NCOA+ Comment from BCC Software

Move Update is not only a USPS requirement, it is a best practice in ensuring lists of names and addresses are kept complete, correct, and current. As a non-exclusive licensee of the 48-month NCOALink data, BCC is committed to our customers, partners, and the mailing industry to continue providing best in class address quality services including move update processing.

As some of you may know, the USPS is launching a new tool to further assist in keeping addresses current. This technology, known as the NCOA+ API, is an exciting addition to the trusted NCOALink process. It is not a replacement to NCOALink, but rather a tool to assist in augmenting batch address list processing and holds potential for transactional change of address implementations.

BCC has been actively testing the NCOA+ API and we see great potential for its use, which we hope to announce at a future date. In the meantime, please keep in mind some very important aspects you should consider regarding usage of NCOA+.

• Process Acknowledgement Forms
  • While a traditional PAF is not required for using NCOA+, the data payload that is sent to the USPS effectively carries the same type of information (List Owner, Broker, etc.), and NCOA+ results can still only be used for mailing purposes.
• Transactional usage
  • While NCOA+ does not carry the 100-record minimum rule that NCOALink does, there is considerable latency to factor into its usage. What might take a few seconds to process in NCOALink, could be hours if you were to solely use NCOA+.
• Pricing
  • BCC Software, like most NCOALink licensees, offer an annual subscription at a modest price given the tremendous value our change of address service provides. What might be a relatively small fee for an NCOALink subscription could easily result in many times the amount for NCOA+, which is paid monthly based on usage.
• Implementation and ongoing Maintenance
  • APIs hold great opportunities for software integration and automated workflows. But NCOA+ is not a “one and done” type of implementation. As with any API, especially from the USPS, there will be changes, corrections, and enhancements. Thus, companies looking to implement NCOA+ will need to make sure they have the proper staff to develop, test, and support any type of NCOA+ integration.

As stated earlier, BCC Software remains committed to best in class address quality services. We are actively exploring how NCOA+ can enhance these services. Stay tuned as we continue to work with our postal partners in integrating this new technology into our trusted technology.