The organization needed a data quality management system that could validate addresses. This need was first identified in 2004 and today, the address verification system used by the club works so well it has been expanded throughout the organization.

The auto club first built and deployed an online Java-based policy processing system in 2004. At the time, the custom front end was designed to interface with its backend policy processing system for homeowners insurance. To handle address verification, AAA Missouri selected and implemented Melissa Data’s DQWS (Data Quality Web Service).

As a web services solution, the DQWS was hosted offsite and was available around the clock for real-time address verification software capabilities. The club used it to verify, update and “scrub” member and insurance addresses as they were entered into the policy processing database. The databases with the address verification software are used to validate the addresses of homeowner’s insurance policyholders.

The DQWS solution is also used to clean up membership addresses by checking for accuracy, proper formatting and updated area codes. Data is also checked as it is entered by AAA Missouri employees into the club’s internal membership processing website. While the address scrub in this address verification software takes place in real time, there has been no impact on performance.

The need for address verification software was not triggered by mailing address inaccuracies, but instead the requirement by AAA’s homeowners insurance line of business to be able to retrieve certain information on a property, including its fire district. Using property addresses, AAA Missouri uses a specialized onsite software product to retrieve the needed information. To do so, the property address must be strictly formatted to U.S. Postal Service standards when the request is made.

Before AAA Missouri implemented the address verification software, problems in the data included duplicate addresses, incorrect street name formats, misspellings and incorrect ZIP codes. These errors were the result of a process that allowed addresses to be entered directly into the mainframe with little validation. This prompted AAA to search for an address verification software solution that could validate and format member and customer address information.

Today, AAA Missouri uses the address verification software for a number of functions, including validating and formatting mailing addresses when entered by the user; adding functionality to validate both addresses as part of the policy renewal process; and more. Overall, AAA Missouri has benefitted greatly from the implementation of the address verification software solution.