by johnt
5. January 2012 16:22
In our PAF cleansing service we take a great deal of care to keep “leading information” – additional information at the start of the address that isn’t present on PAF. Commonly found in city addresses where a building has been split into multiple flats but the PAF data hasn’t been updated to reflect it. If the flat number is lost during PAF cleansing the delivery rate of the mailing will be reduced.
A great example would be a letter addressed to:
Harry Potter
The Cupboard under the Stairs
4 Privet Drive
Little Whinging
Surrey
If the address was corrected to the PAF standard:
4 Privet Drive
Little Whinging
Surrey
The letter would more likely be picked up by Vernon Dursely and not the intended recipient.
So sometimes keeping the 'leading information' is crucial to ensure that the communication is delivered to the right person. Bear this mind next time you are sending the owls out or when you are data cleansing.