The formal notification that an individual, household, or business has moved and wishes to update their mailing address. In the context of direct marketing, data hygiene, and customer database management, COA updates are essential to maintaining accurate and deliverable records.
How COA works
When a person or business submits a COA request through the United States Postal Service (USPS), the new address is recorded in the National Change of Address (NCOA) database. Marketers and mailers utilize this information to maintain current mailing lists, minimize undeliverable mail, and prevent wasting resources on outdated addresses.
- NCOA database: A secure dataset of approximately 160 million permanent change-of-address records consisting of the names and addresses of individuals, families and businesses who have filed a change-of-address with the USPS.
Benefits of COA updates
Neglecting COA updates can result in increased postage costs, lost communications, and compliance issues with specific data privacy regulations. Marketers often integrate COA processing tools into customer relationship management (CRM) systems or mailing platforms to automatically detect and update address changes before campaigns go out.
- Postage costs: Minimizing the number of Undeliverable As Addressed (UAA) mailpieces saves the mailer money and reduces the USPS's processing of this type of mail.
- Compliance: Required in order to obtain bulk mail rates.
Licensing options
There are six licenses available including Full Service Providers (48 months) and Limited Service Providers (18 months). The use of NCOALink is required in order to obtain bulk mail rates, as it minimizes the number of UAA mailpieces saving the mailer money and reducing the USPS's processing of this type of mail.