The National Change of Address database (NCOA) is a secure database that can help businesses keep their mailing lists updated with the most current information from other businesses, families and individuals. The database goes back for 48 months and offers 160 million change-of-address forms for various Americans. NCOALink replaces FASTForward and NCOA lists from the past, and it offers more technology.
Changes
When NCOALink came about, it offered better options, such as DPV or Delivery Point Validation and includes the proper footnotes. You may also find out whether your names and addresses on your mailing list exactly match what the USPS has in their database as the official address and name of each customer, which you could not do directly from NCOA. Though it does not include nicknames, you can still search the database for the proper names and addresses. For example, if you have Bob Jones as your contact, it may show up with NCOALink as Robert Jones. You can choose to make it more informal and familiar with the nickname or use the proper name.
Benefits
Businesses that rely on mailers to get their information out there will definitely notice an improvement with NCOALink options, as you will have improved address quality, requires less forwarding of mail, reduces the amount of undeliverable mail, saves money, provides CASS certification and can help with merging processes on your preferred spreadsheet or document. It can also help you add the ZIP+4 codes and a delivery point barcode, making your mailings go through quicker.
While most businesses will not realize the cost-saving benefit of using NCOALink, it can save you money. If you mail out 1,000 direct mailings a month and 500 of those do not reach their intended audience, you are wasting half of your postal budget on postage and the materials used to create the mailing, such as cardstock, ink and electricity. You can effectively find out who has moved and where. If there is no forwarding address or they have moved to a foreign country, you can remove them from your list and not waste time.
Another benefit is that you may qualify for discounts on postage if you use NCOALink and update your files through the software every six months. While you can update your files every time you send something out, which is recommended, you should at least update every three to six months.
NCOALink offers many great benefits and options. It is in your best interest to consider Anchor Computer Software for a licensed version of the software. Visit their website for more information.
