Interesting Fields During NCOA Processing

National Change of Address Processing (NCOA Processing) is a crucial step in maintaining a clean customer database. It is easy to understand how your records were updated through NCOA processing once you know what each field means. This processing helps you gain insight on when and where to mail, reducing the cost of non-deliverable mail for you and the post office.  Not only does this service include a change of address processing but also Delivery Point Validation (DPV) and Locatable Address Conversion System (LACS).

Here are some fields that you might want to review on your file:

• Delivery Point Validation (DPV) Validate = Y – This is an address that is deliverable. Even if an address is validated as “Y” it could be undeliverable if the address is vacant or there was a move with no forwarding address.
• Locatable Address Conversion System (LACS) = TRUE/FALSE – This is when a street is renamed or the address is updated for 911. The address is changed from a route format to an urban/city format that you are used to seeing, such as a regular street address. Ex: 123 Example Rd. When the code is “FALSE” it is not an updated address.
• Records Type = Tells you where the mail is being delivered and includes the following codes:
  • S ‐ Street record
  • P ‐ Post Office Box
  • R ‐ Rural Route or Highway Contract
  • H ‐ High‐rise, Building, or Apartment
  • F ‐ Firm Record
  • G ‐ General Delivery
  • M ‐ Multi‐Carrier Record
• Move Type
  • F = Family Move (matches on last name and address)
  • I = Individual Move (must match first name, last name, and address)
  • B = Business/Firm Move

• Move Date
  • This is the date that the household is moving and when your database should start using the new address provided. The NCOA database is updated every week nationally and FreeNCOA normally reflects the weeks’ update on Wednesday.
• Error Code 92 or 93
  • An Error Code 92 or 93 means that a secondary address, such as an apartment or suite number, is missing or invalid. While we do not recommend mailing to business records with this error code, there is still a possibility of delivery upon the post office’s discretion.  It may be worth taking the time to review the individual records with these codes and finding the suite or apartment numbers.
• Calculate Distance of Move
  • Another calculation we recommend doing is looking at the distance a customer moved from their old address to the new address. Depending on the distance they may have moved out of the service area or a different offer may be applicable. This service can be provided upon request.

Click here to see a sample report.

Your FreeNCOA.com Processing Team

Tags: Appending, Data Append, NCOA, NCOA Processing

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