Owner: Qualified Address Corporate Blog URL:http://blog.qualifiedaddress.com/ Join Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:24:13 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Corporate blog for QualifiedAddress.com - an online CASS Certified mailing software and address data services company. Site statistics:Click here
9-digit ZIP Codes for Medicare Claims 2007-09-24 14:49:53 We've had a couple customers call us regarding some changes that Medicare has made regarding billing. I just wanted to post how the Qualified Address solutions can help providers with this billing change.
In the past, Medicare assigned the payment locality for services performed by looking up the county using a 5-digit ZIP Code. Unfortuantely, quite a few ZIP Codes
cross county lines. Medicare was running into problems with assigning the right county to an address using only the 5-digit ZIP Code and, starting October 1, 2007, has begun to require that some physicians and providers use a nine-digit ZIP Code when filing their claims.
Qualified Address has a few solutions that can help physicians with this problem.
First, we have a data cleansing service that will add the +4 Code to any valid address. This solution costs as little as $29.95. For more information, please visit QualifiedAddress.com. This will update all the addresses currently in your database with the +4 Code.
Secon
2007 US Postage Rates 2007-09-21 15:13:22 We just added a page on our website with the latest USPS postage rates. This is an invaluable resource for anyone who does a lot of business mailings.
Latest USPS PostageRates
Great Suggestions for Improving Your Mailings 2007-09-21 09:51:01 Mr. Tooker, an expert in the Direct Mail Industry, gave some great advice in the May MAILCOM seminar "Quit Throwing Your Money Away." I didn't have a chance to attend the seminar, but, thankfully, MAIL Magazine did a writeup on it in the August/September 2007 Issue of their magazine. Here's an excerpt from the Mail Magazine article that has some great suggestions:
[Tooker] said, "Do you really want to mail to people who don't qualify for your offering? Do you want to mail to the wrong name at that address? How about dead people, prisoners, parolees on work release, people in nursing homes or people who "live" at Mail Boxes Etc? Of to the wrong gender? You need to have advanced data hygiene processes."
Mr. Tooker suggested that you edit and standardize your data. Reformat all sources to standardize, assign gender codes, compare quantities against expected volumes, edit incoming records based on client-specific business rules and document rejected records for possible later resoluti Read more:Great
Address Verification API Beta Testing Begins 2007-09-11 16:17:28 For the past few months Qualified Address
has been developing an Address Verification
API that can be used on website forms. We have been testing the API on our websites and are ready to start opening the beta testing up to other companies.
If you'd like to participate in the test, please contact our sales department by calling 1 (877) 216-8883 ext 701. You need to have a website with a form in order to participate and you'll receive free access to the API during the beta period. This initial version uses JavaScript, but we will also be releasing an XML version in a few weeks. Make sure to let us know which version you're interested in using when you call.
To see how the API works, preview it on the ZIP Code Finder and ZIP+4 Lookup at ZIPCodeDownload.com. This API accesses our CASS-certified address scrubbing. Read more:Testing
The Future of On-Demand Mailing Software 2007-09-10 10:17:33 Qualified Address is excited to offer the first on-demand mailing software in its industry. We are convinced that this is the software model of the future and have found that mailing software translates very easily to an on-demand model.
I was just reading a 2005 Forbes article by Fahmida Y. Rashid on SaaS software. Although the article is a few years old, I thought that she gives a pretty good case for why it makes business sense to go with on demand software as opposed to corporate software.
First, she explains the difference between the older software and the newer on-demand software:
With software as a service, customers "rent" software for a set period of time, paying a subscription rather than buying the technology outright. Rather than spending millions to own technology, customers pay a small amount up front and a monthly or annual subscription fee based on usage, users or customers, leaving the provider to handle maintenance and performance concerns. The method is also call Read more:Future
, Mailing
, Software
Press Release: Qualified Address Receives USPS CASS Certification for New Online Software 2007-08-20 15:56:56 Orem, Utah, (August 20, 2007) Qualified Address
, an Exact Wave company specializing in address verification software and mailing list services, today announced that its address matching software, Qualified Address Certified Scrubbing, has been awarded CASS Certification
by the United States Postal Service. This USPS certification is an indication of the softwares quality and means that business mailers using the software can qualify for automation and presorted discount postage rates.
