Apr
24

The Impact of Bad Mail Addresses on Your Business

Mail addresses is one example of customer data that can affect the efficiency and reputation of your business. If information is entered wrong on an order form, or if one of your clients or customers changes addresses, you will want to know. 

Retaining incorrect or outdated mail addresses can affect business decisions, communication, customer satisfaction, your reputation and more.

Although email and SMS messaging have replaced traditional mail in many instances, mail still plays an important role in marketing and communication for a number of businesses. It is not yet obsolete, and for good reasons.

Who Uses Mail Addresses? 

Mail is still a viable communication method. Mailing addresses are used to send important communications to customers, suppliers, partners, and other stakeholders. It is especially important to the elderly or others who do not have access to a computer or internet at home to check and maintain important records digitally.

Important records might include invoices, statements, marketing materials, and newsletters. Businesses need accurate addresses to send invoices, statements, and payment reminders to customers. Businesses use mail addresses for targeted marketing and advertising campaigns. Direct mail marketing allows businesses to reach specific demographics or geographic areas with promotional materials.

Mail addresses can be used for other business correspondence as well. For example, they are used for customer service purposes, such as sending product warranties, service agreements, or replacement items to customers. Mail addresses are also often required for legal and compliance purposes. Businesses may need to send legal documents, contracts, regulatory notices, or tax-related materials to customers or business partners.

Mail addresses are also used for record-keeping and documentation purposes. Businesses maintain databases of customer addresses for future reference, analysis, and documentation. The results will only be as good as the quality of the data on file.

Accurate mail addresses are especially important for product delivery. E-commerce businesses rely on mail addresses to deliver products to customers. In industries such as retail, manufacturing, and distribution, accurate mailing addresses are crucial for shipping and logistics operations. Businesses need to ensure that products are delivered to the correct addresses to avoid delays or misdeliveries. 

And subscription-based businesses, such as magazines, newspapers, streaming services, and membership organizations, rely on mail addresses to deliver subscription materials and updates to customers. 

Whether it’s physical goods ordered online or subscription-based services, accurate mailing addresses ensure timely delivery.

Impacts of Bad Mail Addresses on Your Business

So, if your business engages in any of the above practices, you want to be sure you are only working with good, accurate address data. Otherwise, you’ll make avoidable mistakes and risk efficiency and your reputation.

Incorrect mail addresses can result in missed opportunities for businesses, such as missed sales, marketing opportunities, or important notifications. This can lead to data quality issues, making it challenging for you to maintain accurate customer databases and effectively target your marketing efforts. It can lead to wasted resources spent on printing and mailing materials that never reach the intended recipient. 

Customers may become frustrated if they do not receive important communications or items due to address errors, leading to a negative perception of the business. Consistently sending materials to incorrect addresses can damage a business’s reputation for accuracy and reliability. And your business may incur additional costs associated with re-sending items to correct addresses, as well as potential fees for returned mail.

In some industries, such as finance or healthcare, incorrect mailing addresses can raise compliance concerns related to data privacy and security regulations. For businesses that rely on invoicing, incorrect mail addresses can lead to delayed payments if invoices do not reach customers on time.

Overall, inaccurate mail addresses can impact operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and regulatory compliance.

How to Verify Mail Addresses

Fortunately, there are a couple of ways to verify mail addresses: USPS Address Lookup and Verification and Batch Data Append. 

USPS Address Lookup and Verification

USPS Address Lookup and Verification is a great tool to use to get immediate results on one or more addresses. Enter as much or as little USPS address information as you have and get the complete deliverable USPS address, address type (residential, business, PO Box, etc.), and address status (valid, non-deliverable, vacant, apt missing, etc.).

The USPS address validation tool also serves as a lead generation tool for businesses looking to generate more sales. This tool can be a perfect starting point for building your consumer leads. To create a reliable and accurate lead list, identify the location of your target audience, search broad geographic areas such as CITY/STATE or ZIP code, and use the USPS Address Lookup tool to generate and download a list of valid addresses within those areas.

Batch Data Append

Searchbug’s data append tool makes it quick and easy to update your list of database records, finding names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. Upload your entire list, indicate the column(s) you need information for, and process and download your results. 

With the standard append, you will be able to append name, address, phone or email to the records in your file. You can checkmark what data you need, and you will receive a list of data columns you need to provide in order to get results. There are many different combinations available, so you are sure to be able to get the information you need.

The data you provide is verified against millions of business and consumer records from public directories and private sources. It can also be gathered from social media profiles, registrations at various websites, and/or premium cell phone and email databases. This means that there are a number of places where your contacts have documented their addresses in connection with other data you might have for them, like a name, email address, and/or phone number.

Directory data used in the standard service always contains the most recent data. The data is validated by numerous proprietary processes with frequent NCOA updates for both business and consumer lists.

There are no minimum or maximum record requirements. There are no set-up or annual fees. And there are no contracts, memberships, or subscriptions. Simply create an account, pay for the data you need, and pay less with monthly cumulative pricing discounts.

Conclusion

There are a lot of reasons you might find yourself working with mail addresses in your business. Now, you can be confident that the addresses you have are valid and ready to be used. Save yourself time, energy, and possibly even lost business by verifying your address data. 

One of the best things about batch data append is that you can use it over and over again. Be sure you always have the correct data on file—even if someone moves.

Want to take your lead generation to the next level? Take your USPS lead generation list and enhance the information with data append services. Access the names, phone numbers, and email addresses linked to those valid addresses! Try it today!