5.9
• ZIP Code/city incorrect 4.8
• Apt number, rural box number missing 4.5
• Addressee moved 2.4
• 23.6

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COSTS OF BAD ADDRESSES UAA STUDY
2004 Christensen UAA Report
Old Address
Return 51.3 / pc. 1.60 Billion pieces 822.5
Million
9.724 Billion pieces 1.856 Billion
x
Forward 21.3 / pc. 1.985 Billion pieces 421.9
Million
Waste 4.4 / pc. 6.136 Billion pieces 269.8
Million
New Address
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COSTS OF BAD ADDRESSES UAA STUDY
2004 Christensen UAA Report
Root Causes of Undeliverable As Addressed (UAA)
Mail
Directly Attributable Cost Only
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What Is A Standardized Address?
A STANDARDIZED ADDRESS

• A standardized address is defined as All
  necessary elements are complete and correct

• Pre-directional
• Primary address number
• Street name
• Street suffix
• Post-directional

• Secondary identifier
• Secondary number
• City
• State
• ZIP4 code

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Why Should You Standardize?
A STANDARDIZED ADDRESS

• Benefits of standardized addressing
• Increases deliverability (reduce UAA)
• Improves aesthetic presentation of your mail
• Increases customer perception of your quality
• Automation discounts
• Improvements in service

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An Address Quality Foundation
Update
Validate
Standardize
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What does Validate My Standardized Address
mean?
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES

• Is the address standardized to USPS data?
• Is the address a valid USPS delivery point?
• Has the address information recently changed?
• Are all elements complete and correct?

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VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES
DPV Product
147
Million USPS Delivery Point
Addresses Condensed to 685 MB
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DPV Product
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES

• Works in conjunction with existing CASS
  Certified address matching products to validate
  accuracy of primary address to obtain a ZIP 4
  code assignment
• Use required effective August 1st 2007 (CASS
  Cycle L)
• Cannot correct missing or incorrect components
• Use to identify inaccurate or incomplete
  addresses in your mailing list

Continue
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DPV Product
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES

• Allows a user to confirm the validity of address
  information - right down to apartment and suite
  number
• Provides a YES / NO response to an inquiry such
  as
• Is 200 BURNS HILL RD in ZIP Code 03086 a
  Valid Address?

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VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES
DPV Product
Using USPS Internet Address Matching System
200 BURNS HILL RD WILTON NH 03086
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VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES
LACSLink Product

• An address-quality tool to update addresses
  changed due to
• Local community 9-1-1 address conversions
• Renamed or renumbered street-style addresses
• Approximately 400,000 addresses changed each year
  since 1994
• Nearly 80 of rural route/box addresses used by
  mailers cannot be DPV confirmed!

Continue
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VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES
LACSLink Product

• Delivery to outdated addresses provided for one
  year following address conversion
• After one year, mail may be returned
  undeliverable-as-addressed
• Required (as of Aug 2007) for mailer use as part
  of routine address hygiene processing for CASS
  Certified software

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VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES
LACSLink Benefits

• Reduces undeliverable mail by correcting outdated
  addresses
• Reduces postage costs by eliminating duplicate
  mailpieces for same physical address
• Improves marketing efforts by improving
  effectiveness of mail delivery to current address

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VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES
LACSLink Product
Using USPS Internet Address Matching System
RR 1 BOX 224A WILTON NH 03086
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SuiteLink Product
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES

• Improves business addressing by adding known
  secondary (suite) number to allow delivery
  sequencing
• Business name and an associated ZIP 4 coded
  address that matches to a High-rise default, will
  return the appropriate suite number
• Licensing covered under existing NCOALink
  license agreement

Continue
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SuiteLink Product Examples
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES

• KENTON CITY HALL
• 108 N POPLAR ST
• KENTON TN 38233-1239 (H Default)
• KENTON CITY HALL
• 108 N POPLAR ST STE A
• KENTON TN 38233-1247 (H Exact)

INPUT
OUTPUT
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SuiteLink Product Examples
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES

• ELMWOOD ULTRASOUND
• 3221 MONTREAL ST
• BISMARCK ND 58503-0420 (H Default)
• ELMWOOD ULTRASOUND
• 3221 MONTREAL ST APT 15
• BISMARCK ND 58503-0415 (H Exact)

INPUT
OUTPUT
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Address Element Correction (AEC) Service
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES

