CASS vs DPV vs NCOA vs PCOA

What Does CASS Stand For?

First and foremost, CASS stands for Coding Accuracy Support System. This system validates addresses by updating outdated addresses and verifying that they are still valid and complete.

CASS is important to use because it ensures that your data file is up to USPS postal standards. For instance, the Post Office prefers “Ave” instead of “Avenue”. In addition to keeping your data up to standards, it will also correct any spelling errors, add on apartment numbers if necessary, correct a zip code, add the zip 4 field, and carrier route.

Keeping information about your customers up to date has never been more critical than in a time where 20% of people move every year. When you are trying to reach your customers you do not want to waste time and resources for an address that is vacant or no longer valid.

What Does DPV Stand For?

Delivery Point Validation (DPV) verifies if an address is deliverable. In cases where an address is not deliverable, the address is either vacant or no forwarding address was given.  Just these processes alone do not give enough information about how to stay in touch with your clients. Due to the shortcomings of these processes NCOA and PCOA processing a critical step in reaching all your customers.

How CASS, DPV, NCOA, and PCOA All Fit Together

CASS is actually a part of NCOA processing. A good way to think of CASS is to compare it to spell check. All records need to go through this process in order to have the best results from NCOA processing. However, not everyone tells the Post Office when they move so there is no record of a National Change of Address; that is where PCOA comes in.  PCOA looks at data such as credit card addresses, magazine subscriptions and other miscellaneous day-to-day things to see if there has been a recent change of address.  This process ensures a higher append rate offering a 40% match rate.

PCOA processing compared with NCOA processing

Getting Started with NCOA Processing

If you are looking for other data services, consider a telephone, email or demographic append. These services offer a direct line of contact with a prospect list so you can define your target market.

Your FreeNCOA.com Processing Team

Tags: Append, CASS, Data Append, Demographic Append, DPV, NCOA Processing, PCOA Processing, Services

NCOA Processing