Your physical mailing workflows need a unified solution that can verify and update mailing lists before you even print a single mailpiece. CASS-certified verification and NCOA processing ensure your mailing lists are deliverable and up-to-date. 

Unattended return mail could easily become a budget and operational burden on your teams. The only thing that can save your workflows is a single solution that can handle return mail and reporting to keep the lists clean over time. Besides, you want to avoid wasted postage, wasted printing, and messages that never reach the intended people. 

NCOA CASS mailing lists depend on continuous updates instead of a one-time look. This blog will help you learn how you can use it to build a self-correcting mailing list. We will also explore the role of a virtual mailbox and how it helps you avoid decaying return mail data.

TL;DR 

• Mailing lists decay fast as people move and update their addresses. 
• CASS handles address issues, while NCOA handles the person who updates their records. 
• PostGrid helps you build and move update lists before printing a single piece. 
• An integrated virtual mailbox captures return mail data and syncs with CRMs. 
• Centralized reporting with IMb tracing shows you the delivery status and return data. 

Key Takeaways 

• USPS maintains the NCOA database to register move requests from individuals and businesses. 
• USPS CASS certification for address verification software ensures maximum deliverability and address accuracy. 
• Together, CASS and NCOA updates can fix invalid or incomplete addresses and also update them with the latest information. 
• Updated addresses help you stop losing customers, mail at lower rates, and increase your return on investment. 
• PostGrid’s list builder helps you create CASS-verified and NCOA-updated relevant lists for your campaigns.

Every mailing list depends on accuracy and constant cleansing to ensure deliverability. Formatting issues and outdated addresses can compromise your ROI and lead to wasted spending. For this reason, we need both CASS and NCOA processing to keep lists accurate and up-to-date. 

National Change of Address 

NCOA is a USPS-maintained database that registers move requests from individuals and businesses. NCOA processing helps you check your mailing lists against this database and update the addresses if the recipients have moved. So, it makes it easier to catch up and re-engage with active, lost, and future customers. 

You are able to qualify for USPS automation discounts for certain mailing classes. Besides, you stop mailing to addresses where recipients no longer live. An NCOA CASS mailing list is vital to avoid wasted spending and time. 

Coding Accuracy Support System 

CASS is a United States Postal Service certification for address verification software to ensure maximum accuracy with access to its official database. A CASS-certified software fixes mistakes, appends missing information, and also updates addresses in real-time. So, you could have the most accurate NCOA CASS mailing list. 

PostGrid has built-in CASS-certified address verification and NCOA processing to keep your mailing lists accurate and updated. It helps you reduce “Undeliverable as Addressed (UAA)” and improve campaign ROI. 

💡Also Read: Print and Mail API

NCOALink® identifies address changes with different types. So, you must know each type to create a proper plan to update them. 

COA (Change of Address) 

A COA is a standard move when an individual or business requests a move update to USPS. They have to provide proper paperwork for both their old and new addresses. Above all, it is the most straightforward situation for an NCOA CASS mailing list. 

MLNA (Moved, Left No Address) 

An MLNA status indicates that USPS has determined an individual or business has moved but didn’t provide information about the new address. For business addresses, it could be an indication that they went out of business. 

BCNO (PO Box Closed, No Forwarding Order) 

This code indicates PO Box closures. You will encounter BCNO when no alternative forwarding address is provided. After all, it is a result of PO Box rental expiration. 

Temporary Moves 

Some individuals might also file a temporary change of address for a couple of weeks. In such cases, the mail should go to the original address once the temporary period ends. However, people filing temporary COAs will often try for a permanent move. Handling address list hygiene for direct mail depends on your business model and relationship with the customer. 

NCOA processing is a critical step for an undeliverable mail address update. It informs you that the customer has moved, makes you eligible for discounts, and improves ROI. Here’s how: 

Stop Losing Customers 

Your existing mailing database might have hundreds of prospects that do not receive your mail anymore. It could be an unnecessary burden on your mailing budget. So, you should consider NCOA processing to update these records with the most current mailing address. 

Mail at Lower Postal Rates 

The USPS recommends sending your mailing lists through a move update every 95 days to provide discounted postal rates. Ignoring an NCOA CASS mailing list makes you mail at a much higher postage rate. 

Increase Your Return on Investment 

Undeliverable mailers mean compromised mailing budgets and response rates. NCOA processing helps you identify individuals who have moved. Also, you can detect closed PO Boxes and moves with no forwarding addresses. Address list hygiene in direct mail is vital to deliver mailpieces correctly and receive higher response rates. 

What if you get a self-correcting mailing list from the beginning? PostGrid’s List Builder tool lets you create NCOA CASS mailing lists, ready to be deployed with the dashboard. It fetches verified, updated, and relevant mailing lists for your campaign. 

There’s no need to build your lists from scratch or use third-party vendors when you have PostGrid. Build a hyper-segmented list with ZIP codes and Radius filters for maximum reach. Here’s how to create your NCOA CASS mailing list with PostGrid: 

Access the List Builder 

Log in to your PostGrid account. The List Builder feature is located on the top-left navigation panel, right below the Contacts section. 

Select the Targeting Method 

PostGrid gives you two options to start building your NCOA CASS mailing list: 

• US Consumers: Select this option if you want to focus on individual consumers within a specific radius around a location. Then, you can also apply demographic filters, such as age, income, gender, education, occupation, home value, etc. 
• US Businesses: You can also target businesses around a location and filter them by firmographic criteria, such as industry, company type, employee count, NAICS codes, etc. 