• What is AEC and How Can It Help Me?
• AEC is a service offered by USPS that attempts
  to DPV confirm addresses that fail
  standardization using traditional CASS Certified
  address matching software
• AEC uses sophisticated address hygiene algorithms
  developed by USPS
• Processing with AEC logic typically improves the
  coding of uncoded addresses by an average of 36

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AEC Service
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES

• AEC focuses on the following addressing issues?
• Incomplete address
• Incorrect street name
• Missing or incorrect directional
• Missing or incorrect suffix
• Incomplete building/firm name
• Rural-style addresses conversion to city-style
  addresses
• Incorrect city name or ZIP Code

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AEC Confidence Option
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES

• Included in AEC/AEC II file processing to assist
  in minimizing the analysis of AEC returned
  corrections
• Used to return only AEC corrections where AEC
  enhanced computer logic indicates a high
  confidence in the returned correction
• Records usually result in a DPV confirmation at
  a primary address level (dependent on the CASS
  software used and the frequency of its USPS data
  source)

Continue
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AEC Confidence Option
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES

• All records that do not have the highest level of
  confidence, as determined through our logic, will
  be sent through AEC II (at customers request)
  for resolution based on Delivery Force
  Knowledge.

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AEC Service
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES

• What can AEC do for addresses that
  commercially-available CASS Certified software
  doesnt do?
• Expands certain initials to the full spelling of
  the words and standard and non-standard
  abbreviations to their full spelling
• Contracts a full spelling to abbreviations or
  initials (if necessary)
• Corrects misspellings, fractional primary number
  variations and road designator spellings
• Connects two components to form one or separates
  one component into two (when necessary)

Continue
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AEC Service
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES

• Converts addresses to locatable addresses, and
  state names to abbreviations or names
• Standardizes school and firm name component
  spellings and overseas military addresses
• Compresses or expands directional-type addresses
• Determines and codes unique ZIP Codes

Continue
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AEC Service
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES

• Provides the correct city/state name when the
  names given do not match the ZIP Code or
  provides the correct ZIP Code when the one given
  does not match the city/state name

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AEC Service Examples
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES
4546 B-10 EL CAMINO REAL PMB 375 LOS ALTOS CA
94022 4546 EL CAMINO REAL STE B10 PMB 375 LOS
ALTOS CA 94022-1069
INPUT
OUTPUT
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AEC Service Examples
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES
ROPE FERRY RD/RT.155 MILLSTONE POWER
STA WATERFORD CT 06385 155 ROPE FERRY
RD WATERFORD CT 06385-2625
INPUT
OUTPUT
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AEC II Service
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES

• An Enhancement to the AEC Program
• Records are first processed through AEC logic
• Addresses that remain uncoded after AEC
  processing are compared against the AEC II
  historical file that looks for previous
  resolutions of the same name and address
• Addresses that remain uncoded after AEC and AEC
  historical file comparison are sent to the
  responsible delivery unit for resolution based on
  Delivery Force Knowledge

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AEC II Service
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES

• How does the local delivery unit fix the
  address?
• AEC II leverages Delivery Force Knowledge
• Carriers typically know their customers address
  and can identify necessary corrections
• Indicator provided to identify when the address
  cannot be corrected

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AEC II Service Examples
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES
JONES PET SHOP 3770 VIA CAMPENA S OCEANSIDE CA
92057 JONES PET SHOP 3770 VISTA CAMPANA S UNIT
2 OCEANSIDE CA 92057-8237
INPUT
OUTPUT
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AEC II Service Examples
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES
BROOKLYNS SCHOOL OF DANCE 13421ARRIER AVE APT
204 ONEIDA TOWERS 1 ONEIDA NY 13421 BROOKLYNS
SCHOOL OF DANCE 226 FARRIER AVE APT 204 ONEIDA NY
13421-1665
INPUT
OUTPUT
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AEC II Service Examples
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES
PRUITT FINANCIAL 27185 SOUTH 2500 EAST VERNAL UT
84078 PRUITT FINANCIAL 2718 S 2500 E VERNAL UT
84078-9107
INPUT
OUTPUT
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AEC II Service Examples
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES
MILTON FLORIST 3258 HIDEWAY LANE MIDDLEBURG FL
32068 MILTON FLORIST 3852 HIDEAWAY LN MIDDLEBURG
FL 32068-3867
INPUT
OUTPUT
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AEC II Service Examples
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES
MEAD LAWN AND GARDEN 5814 SR6W JASPER FL
32052 MEAD LAWN AND GARDEN 5814 STATE ROAD 6
W JASPER FL 32052-4684
INPUT
OUTPUT
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AEC II Service Examples
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES
DIAMOND CONSULTING 105 PARKER DR CHALESTON WV
25309 DIAMOND CONSULTING RR 8 BOX 330 CHARLESTON
WV 25309-9766
INPUT
OUTPUT
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AEC II Service
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES

• What if the address I have is actually a correct
  address but it still doesnt match the USPS
  data?
• Address will be returned marked
  correct-as-shown without charge
• Where the mailing address is a P.O. Box instead
  of a street address, record returned marked with
  P.O. Box Indicator without charge
• P.O. Box address not provided due to privacy

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AEC II Service Typical Performance
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES

• AEC II processing provides an average 95
  resolution rate

All resolutions may not be impacted for each file
submitted. Indicates no charge
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AEC II vs AEC Service
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES

• What can AEC II offer mailers that the AEC
  process can not?
• Delivery Force Knowledge
• Human recognition of addressing errors
• Delivery Unit recognition of resident names
  associated with deliveries on each route

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(No Transcript)
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AEC / AEC II Customer Participation
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES

• 140 AEC participants
• 81 chose AEC II option
• 954,450 records processed
• Did you know that you can use your USPS
  Centralized Account Processing System (CAPS)
  account to process AEC / AEC II files?

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AEC / AEC II Service
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES

• What are the Costs for AEC and AEC II
  Processing?
• AEC processing costs 15 per thousand records
  (required for AEC II processing)
• AEC II processing costs 25 per resolution
• Nothing if resolved using historical file
• Nothing if submitted address is correct
• Nothing if address is returned indicated as P.O.
  Box mailing address

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VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES

• How Can I Estimate My Return on Investment Using
  USPS AEC / AEC II Services?
• AEC Calculator
• (Available at http//ribbs.usps.gov)

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Coming Soon AEC II Daily Fulfillment
VALIDATING STANDARDIZED ADDRESSES

• Offered to customers utilizing USPS CAPS payment
  option
• Participants will receive daily file fulfillment
• Available summer of 2009

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SUMMARY

• The quality of your address data directly affects
  the deliverability of your mail!
• Its important to continuously monitor and
  validate the quality and accuracy of your
  address information
• USPS provides an extensive suite of existing
  address quality products and services
• USPS is committed to ongoing address hygiene
  improvements to enhance the value of mail

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For More Information
ribbs.usps.gov
www.usps.com/ncsc
Customer Care
1-800-238-3150
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Knowledge Validation
Question 1 Missing directional/suffix errors
account for 6 of all common addressing
errors? Answer 1 True Question 2 AEC II
provides an average 65 resolution rate. Answer
2 False. AEC II provides an average 95
resolution rate. Question 3 AEC II uses
Delivery Force Knowledge to correct bad
addresses. Answer 3 True
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Sunday List or Lemon? The AP-peal of Address
Quality Lisa West/Wallace Vingelis Period 2,
1145 am 1245 pm Tools Techniques That Make
the Case for Address Quality Gail
Milton/Theresa Peterlein Period 4, 300 400
pm
Monday Address Quality Product vs.
Process Jeff Stangle/Adam Collinson Period 6,
1115 am 1215 pm What are Bad Addresses
What Do You Do With Them, Exactly? Wanda
Key/Stephanie Miracle Period 8, 315 415 pm
Tuesday Move Update How to Keep in Touch With
Moving Customers Audrey Conley/Debora Haskel
Period 10,1000 1100 am Intelligent
Addressing to Achieve 100 Mail Integrity Jim
Wilson/Steve Lopez Period 12, 200 300
pm How Government Agencies Use Address Quality to
Better Serve the Community Gail Milton/Mike
Sexson Period 13, 315 415 pm
Wednesday The Return On Investment (ROI) of
Address Quality Charles Hunt/Stephanie L.
Miracle Period 15, 800 900 am Stump the
Experts with your Uncodable Undeliverable-As-Addre
ssed (UAA) Mail Jim Wilson/Charles Hunt
Period 17, 330 430 pm