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03 · Prepare the data

When the data is wrong, everything downstream costs more.

Duplicates get printed twice. Old addresses come back undeliverable. Inconsistent records break your CRM and your reporting. We process and prepare customer and list-rental files before they cost you print, postage and credibility.

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See how it works

Watch a file get cleaned

Step through what each process does to a small set of example records.
Loading illustration: data cleaning example

What you get

  • Less waste

    Fewer duplicate and undeliverable pieces means less spent on print and postage for mail that never had a chance.

  • Ready for production

    Standardized, move-updated, walk-sequenced files in the format your mail house or production partner requires.

  • A database you can trust

    Consistent records make segmentation, reporting and your next campaign easier.

In plain terms

What each process does for you

  • Merge/purge

    Remove duplicates before you pay to reach them twice.

    Combines files, finds the same person, household or business across them and keeps one record by the priority you set.

  • CASS processing

    Make every address one the USPS recognizes.

    USPS-certified software standardizes addresses, adds ZIP+4 and delivery point codes and flags the ones it can't match.

  • NCOA processing

    Stop mailing to people who moved.

    Compares your list with USPS change-of-address filings and updates records for people and businesses that moved.

  • Standardization

    Put every record in the same shape.

    Consistent name casing, address formats and field layouts so the file works in your CRM, your mail house and your reports.

  • Data append

    Fill in what's missing.

    Adds missing fields such as ZIP+4, names, business characteristics or household information where a match exists.

  • Walk sequence append

    Put records in carrier delivery order.

    Appends postal walk sequence information to customer-supplied or list-rental files and prepares the data for mailing and postal processing.

  • Deceased coding

    Don't mail people who have passed away.

    Flags records that match deceased files, so they can be suppressed or handled separately before the mail drops.

  • Do Not Mail coding

    Respect requests not to receive mail.

    Flags records that match Do Not Mail suppression files, so people who asked not to receive advertising mail are removed.

  • Database cleanup & file preparation

    Turn many files into one usable file.

    Combines files, fixes layouts and fields, and prepares the result for mailing, analysis or your next processing step.

Go deeper

Services in this stage

Details

Campaign-ready data

AVS can prepare and process mailing data, append walk sequence information, perform CASS/NCOA processing, and provide files in the format required by the customer or production partner.

  • Formatted to your printer's or mail house's specifications
  • CASS-processed and move-updated
  • Deduplicated, with deceased, Do Not Mail and client suppressions applied
  • Walk sequence appended where the job needs it
  • Source codes or keycodes for response tracking
  • Delivered to you or directly to your production partner

What you get back

  • Your file, cleaned and in the layout you asked for
  • Change flags showing what was corrected, updated or removed
  • Suppressed and duplicate records kept aside, not silently deleted
  • A file ready for your mail house, CRM or next processing step

Questions

Common questions about prepare the data

All questions →

Yes. Typical cleanup includes removing duplicates, standardizing names and addresses, CASS processing, NCOA processing, deceased and Do Not Mail coding, and flagging records that are likely undeliverable. We can also combine several files into one. We return the file in the layout you need, with flags so you can see what changed.

CASS (Coding Accuracy Support System) is the USPS program that certifies address-matching software. CASS-certified processing standardizes addresses to USPS format, adds ZIP+4 and delivery point codes and flags addresses the software cannot match.

It is a basic requirement for most presort and automation postage prices, and it catches many problems before they become returned mail.

NCOA refers to the USPS National Change of Address data, accessed through the NCOALink system. Processing a list against it finds people and businesses that filed a permanent change of address and returns their new address where one is available.

Mailers claiming presorted First-Class Mail or USPS Marketing Mail prices must meet the USPS Move Update standard, and NCOALink processing within 95 days before the mailing date is one of the approved ways to meet it.

Merge/purge combines two or more files and removes duplicates, so one person, household or business receives one piece. Duplicates can be matched by address only, by household (last name and address) or by individual (full name and address), and you decide which file's record is kept when a duplicate is found.

The same process can suppress records you do not want to mail, such as current customers or an internal do-not-mail list.

Yes. AVS can prepare and process mailing data, append walk sequence information, perform CASS/NCOA processing, and provide files in the format required by the customer or production partner. We can send files straight to your mail house or printer.

Excel and delimited text files (comma, tab, pipe or colon) work well. Fixed-width text files are fine with a file layout. We deliver in the format your printer, mail house or CRM needs.

Related

Next step

Tell us who you want to reach. We'll show you what's possible.

A count request takes a couple of minutes. A member of the AVS team reviews every request personally.

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Or call 714-617-4589

How AVS works

  1. 01

    Tell us who you want to reach.

    A sentence is enough to start: who, where, and what the campaign needs to do.

  2. 02

    We help define the target.

    Recommended selections, geography and a count you can react to.

  3. 03

    We source and prepare the data.

    Licensed, cleaned, processed and formatted for how you will use it.

  4. 04

    You receive campaign-ready data.

    Delivered to you or your production partner, in the format they require.

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