Qualified Address Certified Scrubbing is the industrys first CASS Certified software-as-a-service (SaaS) mailing product. The SaaS model provides users with benefits such as faster list processing speeds and lower software and hardware maintenance costs while maintaining the necessary functionality of the CASS software. In the coming months, Qualified Address plans to release additional products and services using the same SaaS model to compliment its address matching software.
An estimated 1.6 Read more:Software
, Press
, Release
, Press Release
Address Verification Software Demonstration - Qualified Address Scrubbing 2007-08-16 08:31:57 Hey!
I've just finished putting together a software demonstration/tutorial for Qualified Address
Scrubbing. You can take a look at the video here:
The demonstration takes you step-by-step through the process of validating your address list with Qualified Address Scrubbing.
If you're interested in learning more about the software, visit Qualified Address. Read more:Verification
, Software
, Demonstration
Survey Says - They Love Us! 2007-07-17 10:12:04 Although we've only been providing our services for about six months, Qualified Address has grown a pretty good customer base during this short time. Last week we sent out a survey to find out what our customers thought of our services.
The result? They love it!
Over 10% of our customers responded, which is a pretty good response rate as far as online surveys go, and most of them had lots of praise for Qualified Address and its services. Here is what some customers said about what they liked most about our services:
- Quick service
- Easy to use. Quick.
- I made a mistake and my sales rep helping me in a very nice and fast way.
- Easy to fill out forms and directions to send the list do you
- Good customer service and prompt response
- Super quick, accurate, and affordable
What got me really excited about these results were that the things that customers liked most - speed, ease of use, and accuracy - were our goals in developing this software. It looks like we were successful!
I Read more:Survey Says
Pinching Pennies? Order free shipping supplies from the USPS 2007-07-10 15:45:01 If you're looking for a great way to cut costs at your business, consider getting your shipping materials from the USPS instead of your local office supply store. Many of the common packaging material - such as boxes and envelopes - are available at no cost.
Priority Mail - Supplies for Mailing / Shipping
Express Mail - Supplies for Mailing / Shipping
Flat Rate - Supplies for Mailing / Shipping
If the recent USPS rate increases have left you looking for a way to lower your costs, you should check this out!
Visit the Postal Store for more information. Read more:Pennies
, Order
, supplies
New ZIP Codes 2007-07-02 17:24:34 A recent press release announced that 45 new ZIP codes are being added to USPS data. The majority of these will be in Arizona and Florida, but changes will also take place in 13 other states. In addition to this, some ZIP codes are being removed from USPS data.
Businesses who maintain a mailing list, particularly in these areas, should be sure to update their information to avoid incorrect addresses with address verification software. By using Qualified Address's scrubbing and DPV product you can clean up a mailing list and ensure that the addresses are correct, and that you aren't sending to the same houshold more than once.
Residents in the effected areas are encouraged to use ZIP Code look-up to confirm their ZIP code change, and then notify their friends and family of the changes.
