Have you ever sent a letter without a stamp or with spelling mistakes or typos in the address? You know what happens: the letter comes back to you, resulting in a delivery delay or it never arrives to its recipient. A similar problem can happen with bulk business mailings. However, the adverse effects are magnified due to the volume and costs involved. Fortunately, CASS certified USPS address validation can improve deliverability dramatically.
According to the US Postal Service, a significant amount of mail — roughly 4 to 5 percent of the mailstream — is undeliverable as addressed (UAA). In our Mailing Without CASS-Certification is like Mailing Without Postage whitepaper, we likened UAA mail to un-stamped mail. UAA mail will either come back to you, often at great expense, or it will never arrive as intended.
Common address problems include ZIP code errors, typos in addresses, misspelled street names, and addresses that do not exist. To combat these problems and ensure that mailing-related equipment and address validation software are accurate, the USPS developed CASS (Coding Accuracy Support System). Address validation software developers use CASS to test the accuracy of their solutions. CASS-certified USPS address validation software and postal equipment have proven their accuracy through rigorous testing.
CASS testing consists of an optional Stage I test and a required Stage II test. Stage I testing runs a CASS test address file through a developer’s software to evaluate the software’s accuracy and performance. Test results are returned, allowing the developer to address any issues and fine-tune performance before undergoing Stage II testing.
Stage II testing involves processing about 150,000 test addresses. Test results are NOT returned, just test scores. The software must earn scores of 98.5% and 100% in specific categories in order to earn the CASS certification. Once certified, the software remains CASS certified for a full year before it must undergo the certification process once again.
Through a unique relationship with the USPS, Service Objects updates and refreshes its CASS-certified address data every two weeks. Our CASS-certified address engine and continuously updated address data work together to ensure the accuracy of our proprietary address database. When you run your addresses through our USPS address validation API, those addresses are instantly compared, validated, corrected, and/or appended.
Whether sending a single package or a mass mailing, getting the address right is essential. If you don’t get it right, your mailings may be subject to excessive delays — or never arrive as expected. With CASS-certified software from Service Objects, your addresses are instantly validated and corrected in real-time. Ensure data quality and deliverability while reducing waste and mailing expenses by choosing a CASS-certified address validation API from Service Objects today.
