Coding Accuracy Support System/Delivery Point Validation

No Need to fear – CASS/DPV is here!
As seasons change, so do the requirements for our ZIP + 4® CASS™ certification program that are intended to eliminate undeliverable-as-addressed (UAA) mail resulting from poor quality addresses. Annually, the USPS handles over 1.72 billion addresses with incorrect or missing primary numbers at a cost of $159 million. As a result, mailers incur additional costs, lose touch with millions of potential customers, and lose sales.

Beginning August 1, 2007, (CASS Cycle L), CASS Certified™ ZIP + 4 address-matching software will implement a correction and validation process before adding a ZIP + 4 Code to an address. CASS Certified software will accomplish this first by converting old style rural route and box number addresses to city-style addresses using the LACS^Link ™ product and will then validate the primary number with the DPV™ product, which validates delivery points. Only those addresses that have confirmable primary number information (street numbers, Post Office Box numbers, or, in rare cases, rural route box numbers) will be assigned the proper ZIP + 4 Code from the USPS ZIP + 4 database. Those addresses that do not have a valid primary number will not receive a ZIP + 4 Code match and will be identified so that corrective actions can be taken.

Will this new requirement affect you? Yes, in two ways. First, it will give you confidence in the quality of addresses in your database that have been ZIP + 4 Coded, knowing that your mail will reach your customer. Second, it will identify those addresses that are undeliverable because there are problems with primary numbers, providing you with an opportunity to correct them prior to mailing. Overall, these new requirements in CASS Cycle L will help you to reach more intended recipients and avoid lost opportunities with your customers due to UAA mail. Here is the inside scoop on how LACS^Link  and DPV will work for you when integrated with ZIP + 4 CASS certified address-matching software.

Issue 1: Will the DPV matching requirements for the primary address validation reduce the amount of mail that is eligible for discounts? How much of a reduction has been reported?

It depends on the quality of your addresses. If addresses in your database cannot be ZIP + 4 Coded and you do not correct them prior to mailing, yes, you may lose discounts. But consider the long-term value of cleaning up your UAA mail and staying in touch with your customers. It has been estimated that an initial processing results in an average 2 percent decrease in ZIP + 4 assignments across all mailers. Certainly, mailers with higher-quality address lists will experience a lesser drop, if any, in primary number DPV validation. With continued use of address quality products and services, this percentage should continue to decline.

(see CASS/DPV)