Read more:Codes
Slowing Economy 2008-03-07 15:12:00 Bush said earlier today, "it's clear our economy has slowed," just hours after a government report showed a decline in payrolls for the second straight month. Many companies and other organizations have been feeling the burdens of a slowing economy. Some reports state that more companies are laying off people than they have in the last five years. Other companies are doing their best to keep their employess by cutting their costs. One large cost that is constantly burdening companies and other organizations is the cost of mailings and other similar marketing ploys. Two websites that can help overcome these burdens is www.zipcodedownload.com and www.qualifiedaddress.com. Zip Code Download's and Qualified Address' products can help save companies and organizations thousands and thousan Read more:Slowing
Stamp Prices To Increase 2008-02-15 14:06:00 Stamp prices will increase 1 cent as well as some other price changes (see chart below). Over the past few years we have seen an increase in stamps and mailing costs as electronic emailing and transfers have become much more popular and we will continue to see the cost of snail mail stamps and supplies increase.As the costs of snail mail increase it is important not to waste your money, time, and other resources on mail that may never get to your clients. To learn more about how you can save money and time on your mailings visit www.qualifiedaddress.com and zipcodedownload.com.Changes will be effective May 12, 2008. Selected Prices
& Services Current New(Effective May 12) First-Class Mail Letter (1 oz.) 41¢ 42¢ First-Cl Read more:Stamp
Size and Scope of USPS 2008-02-08 17:18:00 We deliver to every home and business in the United States. Every American has access to our services and pays the same postage regardless of where they live or work. We …Process and deliver more than 213 billion pieces of mail — letters, cards, ads, bills, payments and packages — every year.· Nearly 703 million pieces per day· More than 29 million pieces per hour· More than 488,000 pieces per minute· More than 8,000 pieces per second· Deliver mail to more than 300 million people at 146 million homes, businesses and PO Boxes in every state, city and town, and in Puerto Rico, Guam, the American Virgin Islands and American Samoa.· Add 1.8 million new addresses each year to our delivery network — equivalent to the number of address Read more:Scope
Address Verification Software Stops Customer/Consumer Frustration 2008-01-02 11:29:00 How many of you have had a shipping problem? I'm guessing a few of you have, if not all of you. One of the reasons you may have had problems with shipping is that you accidentally mistyped your address.Qualified Address
helps business and companies disolve this problem with their address verification software. Qualified Address Scrubbing formats addresses according to the postal services standards. The software abreviates addresses, appendeds missing data, and updates rural addresses to city-street adresses. To see an example of the address verification software please click here.This product is important, especially to the consumers of these products. There is nothing more frustrating than not receiving a shipment on the expected date all because they made a simple address mistake. Read more:Verification
, Software
, Stops
, Customer
, Consumer
, Frustration
Marshall Islands and Micronesia 2007-11-10 00:53:00 The other day I went to buy some pants for what I thought was about $40 dollars only to learn when I went to pay for it that they were only 12! Maybe the same kind of thing will happen to you come November 19, 2007 because on that day mail addressed to the MarshallIslands
as well as to the states of Micronesia will no longer be considered as international mail but as domestic, meaning much lower prices! It's always a happy day when you have to spend less money than you realized. That's why Exact Waves new product, Qualified Address, is so important--it can literally help you save money every day so that every day is happy day. To learn more about how Qualified Address can save you money click here.
LACSLink and Rural Routes Converted to 9-1-1 Addresses 2007-10-17 09:58:00 The Post Office loves acronyms. That's why Qualified Address has products with CASS, LACSLink, and DPV in their names. Other products and services that you might hear connected with the USPS are NCOA, PAVE, and MASS. Even 'ZIP' in ZIP Code is an acronym for "Zoning Improvement Plan." It can seem like the post office has its own language sometimes.Some of these acronyms are more interesting and confusing than others. One of the questions we get a lot is, "What is LACSLink?" 'LACS' is an acronym for "Locatable Address Conversion System." A "Locatable Address" has reference to a 9-1-1 system. It means that addresses are named and numbered in such a way that shortens response times to emergencies.In many areas of the country, rural route addresses have been used to deliver mail in the past. As Read more:Rural
Dedupe Your Mailing Lists 2007-10-15 17:49:00 Qualified Address has added free de-duping services to all its data scrubbing products. If you are a current customer, this service is already available in your account.You can find out more about these services at QualifiedAddress.com. Read more:Mailing
