The NCOA, National Change Of Address, is one of the largest databases in the world and includes about 160 million permanent records for changes of address with the USPS. It is maintained and updated as needed by the United States Postal Service and you must have a license to access it. To get a permit, you have to buy software from a licensed provider. The licenses can range from full-service (48 months) to limited-service (18 months). For you to be able to get discounts on bulk mailing, you must use the National Change Of Address because it lowers the amount of Undeliverable As Addressed mail, which reduces the Postal services processing time and saves you money.
How Does It Work?
Primarily, the NCOA is a product of the USPS, and it is utilized to provide accurate and updated addresses for families, individuals, and companies all over the United States. It can also help you determine if people from the US have moved to foreign countries, though it may not give you the foreign address, depending on whether or not the individual left a forwarding address.
Likewise, the addresses contained in the database are designed to match the requirements of the USPS, so every entry is matched against all other entries in your database to ensure that there aren’t repeat addresses or names. It can make you more effective and efficient at your job, as well as increase productivity.
Likewise, the NCOA software will update any old or unused addresses by checking against the United States Postal Service and Change of Address information periodically. It is recommended to run a check for all addresses every month or more
Other Software
Along with the National Change Of Address software, you can also find other products that can make it easier to mail items and give discounts, including the Intelligent Mail Barcode, validation/verification software, and more.
