One of the most common concerns our subscribers share with us is the cost associated with their customers entering incorrect addresses during the ordering process. Improper addressing can lead to additional carrier charges for address correction, or even returned packaging if the carrier is unable to determine the validity of the address. These fees can add up when dealing with a high-volume account, especially if the target customers are remote workers with primarily residential addresses.
Your team at Liftoff is excited to share the release of address-level shipment validation that aims to put these concerns to bed. Liftoff now supports the verification and correction of addresses anywhere an address is collected in the system, including the ordering process, account and customer management, address books, and vendor management. This new feature doesn’t just stop at resolving address issues. Below is a recap of the benefits of this new feature:
Address validation and correction
Liftoff is now able to determine the validity of addresses. If Liftoff determines an address is incorrectly entered, or if there is a version of the address that is preferred by carriers, it will suggest a corrected address. This feature can detect, with high precision, issues with the spelling of the address, the city, and the validity of the postal code associated with the address.
An example of a corrected address
ZIP+4 support
Prior to this release, Liftoff only supported base (5-digit) postal code formats. With this feature in place, Liftoff now supports the expanded US ZIP+4 address formatting.
Improved PO box detection and control
Since many carriers do not ship to PO boxes, this feature helps ensure customers cannot bypass or manipulate their addresses in an attempt to have a delivery scheduled for a PO box. This improved detection reduces the chances of your customer entering an unsupported destination based on the selected carrier.
Automatic detection of residential US addresses
One of this feature’s most promising cost-controlling features is our added ability to automatically determine if an address is residential or commercial. This enables Liftoff to flag shipments properly during shipment rating requests to more accurately obtain the true cost of a shipment based on its address.
Additional administrative shipping controls
The following controls have been added to your shipping settings and can be managed at the account level:
Allow PO boxes - this setting determines your customer’s ability to use PO boxes for their shipments.
Require verified addresses - if this setting is toggled to “on,” Liftoff will not allow a user to proceed without a validated and verified address.
Allow flagging residential non-US addresses - this setting allows international customers to indicate whether their address is residential or not. By default, no residential flagging will occur without direct user input for non-US addresses.
Expanded platform address support
This feature isn’t just applicable to validating shipping addresses; it has been enabled on every form within Liftoff that collects addresses. You may now validate addresses in the following areas of the Liftoff platform:
Ecommerce customer checkout
Back-end order management addressing
Account management
Vendor management
Customer management
Customer profile management (address book)
Subscriber settings
Coming soon: stronger international support*
Liftoff has always touted strong support for international shipping; however, in the coming months, Liftoff will be able to provide validation of addresses around the globe. Not only will Liftoff’s support of international address validation be stronger, but the platform will be able to provide correction of addresses worldwide, increasing Liftoff’s ability to support your international accounts. *International shipment rating at higher volumes may require additional costs. Please inquire with your account manager regarding your use of this feature.
In summary
This feature upgrade seeks to resolve many of the concerns our subscribers have shared with us relative to the cost and management of shipping and logistics. We’re certain you’ll find this feature a true upgrade to your shipping experience.