20 Years of Address Validation for a Fulfillment Services Provider

At a Glance

 

The world is continuously changing the way it delivers goods and services to consumers, alongside the evolution of the internet and e-commerce. This means fulfillment services providers need to constantly be on the lookout for flexible, efficient, and modern solutions.

 

The Client

 

This client is an established fulfillment services provider with more than 30 years of experience in the industry. We have been working with them intermittently since 1999.

 

The Challenge

 

Throughout the years, this client has approached us for solutions to a variety of challenges they faced as they provided fulfillment services:

 

• Deduplication and barcoding
• Parsing options
• Address validation for Australia and New Zealand
• Email verification
• Real-time address validation for their website
• Batch validation
• Predictive Search for locality errors

 

Mailing Campaigns

 

Our relationship with the client started in 1999. They faxed us an order for the Rapid Addressing Tool (RAT), and we sold and mailed it out on the same day.

 

We initially met the client when they visited our stand at the Pan Pacific Sydney 2001 Exhibition.

 

They were looking for a de-dupe and barcoding solution for customer jobs. We offered Twins Professional as the best solution because it would let him look at the parsing option he needed. However, they needed to get their new computer system in place first and they wanted to consider external outsourcing as an alternative, so we paused discussions momentarily.

 

In 2002, they revealed that they had a series of campaigns for their clients on the SalesLogix CRM. They would need to validate substantial volume of records monthly.

 

These campaigns would be sent in DL-sized envelopes with Adpost and Offpeak discounts. They would need software that could generate barcodes for mailing products.

 

After a series of discussions, we sent them a copy of the Rapid Addressing Tool software so they could test integrating it with SalesLogix.

 

By the end of the month, they wanted an evaluation version of RAT and Twins for testing. They also wanted to discuss batch-cleaning services.

 

By mid 2003, they purchased multiple RATs and Twins licenses.

 

RAT For Website Validation

 

In 2005, they asked if there was a way to have RAT on their website so that when people fill in forms, their address details are validated. They were passed on to our data quality consultants.

 

Correct Address Web Service and Twins

 

In 2011, we informed them of the upcoming International Address Validation Tool. They expressed their interest in it, as well as in software that could import EPI docs and validate addresses online.

 

A month later, they also wanted to know more about our Correct Address Web Service. We sent them the information they needed and set up a trial account for testing.

 

Later in the year, we conducted a courtesy call and they wanted to discuss database validation. We sent them information on Twins Data Quality and Mailing suites, as well as the DataTools Data Quality Object as requested. Twins is the product of choice by most Australian Major Mail House members and both suites come with a rich user interface that we felt best suited their needs.

 

The Twins Data Quality Suite comes with an advanced name and address de-duplication. It also provides address validation for both Australia and New Zealand. Alternatively, the Twins Mailing Suite is a full mail production suite that supports Barcode Presort Mail, Print Post Mail, Impact Mail, and name and address de-duplication.

 

If they upgraded their current Twins software to a more data quality-specific version, they would lose the mailing facilities they currently had. However, they would gain more matching methods and more advanced de-deduplication keys. This would improve the quality of the data they stored in their database.

 

In 2014, they wanted to focus on email verification. However, this feature was an add-on to Correct Address Plus for real-time address validation, similar to the feature we offer for checking phone number connection status. As a result. they would need to purchase it as an add-on.

 

DPID and Kleber

 

We resumed communicating in 2022 because they were interested in Delivery Point Identifiers. They also mentioned 2D barcode and GS1 data. Additionally, we discussed automation regarding the DPID and wanting an API functionality for it. The DPID would be used on the letter double-face envelope.

 

We had another Teams call to discuss their requirements to create a 2D Registered Post barcode.

 

They explained that the requirements to send gift cards in the registered post are increasing. At the moment, they would manually add the letter and gift card into a purchased registered post envelope. They hope they can automate this by printing the registered post barcode onto the letter and then displaying it through a window-faced envelope.

 

They showed us how the specification from Australia Post on how to create the content string that would, in turn, create the registered post barcode. While it understood all of the components, it was stuck on the field DPID. The sample also contained a 4-state barcode above the address, which they explained would be useful because it would help save on postage costs.

 

They also showed us the application they developed internally that was responsible for breaking down the job into batches of hundreds of letters, which they would manually select to generate.

 

We explained transaction and batch server pricing, as well as Australia Post user and server licensing. Towards the end of the call, we agreed to organize a trial as well as more information on the technical details and pricing for their options.

 

In their case, we presented two licensing models of Kleber:

 

1. Transactional Licence
2. Private Batch Server Licence

 

By November 2022, they purchased a Kleber Plan.

 

The Impact

 

Efficient and accurate fulfilment services

 

The client has worked in sales and marketing logistics for more than thirty years. They service a variety of big brands in Australia and around the world.

 

Fulfillment services is an incredibly competitive industry. With so much responsibility on their shoulders, they need address validation software that could keep up with their pace of work.

 

As the internet grew, they used Kleber to develop their online and ecommerce capabilities.

 

20 years of constant connection

 

It has been a privilege to grow and evolve alongside this client throughout the years. We have had the opportunity to provide different services and cater to their requirements, from RAT and Twins in the 1990s and early 2000s, to Kleber today.