Gary Seitz, VP Ctrac Direct, Spoke at NACUMS 2018. His topic covered the Top 10 Tools and Tips For Database Management. Gary helped College and Universities learn tips on how to better manage their databases.
1. C.TRAC Direct
Presented by:
Gary Seitz
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2. Copyright Midwest Direct. All rights reserved. No reproduction of this material is permitted without prior
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3. 10 Tips
Before we start
• Acknowledge your bad data problem – we
all have it!
• Incomplete or missing
• Inaccurate
• Outdated
• Duplicated
• Data in incorrect fields
• Typos
• Spelling errors
• Invest in staff, not just technology
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4. USPS Addressing Errors
• 23% of mail contains addressing errors
• 2.5% Movers
• 6.0% Directional or Suffix errors
• 5.9% Street name or House number errors
• 4.8% Zip code or City Name
• 4.5% Secondary address invalid or missing
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5. USPS Top Reasons for UAA
Mail
• 76% due to Change of Address
• 9% due to Invalid & Missing Secondary and address
information
• 6% due to Vacant addresses
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6. # 1: Data Steward
• Appoint a Data Steward
• Use the up-coming tips
• Takes a pro-active stance
towards data collection
and data issues
• Audit the process of
capturing and
maintaining data
• Empowered to work
across departments
• Doesn’t hide the problem
in the closet
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7. # 1: Data Steward
• Understands
• Data formats &
constraints
• Data Capture
points
• Provide support &
training
• Name formats
• Address formats
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8. #2: Data Elements
• First and Last names
• Middle Initials/Names help
• No “mixed” data fields!
• No Business titles in name
• No Names in the Address
• No Company Names in the Address
• Name fields are used for postal matching
At Point of Entry!
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9. #2: Data Elements
• Understand addresses
• Enough space (30 to 50)
• Grid style addresses in IL, UT, WI, MN
• Fractional & alpha extensions on house #
• Puerto Rican Urbanization
• Alpha house numbers
• Single Alpha street names
• Secondary address info
• Proper Address elements
• Proper Abbreviations
• Proper Suffixes!!!
At Point of Entry!
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10. #2: Data Elements
Publication 28
Download a copy from the USPS
https://pe.usps.com/text/pub28/w
elcome.htm
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11. #2: Data Elements
• PRE-DIRECTIONALS 17 SO WATT CT
• SUFFIX ABBREVIATION 492 JACKSON BL
• MISPLACED SECONDARY 47 A CEDAR RD
• ALPHA/NUMERICS 5!7 M0SS ST
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12. Here’s A Hint For #3
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13. #3: CASS
• In-house or
Mailer/Service provider
• CASS assigns ZIP+4
codes
• City / State / Zip
• Isolates street name
using Street Suffix
• Range of house number
matches
• No Zip+4?
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14. Name Formats
Zip Code: 45321 Zip Code 54321-12XX
54321-1234 54321-1236
54321-1235
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15. #3: CASS
• DPV – Delivery Point
Validation
• Confirms each unique
house number AND
secondary addresses
• If not confirmed, Zip+4
is removed
• If confirmed, added to
Zip+4 to create
Intelligent Mail Barcode
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16. #3: CASS
• LACS
• Locatable Address
Correction Service –
“911 conversion”
• 12-month window
• SuiteLink (optional)
• Adds Suite # to
business office
addresses
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17. #3: CASS
• All CASS software creates ERROR Codes
• Invalid City, State or Zip
• Invalid House #
• House # out of range
• Missing House #
• Missing Secondary
• Use these codes to correct your database!
