NCOA^Link_™ & Deceased Processing
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Over 40 million Americans change addresses annually, which creates formidable obstacles in maintaining a high-quality mailing list that tracks customers who move. The National Change of Address (NCOA^Link_™) program makes change-of-address (COA) information available to mailers to help reduce undeliverable or duplicate mail-pieces. NCOA^Link_™ service is a comprehensive program that aids mailers in identifying changes of address before mail enters the mail-stream. The NCOA^Link_™ service is provided by Anchor Computer and is certified and licensed by the United States Postal Service^®.

Updated, computerized COA information is provided on a regularly scheduled basis to Anchor Computer by the United States Postal Service^®. Anchor can improve mail deliverability by providing mailers with current, standardized 5-digit ZIP Codes, 4-digit add-on codes, and delivery point coded addresses for individual, family, and business moves. In addition, the NCOA^Link_™ service provides more effective dates (month & year).

Input address information provided by a mailer to Anchor is first standardized to conform to United States Postal Service^® requirements, including the ZIP+4^® code. Once the address has been standardized and the ZIP+4^® code applied, an attempt is made to match the address against the NCOA^Link_™ File, which contains in excess of 110+ million records or 48 months of permanent address changes. Address change information is derived from the United States Postal Service^® Form 3575, Change-of-Address Order, filed by relocating postal customers. If an exact match is made with the old address information in the NCOA^Link_™ File, then the NCOA^Link_™ licensee is permitted to provide the move information (new address) to the mailer.

NCOA^Link_™ helps reduce undeliverable-as-addressed mail by correcting input addresses prior to mailing. Since 1986, this service has saved mailers millions of dollars that otherwise would have been wasted in materials and postage.

NCOA^Link_™ provides the following benefits to mailers:

• Reduces undeliverable mail by providing the most current address information for matches made to the NCOA^Link_™ File.
• Prevents duplicate mail-pieces or re-mailings after address corrections are received because the address correction is applied prior to the mailing.
• Reduces mailer costs by reducing the number of undeliverable and duplicate mailpieces by using most current address information.
• Provides the opportunity for faster product/service marketing through accurate mail delivery.

Deceased Processing

Deceased processing enables mailers to eliminate deceased individuals from their mailings prior to a promotion, and prevents the annoying of members of the deceased's household with unwanted mail. Our file contains 40 million records relating to deceased individuals. Unique to this suppression file is Anchor's Deceased Probability Index methodology which will enable mailers to more intelligently identify deceased names and allow for a better determination if a name should be suppressed. The mailer will benefit from an improved response rate, lower costs, and an improvement of the company's image by minimizing mailings to deceased individuals.

An original or faxed NCOA^Link_™ Acknowledgment Form and a Deceased Processing Agreement Form must be received by Anchor prior to processing.