In today’s interconnected world, businesses operate on a global scale, requiring efficient and accurate methods to handle international mailing addresses. Our Address Validation – International service is a powerful solution to streamline global address validation processes. This article takes a deep dive into the features of the Address Validation – International service, including common terms, status and resolution levels, and other key aspects.
GetAddressInfo Operation
The key function of the Address Validation – International service is validating international addresses to ensure accuracy and compliance with local postal standards where those standards exist. The GetAddressInfo operation enables businesses to verify addresses in real-time, enhancing data quality and customer experience. Address Validation – International uses advanced AI and algorithms to check and correct addresses against numerous authoritative global databases. The validation service ensures that global addresses are accurate, improving the likelihood of successful deliveries and reducing expenses linked to undelivered and returned mail and packages.
Commonly Used Terms and Definitions
Navigating the world of global address validation involves understanding key terms and definitions. A couple of key terms to be familiar with are Locality and Administrative Area. Locality is the name of the distinct population cluster, such as a City, Town or other type of Municipality. Administrative Area is the name of the administrative division, which is commonly the primary division of a country such as a State, Region, Province, County, Territory or Prefecture.
Our blog post, 5 Commonly Used Terms and Definitions in International Address Validation Systems, goes into more detail.
Status and Resolution Levels
Effective address validation goes beyond mere verification; it involves understanding the status and resolution levels associated with each address. These two data points coming back from the API calls should be evaluated in tandem; looking at one data point and not the other does not give you the full picture of the validation.
Address Validation – International categorizes addresses based on their status, providing businesses with actionable insights into address quality. Combined with information on resolution levels, which involve the precision of an address, Address Validation – International equips businesses with the information needed to make informed decisions regarding address data. Status and Resolution Levels in Address Validation – International provides detailed information about these fields and how they can be handled.
In simple terms, the resolution level (like rings of a bullseye, where ‘premise’ is dead center) will tell you the level or resolution that the match was made at and the status field will tell you how the address fared at that level. For example, a match at the premise resolution level with the status of valid is better then a match at the street resolution level with the status of valid. In this example, both return the status of valid but at different resolution levels.
Language Settings and Behavior in Address Validation – International
When integrating Address Validation – International into global operations, specifying the language settings and behavior becomes crucial for ensuring accurate and localized address output. Service Objects provides a range of options through the OutputLanguage parameter, each offering unique advantages tailored to different business needs.
ENGLISH
Setting OutputLanguage to ENGLISH instructs the service to return addresses solely in English, without any localized text or accents. This option is ideal for businesses primarily dealing with English-speaking customers or those preferring standardized English addresses for consistency and ease of communication within their organization.
BOTH
Opting for BOTH in the OutputLanguage parameter enables the service to return addresses in both English and their localized text and format when applicable. For instance, addresses in languages such as Cyrillic or Chinese will be provided alongside their English counterparts. This option ensures inclusivity and caters to diverse customer bases, allowing businesses to communicate effectively across language barriers.
LOCAL_ROMAN
Selecting LOCAL_ROMAN directs the service to return addresses using local spelling when applicable, but in Roman text. This option retains the local flavor of addresses while ensuring readability for English-speaking users. For example, cities like Rome and Cologne will be returned as “Roma” and “Köln” respectively, preserving their local identities while maintaining clarity in communication.
LOCAL
For businesses requiring addresses formatted and parsed in a country’s localized text, LOCAL is the preferred setting. This option ensures that addresses are presented in languages such as Cyrillic or Chinese, catering directly to local audiences and adhering closely to regional standards. This level of localization enhances customer engagement and fosters a deeper connection with local markets.
Information Components
Information Components allows us to return are additional specific details about an address in a particular country, returning a list of name/value pairs Data points that are not always available across countries can be found here. This allows us to add more data points to the API response that may not have been available originally and allows for the service response to grow.
Pairing Address Validation – International with Global Address Complete
Our Global Address Complete service is a solution that will suggest addresses as the user types. While this product can also do US address validation, it does not validate international addresses out of the box. This is easily solved by pairing Global Address Complete with Address Validation – International. Putting these two services together puts the strength of address suggestion and international address validation together into one powerful solution.
Want to learn more about merging these two services? We have plenty of demos and sample code that can be used to guide you through the process of bringing these solutions together. Contact our technical support team any time for assistance with this or any other implementation issues.
Helping you do global business with confidence
Address Validation – International empowers businesses to streamline their international operations, improve customer data quality, and enhance customer experiences. By leveraging Address Validation – International, businesses can navigate the complexities of global address validation with confidence, ultimately driving efficiency and success in the global marketplace.