, Lists
XML Address Verification with PHP 2007-10-10 14:23:00 We've just added a section to the Address
Entry Pro User Guide that explains how to use our XML
Address Verification
with PHP. We now have examples for C#, Java, Visual Basic, JavaScript, and PHP included in the guide.You can download the updated User Guide here:
Proposed Change to Address Requirements for Automation, Presorted & Carrier Route Letters 2007-10-10 10:09:00 This is a change that the USPS is proposing that may affect many mailers. It deals primarily with type size and spacing requirements for printing a delivery address on a letter-sized mail piece.Here is what the USPS says about the changes:We are proposing revisions to the address standards for letter-size pieces mailed at automation, presorted, or carrier route rates. Under the new standards, all letters mailed at discount rates must be addressed using a minimum of 8–point type. In addition, for automation rate letters, the lines and the characters in the address must not touch or overlap, and each element on the address line may be separated by no more than three blank character spaces.These changes probably won't effect most mailers, but it is something to be aware of in the future. If Read more:Address
, Change
, Requirements
, Automation
, Letters
Proposed Changes to Address & Barcode Requirements for Flats 2007-10-10 10:02:00 This is from the October 10, 2007 Federal Register:The Postal Service proposes new address placement requirements for Periodicals, Standard Mail, Bound Printed Matter, Media Mail, and Library Mail flat-size pieces sent at automation, presorted, or carrier route rates. We also propose to require an 11-digit POSTNET barcode or Intelligent Mail barcode on flat-size First-Class Mail, Periodicals, Standard Mail, and Bound Printed Matter sent at automation rates. In addition, we propose related revisions to the address requirements for automation and presorted First-Class Mail flats.Comments on the proposed change must be received by December 10, 2007. They can be mailed toManager, Mailing StandardsU.S. Postal Service475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW Room 3436Washington DC 20260-3436Read the Full Announcem Read more:Address
, Requirements
, Barcode
, Flats
Changes to the USPS Change of Address Policy 2007-10-10 09:53:00 Starting October 10, 2007, the USPS has changed its policy for Temporary Change
of Address
filings. The changes will make it easier for those who forget to put an end date on the paperwork, but will create more work for those who want to temporarily change their address for more than six months.Here is the word from the government:The changes state the minimum duration for a change of address order is 15 days; the maximum duration for the initial change of address order is 185 days; and the maximum duration for the additional change of address order is 179 days. A customer seeking the longest duration for temporary change of address, can accordingly submit an initial order for 185 days and a second order for 179 more days, thus reaching the maximum period of 364 days.Previously, a temporar Read more:Policy
Move Update Requirements Update for Standard Mail 2007-10-04 09:30:00 The Postal Service announced a major change in requirements for Standard
Mail last week when it was determined that Standard Mail would be required to comply with Move Update
requirements starting November 23, 2008. This notice was made public in Volume 72, Issue 188 of the Federal Register.According to the Federal Register, "the Move Update standards provide ways for mailers to reduce the number of mailpieces that require forwarding or return by the periodic matching of a mailer's address records with customer-filed change-of-address orders." So, what does this mean? It means that the USPS wants those who mail at a Standard Mail rate to determine whether or not a recipient has moved on its own or pay an additional fee to have the USPS forward the mail.Along with making Move Update a requi Read more:Requirements
9-digit ZIP Code (ZIP+4) for Finding Representatives & Legislators 2007-10-01 11:43:00 If you have a website that lets people lookup U.S. Government legislative districts or find representatives, you've probably been frustrated with finding a good way to get people to get their ZIP+4 Code. Since the +4 Code is pretty much required to find the correct congressional and legislative districts, it's a problem that a lot of webmasters face.A lot of people end up directing their visitors to find the ZIP+4 Code on the USPS Lookup. This is an OK solution, but it isn't the best solution. It takes the visitor away from your site and is inconvenient.By using the Qualified Address API, you can implement a better solution. Our Address Verification API can be integrated into any website form in as little as 15 minutes and would allow the visitor to enter their address and get their ZIP+4 Read more:Representatives
, Legislators
XML and JavaScript Address Validation at QualifiedAddress.com 2007-09-25 14:56:00 It's finally available!A lot of our customers have contacted us to find out when our Address
Verification API would finally be ready to go. I'm excited to announce that the API is ready. You can learn more about it by visiting the Address Verification API product page on our website.I'm impressed with how nice the JavaScript
