How to use Postal Service to find a forwarding address?

[johnbowenm]

I’m the clerk in Western PA that jwtaber has mentioned regarding the address search. I have used the Melissa Data (MD) service to first process my ward membership file, and then again to process the stake file. First to clarify some things, 1) There are many vendors offering this type of service. I selected MD because of their reputation and prompt response to my inquiry, 2) It is not a 4 year contract or agreement, but it is a 4 year history search of the NCOALink database for change of addresses, 3) It is necessary to sign to sign a PAF, as alerted by Ross Evans, with the USPS. The form is supplied by MD and contains the following language:

do hereby acknowledge that I have received and reviewed the NCOALink Information Package supplied to me by Melissa Data, an NCOALink
Service Provider. I also understand that the sole purpose of the NCOALink service is to provide a mailing list correction service for lists that
will be used for preparation of mailings. Furthermore, I understand that NCOALink may not be used to create or maintain new movers’ lists.

As stated, you will be provided with a mailing list correction that will be used for the preparation of mailings. That is the purpose of the search, however, in doing so we are also providing our area missionaries and HT/VT with accurate information saving time and money, 4) Pricing; the cost of the service is $50.00 each time you submit your file. The file can include up to 33,000 names, so it is better to do this at the stake level rather than each individual ward, 5) the “free downloadable software” is called List Ware. It is not a service, but rather a tool that can be used to assist in preparing your file for submission. There is a charge per each 1,000 names prepared. It is in excess of the $50.00 search fee. I suppose it could be helpful for those not familiar with Excel, but not needed.

We have found the address search to be an excellent tool for our mailings and missionary efforts. We intend to submit our stake list at minimum semi-annually. I've attached my notes that I followed to perform the search.

[RossEvans]

5) the “free downloadable software” is called List Ware. It is not a service, but rather a tool that can be used to assist in preparing your file for submission. There is a charge per each 1,000 names prepared. It is in excess of the $50.00 search fee. I suppose it could be helpful for those not familiar with Excel, but not needed.

Thanks for the additional information. What I still don't understand is that the Melissa website states that if the ListWare software is used for preprocessing, the $50 fee per batch is eliminated, which obviously is a more attractive deal. From the website:

• Eliminates service fee
Save $50 every time you use ListWare to submit a file for processing

Have you investigated this with your sales contact there?

[RossEvans]

I finally heard back from my own inquiry to Melissa sales, which I initiated last week via their website.

It turns out that there is no cost advantage at all for small customers like us to use the ListWare product because it is targeted at large customers willing to pay a $499 annual fee not advertised on the website. So the most cost-effective option they offer us is the batch processing method described above by johnbowenm, which does carry the $50-per-file base minimum.

[RossEvans]

As a footnote, Melissa replied again and said the customer could use the ListWare preprocessing applicaton without the big annual subscription fee, but then the $50-per-file minimum would apply. As johnbowenm said, there really is no technical advantage in using this application when a spreadsheet works just as well.

[Element78]

Where do you find a USPS-licensed commercial database? Is this like a website? do you pay for it? how much? How do you use it?

I have found it useful to use a USPS-licensed commercial database service before we do our year-end mailing to the full ward roster to preprocess the list against the National Change of Address database.

You get back a file with more information that you get just with the physical mailing -- which you are obliged to execute anyway when you agree to the Postal Service's terms and conditions of using the NCOALink service. The physical mailing with the Return Service Requested -- of the remaining addresses not culled out for forwarding or non-deliverability in the database preprocessing -- typically yields a few additional returns.

The input file can be a CSV exported from MLS. The service's output file also yields a list of your input addresses standardized. And if your input address is undeliverable, you find out why in more detail. There is a bit of a learning curve to analyze the output, for which you need some basic skills with a spreadsheet or database program. And, of course, you still have to key the moves and changes back into MLS.

I submit a file of adult members to be processed by the service, crunch their output file and do the physical mailing by recombining the names into households in the form, "John & Jane Doe." This step is not required, but it helps maximize the forwarding hit rate and minimize postage.

There are several such licensed service providers that handle the NCOALIink database services, which you can easily find by Googling that term. I have used Anchor Computer for the past several years. Some of the extra cost of the $75-80 service is recouped in postage by not mailing to old or invalid addresses. From a clerical point of view, I think it is the most productive expenditure we make all year.

[lajackson]

Where do you find a USPS-licensed commercial database? Is this like a website? do you pay for it? how much? How do you use it?

You have responded to a topic that is four years old, and some things have changed since then. But you can Google to find companies that will correct your address file. All that I have found charge for this service.

If you read back through this topic, you will find answers to some of your questions. The most common method is to send your existing addresses to the provider using a spreadsheet or other file. You will receive in return a list of USPS-standard addresses, and then you will need to update them in LCR one at a time.

For that reason, I usually check them at the USPS site individually, since I will have to fix them individually anyway.

[russellhltn]

For that reason, I usually check them at the USPS site individually, since I will have to fix them individually anyway.

That's easy enough to get USPS standardized addresses, but can you do that to get a forwarding address?

[lajackson]

That's easy enough to get USPS standardized addresses, but can you do that to get a forwarding address?

Oops. I don't think so. I also think I forgot to read the subject correctly. [smile]

For the forwarding address, we mail a first class letter with Return Service Requested endorsement.