Verify Your Postal Addresses Effectively With Royal Mail Address Checker
Nearly 200,000 people move to the UK every year. Furthermore, 234,000 people left the UK to reside elsewhere in 2020. It proves that it is common for citizens to move and change their addresses often.
But, what does that tell you? Well, it indicates that you need to update your database more often than you think. With hundreds of thousands of people shifting from one place to another, you would have a pile of outdated mailing addresses that can cause more harm than good.
Not using an address checker before sending mail to your customers or clients can result in numerous mail returns. You may also face other issues, like lost items, misplacements, delays, etc.
Hence, it is crucial to have a robust postal address checker that allows you to send your marketing and transactional items smoothly.
In this blog, let’s discuss the meaning of an address checker tool and its functions!
What Is The Royal Mail Address Checker?
Like most postal organisations around the globe, Royal Mail also has its own address database that has all the updated delivery addresses. Whenever individuals and companies post address change requests, it records all the details in the Postal Address File (PAF).
So, PAF is an authoritative database against which you can cross-confirm the accuracy of your addresses. Royal Mail’s address checker tool lets you determine if your mailing addresses are correct and valid using this file. If not, it also helps you get your hands on the verified version of these addresses to enable you to continue mailing.
Royal Mail also offers Multiple Residence (MR) and Not-Yet-Built (NYB) files that allow you to improve your data quality even further. Using these datafiles, the postal address checker gives you information about the condos and apartments having multiple addresses—to solve confusion regarding similar properties. Plus, it also reveals details about all the under-construction projects in the UK.
How Does the Royal Mail Postal Address Checker Work?
The address checker performs a series of tasks to give you the final result—a list of valid, deliverable addresses. It completes all these steps simultaneously because they are interdependent. Let’s discuss these steps below to give you a better understanding of its working:
Address Autocomplete
Autocomplete refers to auto-filling an address as soon as the user starts typing. The tool identifies the address within just a few keystrokes and shows a list of suggestions to the user, making it speedy and efficient.
But, it can do so only when you integrate an address checker API like PostGrid into your CRM or website. If you use this tool for bulk address verification, it helps you add all the missing details.
Parsing
An automated address checker Royal Mail tool like PostGrid first disassembles your delivery addresses. It is a method of breaking down an address into several components, like the street name, city, state, country, postcode, etc.
The reason for parsing is to identify the validity of every component and modify the same if it’s incorrect. For instance, if your address has a missing city name, the address checker can spot it in no time during this stage.
Standardisation
Next, the tool reformats the addresses according to Royal Mail’s rules and guidelines. Having a poorly-formatted address is as bad as an incorrect one. The postal equipment can read your delivery addresses only when you follow the prescribed format accurately.
Here’s an example of the Royal Mail address format:
Tom Pollard
5 Picton ST
Montpelier
BRISTOL
BS6 5QA
Validation
It is the last and most crucial step of the process. The address checker takes the standardised addresses and matches them with the PAF. If it finds a match, the address is marked valid. Otherwise, it modifies the incorrect addresses to make them deliverable.
Of course, you may not be able to find a matching address for every entry on your list because some of them are imaginary or non-existent. But, the address checker ensures that you get a validated list of addresses that you can confidently use for mailing items.
Why Should You Use an Address Checker
If you still don’t think you need a postal address checker, this section is for you. Below, we have compiled a list of why you should use it:
Reduce Mail Returns
As said earlier, mail returns, lost pieces, etc., can pose several problems for your company. Along with creating waste, it also demands you to spend extra on reshipping. Hence, you must use an address checker tool to put an end to these issues and ship accurately.
Save Time and Effort
If you decide to double-check your mailing addresses manually, it can take days and weeks of your time. Also, it requires a lot of effort at your end, from calling up customers to asking them for their correct addresses to maintaining excel files.
These daunting jobs can hinder your staff’s productivity, making a postal address checker a must for your business.
Better Customer Relationships
Using an online address checker like PostGrid, you can establish deep company-customer relationships. It helps you process orders on time and respond to their queries promptly.
Also, you can use the address checker to verify your mailing lists and conduct effective mailing campaigns helpful in customer retention.
Increase ROI
Talking of direct mail campaigns, the address checker Royal Mail allows you to conduct effective mailing with positive performance. It helps you send your marketing collateral, like postcards, letters, etc., to relevant prospects likely to respond to your offers.
Without a proper address verification system at work, you would be too busy handling puzzling logistics to plan and execute a result-driving campaign.
How Can PostGrid’s Address Checker Help You Access a Cleansed and Updated Database?
PostGrid’s address validation API enables companies to verify any number of addresses conveniently. Also, it uses Royal Mail’s authoritative database to assure timely and precise deliveries. Here are some more features of our address checker tool:
International Address Validation
Our international address verification capabilities allow you to cross-check mailing addresses of over 245 countries. Hence, you can maintain a database of your national and international prospects effortlessly.
Also, it opens doors to new opportunities as you can mail your promotional items to your overseas customers without worrying about returns.
Multiple Usage Options
You can use our address verification API or software to validate your mailing lists frequently. They both give the same results and verify your addresses using the same procedure. But, the address checker API helps you integrate into your CRM and start checking addresses directly from your own system. On the contrary, the software requires you to upload mailing lists that you need to verify.
If you want to verify addresses at the point-of-entry, it is best to go with the address checker API. However, our software is ideal for bulk address verification, wherein you need to cleanse and update your already existing records.
Geocoding
Using a person’s IP address to capture their accurate location is the best way of verifying addresses. Hence, PostGrid’s postal address checker employs geocoding to help you validate users’ addresses on the spot and prevent incorrect data from entering your system.
Fuzzy Matching
Fuzzy matching is one of the best characteristics of an address checker. It allows you to solve problems, like:
- Incorrect capitalisation.
- Missing or extra spaces.
- Misspellings.
- Typing errors.
- Swapper words and letters.
- Missing postcodes, etc.
To Conclude
It is very advantageous to use the Royal Mail address checker as it aids your daily operations and marketing plans. Having a high-quality and error-free database means you can make better decisions and increase profits.
PostGrid’s address checker helps you verify mailing lists at affordable rates. We have many flexible pricing plans to meet your needs and budget. Also, our customer support team is available for you 24 x 7 if you have any questions or need assistance with our API integration.
Request a demo now to learn how PostGrid’s address checker and help you fight against outdated and invalid addresses!
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The post Address Checker: Verify Postal Addresses appeared first on PostGrid UK.
Via https://www.postgrid.co.uk/address-checker/
source https://postgridunitedkingdom.weebly.com/blog/address-checker-verify-postal-addresses
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