version of the API looks. Our designers really did a great job! I'm not really much of a programmer (I know HTML and that's about it), but I was able to figure out how to install it on one of my websites without any help. For those who are a little more savvy with programming, there is an XML
web service that you can use (it doesn't come with the cool interface though).Many people don't realize the benefits of validating addresses at the point of entry. If you're sendi Read more:Validation
QualifiedAddress.com Provides a "Green" Alternative to Mailing Software 2007-09-25 12:15:00 The green color that dominates QualifiedAddress.com does more than just contribute to an attractive website. It represents the company’s commitment to developing “green” software that reduces environmental and economic waste by leveraging the improved speed and efficiency of the internet.The Environmental Protection Agency reports that product packaging, including software packaging, accounts for one-third of the trash thrown away in the United States. Businesses are responsible for an estimated 85% of this garbage. In its definition of product stewardship, the EPA urges businesses and consumers to "share responsibility for the environmental impact of products."The internet has enabled many software companies to adopt a "zero waste" product model. Known as "on-demand software" or "so Read more:Software
, Mailing
, Green
, Alternative
9-digit ZIP Codes for Medicare Claims 2007-09-24 16:10:00 We've had a couple customers call us regarding some changes that Medicare has made regarding billing. I just wanted to post how the Qualified Address solutions can help providers with this billing change.In the past, Medicare assigned the payment locality for services performed by looking up the county using a 5-digit ZIP Code. Unfortunately, quite a few ZIP Codes
cross county lines. Medicare was running into problems with assigning the right county to an address using only the 5-digit ZIP Code and, starting October 1, 2007, has begun to require that some physicians and providers use a nine-digit ZIP Code when filing their claims.Qualified Address has a few solutions that can help physicians with this problem. First, we have a data cleansing service that will add the +4 Code to any valid a
2007 US Postage Rates 2007-09-21 16:10:00 We just added a page on our website with the latest USPS postage rates. This is an invaluable resource for anyone who does a lot of business mailings.Latest USPS PostageRates
Great Suggestions for Improving Your Mailings 2007-09-21 16:09:00 Mr. Tooker, an expert in the Direct Mail Industry, gave some great advice in the May MAILCOM seminar "Quit Throwing Your Money Away." I didn't have a chance to attend the seminar, but, thankfully, MAIL Magazine did a writeup on it in the August/September 2007 Issue of their magazine. Here's an excerpt from the Mail Magazine article that has some great suggestions:[Tooker] said, "Do you really want to mail to people who don't qualify for your offering? Do you want to mail to the wrong name at that address? How about dead people, prisoners, parolees on work release, people in nursing homes or people who "live" at Mail Boxes Etc? Of to the wrong gender? You need to have advanced data hygiene processes."Mr. Tooker suggested that you edit and standardize your data. Reformat all sources to stand Read more:Great
Address Verification API Beta Testing Begins 2007-09-11 16:09:00 For the past few months Qualified Address
has been developing an Address Verification
API that can be used on website forms. We have been testing the API on our websites and are ready to start opening the beta testing up to other companies.If you'd like to participate in the test, please contact our sales department by calling 1 (877) 216-8883 ext 701. You need to have a website with a form in order to participate and you'll receive free access to the API during the beta period. This initial version uses JavaScript, but we will also be releasing an XML version in a few weeks. Make sure to let us know which version you're interested in using when you call.To see how the API works, preview it on the ZIP Code Finder and ZIP+4 Lookup at ZIPCodeDownload.com. This API accesses our CASS-certifie Read more:Testing
The Future of On-Demand Mailing Software 2007-09-10 16:08:00 Qualified Address is excited to offer the first on-demand mailing software in its industry. We are convinced that this is the software model of the future and have found that mailing software translates very easily to an on-demand model.I was just reading a 2005 Forbes article by Fahmida Y. Rashid on SaaS software. Although the article is a few years old, I thought that she gives a pretty good case for why it makes business sense to go with on demand software as opposed to corporate software.First, she explains the difference between the older software and the newer on-demand software:With software as a service, customers "rent" software for a set period of time, paying a subscription rather than buying the technology outright. Rather than spending millions to own technology, customers pay Read more:Software
, Mailing
, Future
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