Beginning in August of 2007 the new, Postal regulations go into effect for all classes of postal mail. CASS, DPV, LACs & NCOA are all address list hygiene software utilized by SouthWest Direct to meet these new regulations and reduce the UAA’s (undeliverable-as-addressed) in all our direct mail projects.
With over 40 million Americans changing their mail address each year, maintaining a high-quality deliverable direct mailing list becomes a formidable task. SouthWest Direct has invested highly in the mailing software and technology that could potentially save thousands in returned, undeliverable, or destroyed mail.
The 4 Stages of Mailing List Addressing Success:
Stage 1:
CASS is the Coding Accuracy Support System that improves the accuracy of postal carrier route, five-digit ZIP®, ZIP + 4®, and delivery point bar codes that appear on mail pieces. CASS standardizes the address, checks for delivery range accuracy, adds the correct zip+4 and Carrier Route, and provides error codes for failed addresses.
Stage 2:
LACS Link is the Locatable Address Correction Service. It is a secure dataset of converted addresses that primarily arise from the implementation of a 911 system, which commonly involves changing rural-style addresses to city-style addresses. The LACS Link Product also contains existing city-style addresses that have been renamed or renumbered.
Stage 3:
DPV is Delivery Point Validation. This process takes the CASS certified file and further verifies the specific mailing address. Every valid deliverable address in the United States is maintained in this file. DPV certifies that the addressed mail piece is deliverable to a specific address. Additional error reporting is provided to better resolve address deliverability failures.
Stage 4:
NCOA Link™ is the National Change of Address, database. It is a secure dataset of approximately 160 million permanent change-of-address (COA) records consisting of the names and addresses of individuals, families, and businesses who have filed a change-of-address with the USPS. This dataset goes back 18 months tracking all registered moves within the United States. Extensive error code reporting provides the mailer with accurate address failure explanations.
Download Documents:
SouthWest Direct has the technology in-house to help make your mailing a success. To download the NCOA Link Processing Acknowledgment Form – (Word Document) please click the link below:
NCOA Link™ is a registered trademark of the United States Post Service. SouthWest Direct Inc is a non-exclusive, licensee of the USPS NCOA Link™ Service. Pricing of NCOA Link™ services being offered by SouthWest Direct Inc is not established, controlled or approved by the United States Postal Service.