Define the Audience 

Next, you have to select the geographic boundaries with a ZIP code and radius. Be more selective while defining your criteria to build the best NCOA CASS mailing list. It will keep your cost-per-piece focused only on recipients that fit your target audience. 

Let PostGrid Build a Verified Mailing List 

Once all the criteria are set, PostGrid will generate the list. You will get an estimated list size and required credits to purchase. The CASS certification mailing list offers addresses formatted to USPS specifications. So, there’s nothing to worry about completeness, spelling errors, or formatting inconsistencies. As a result, you will also qualify your mailing campaign for automation postage rates and lower returns. 

Apply NCOA Move Updates 

PostGrid also helps you confirm if the person still lives there with NCOA processing. After purchasing the list, you can run it against the National Change of Address database. It will flag outdated records and update the list without any manual intervention. Altogether, the NCOA CASS mailing list gives you addresses that are both deliverable and current. 

Deploy the List in a Campaign 

You don’t need to separately export, re-upload, or clean up your lists. Process the mailing list directly into the PostGrid dashboard, and you can start mailing letters, postcards, or self-mailers without worries. 

💡Also Read: Print and Mail Postcard

Return mail address correction with a manual approach is always prone to mistakes and consumes a lot of time. You need a dedicated solution that syncs return mail data in real-time. It must take the burden of what to do when mailers bounce back off your plate. 

Dedicated Virtual Mailbox 

PostGrid offers the industry’s first solution with an integrated virtual mailbox for Print & Mail fulfillment services. It assigns a dedicated address to receive all return mail for all your sends. So, you can either process return mail, digitize incoming mail, or manage address changes at scale. 

This end-to-end communication empowers self-correcting mailing lists. Besides, you eliminate manual labor, storage costs, and redundant re-mailing. 

Return Mail Data Sync 

Businesses can sync return reason codes directly to their CRMs via webhooks. So, even high-volume campaigns cannot compromise your return mail management workflows. Data capture with OCR replaces manual data entry to sync return mail data in real-time. Ultimately, you get a self-correcting mailing list that can continuously process itself against the NCOA database and update records.

Re-Mailing 

After ensuring mailing list accuracy in NCOA, you can either repurpose or re-mail the mailer to the updated address. Use PostGrid’s dashboard to reschedule the mailer without worrying about manual redesigning, reprinting, or reposting. 

Reporting 

Get up-to-date campaign information with USPS IMb tracing from a centralized reporting and analytics tab. You can monitor the status of individual mailers, track their delivery, and pull the return mail data whenever necessary. It informs you how healthy your lists are and where they need an update. 

💡Also Read: Print and Mail Documents

You need to do some maintenance on your mailing lists to keep them accurate and updated. Then, it will become much easier to ensure deliverability and stop wasted efforts. 

Standardize Address Data 

Start by standardizing addresses in your mailing list. They must be verified against the official USPS database to keep everything aligned and formatted correctly. A non-standardized address may be deliverable, but it might make you ineligible for USPS postal discounts. 

A standardized address has a correct ZIP+4 code and abbreviations. An NCOA CASS mailing list complies with USPS standards to make your records compatible with the postal service. 

Properly Address Your Mailing Lists 

Mistakes in your mailing lists might send mailers to someone else instead of the intended recipient. Confusing spellings, incorrect numbers, or invalid ZIP codes are often the mail culprit behind USPS misdeliveries. For this reason, self-correcting mailing lists are necessary to avoid such situations.  

Determine if the Individual or Business is Still at the Address 

Next, use the PostGrid NCOA processing tool to fetch the new addresses of individuals or businesses who have filed a change-of-address with the USPS. Follow this step before printing any mailpiece for your campaign. So, you can determine how many recipients actually live at their address. 

Eliminate Duplicates and Near-Duplicates 

Duplicate entries are a serious problem for a direct mail campaign. It could unnecessarily burden your mailing budgets by sending multiple mailers to the same recipient. PostGrid can help you identify these duplicates by considering names and addresses. Then, it cleanses your NCOA CASS mailing lists even before you start your campaign. 

Sending duplicate mail to consumers could destroy your relationship with them. They will start perceiving you as outdated, wasteful, and inefficient. So, always check your mailing lists for duplicates or near duplicates. 

Identify and Remove Addresses That Should Not Be Receiving Mail  

It is never advisable to send mailers to people on the DO Not Mail list, deceased, in prisons, or even nursing home occupants. These might be legitimate addresses, but there’s no point in sending mailers to them. 

You will only waste resources and won’t get any response in return. An Address Suppression service can help you flag these addresses and avoid them in the first place. 

Find Missing or Incorrect Apartment and Suite Numbers 

Many addresses from your mailing lists will be undeliverable because of incorrect or missing components. For example, invalid or missing apartment or business suite numbers. You need a solution that offers a Delivery Point Verification (DPV) capability. PostGrid has a built-in address verification service that fetches secondary address details with premise-level information. 

Businesses should consider an end-to-end solution that verifies and updates mailing lists in real-time and also provides complete fulfillment services. Besides, return mail address correction is a recurring task. It is hard to juggle between tools for address verification, NCOA processing, return mail handling, and reporting. 

PostGrid provides a unified solution to overcome these problems. With a complete solution for inbound and outbound mail and NCOA processing, you can intercept every undeliverable piece and update outdated addresses with ease. Besides, the online dashboard lets you draft and send mailers with minimal human intervention. 

It means lower postage waste, less manual effort, and fewer returns every time. The integrated virtual mailbox offers real-time synchronization of return mail data. So, you can keep updating outdated addresses without turning them into wasted spend. 

Sign up now to update your NCOA CASS mailing list.