Come to tomorrow’s session
to learn how
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18. #4: Use The USPS Vacant Table
• Optional file with CASS
• Created and updated by Postal Carriers
• Vacant 90-days
• Software option or Mailer Service Providers (MSP)
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19. #5: Run Apartment Append
• >5% of UAA mail
related to invalid or
missing secondary
addresses
• Service providers
• Include “Apt/Suite”
in data collection
points
• A better NCOA
match
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20. #6: National Change of
Address (NCOA)
• File of Individual, Families and Business
that have moved in the last 18 or 48
months
• A rolling database
• TIGHT match criteria
• Required for presort
• Most mailers FAIL to
update their
database
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21. #6: National Change of
Address (NCOA)
• NIXIES codes
• A near match, no new address provided
• Movers new address not yet confirmed
• First class forwarded or returned
• Periodical and Market Mail
• Temp Moves
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22. #6: National Change of
Address (NCOA)
• Near EXACT match of Name and Address
(secondary too)
• ONLY Zip+4 records are matched
• Over 35% of movers never tell the Post Office
• Other services similar to NCOA can help
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23. #7: Ancillary Services
Endorsements
• Used to request new address and
instructions on handling UAA mail
• Proper placement on piece required
• Manual and automated notice options (ACS)
• Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB) offers low cost
alternatives
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24. #7: Ancillary Services
Endorsements
• First class mail
• Forwarded for 12-months, and you never
know it
• After 12-months, returned as “UAA”
• Valuable or confidential info: forward or
return?
• Standard class mail
• Might be forwarded, could be returned ~
but usually waste
• And you never know it
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25. #7: Ancillary Services
Endorsements
JOHN DOE
10 ELM AVE
ANYTOWN OR 97654-3218
Endorsement >
Return
Address
Change
Followed by...
Service Requested
• On-piece mailing instructions
• Differing fees by class
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26. #7: Ancillary Services
Endorsements
ENDORSEMENT FIRST CLASS STANDARD MAIL
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Forwarding and Return
New notice provided
Forward or Return –
No charge to Fwd
Address Correction fee
Forward or Return – No
charge to Fwd
Addr Corr or Wgt Fee
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
No Forwarding, only Return
New address or UAA reason
No Charge First Class Mail price
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
No Forwarding or Return
New address or UAA reason
Address Correction fee Address Correction fee
FORWARDING SERVICE REQUESTED Forwarding
and Return
New address only with Return
No Charge Forward no charge
Return Weighted fee
ELECTRONIC SERVICE REQUESTED
Service type code in IMb determines
General rules. Services and prices vary by class
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27. #8: Address Change Service
(ACS)
• ACS is a post-mailing address correction
service that allows mailers to receive change-
of-address (COA) information and other
reasons for non-delivery electronically
• ACS is cost-effective!
• Reduce the volume of returned mail
• Reduce entry time & expense
• Choose when to receive
electronic data: daily,
weekly or monthly
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28. #8: Address Change Service
(ACS)
• ACS is available for use with all
classes of mail
• Combined with Ancillary Service
Endorsements
• ACS integrated within the Intelligent
Mail Barcode
• FREE with Full-Service IMb mailings
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29. #8: Address Change Service
(ACS)
Method ZIP+4
REQ’D
Name &
Address
Match
Carrier
Input
Temp
Moves
Multi &
Hyphen
Names
Extra
Name
Data
NCOA ● Tight ●
ACS ● Relaxed ● ● ● ●
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30. #9: Address Element
Correction (AEC)
• AEC provides a crucial “last resort”
approach to stubborn addresses
• USPS® service to resolve physical address
deficiencies
• Also identifies truly undeliverables
• Adds & corrects missing elements
• $25/m input
• Average correction rate of 38%
• 48-hour turnaround
3117 WWETMONT, CT => 3117 WESTMONT CT
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31. #9: Address Element
Correction (AEC)
• AECII expands AEC
processing
• Leverages Delivery
Force knowledge™ for
addresses that AEC
cannot correct
• $25/m submitted +
• $.32 per correction
• Resolve 85% within 60-
days
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32. #10: Dedupe and Merge
• Duplicate individual records waste
time, money & resources
• MSP can provide Individual merge/purge to
eliminate
• CONSOLIDATE household
records with common
“Household ID”
• Within your database
• At time of mailing
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33. Some Bonus Tips
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34. #11: Manage Returned Mail
• “When you have time”
• “Suppress them”
• Lost Connections
• Lost Opportunities
• Managing RM
• Isolate by source
• Isolate by type of return
• Tackle the New Addresses first
More tomorrow…
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35. #12: And A Few Others
• “Proprietary Change of Address databases
• Compiled from Magazines, utilities, co-ops
• More flexible matching
• Less accurate than NCOA
• Deceased Coding
• Based on Social Security data
• Not a complete data set – no SS?
• “Modeled” data + compiled data
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36. Gary A Seitz
C.TRAC Direct
Cleveland, OH
216.251.2500 x 4985
Gseitz@ctracdirect.com
For More Information:
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