Like many organizations, Strathmore is looking to clean up our database. We are currently wrapping up a long-overdue Clean Sweep, and are now looking to refine our process for standardizing how data comes in.
I recently did an analysis on account creation and found that ~70% of all historic accounts in our database have been generated through TNEW; averaging around 65 new accounts every single day. This isn't necessarily surprising, but it is significant when we realize that we don't have much control over how these new accounts are formatted. We see that patrons are inputting records in all uppercase/lowercase, adding extra spaces and characters, etc.
In an effort to alleviate the burden on staff to review hundreds of new accounts every week, I was investigating the implementation of Experian's Address Verification Tool. I met with one of their representatives and feel that it could be a great option for aligning new data with the USPS standards.
I would LOVE to hear from fellow community members who may have already integrated AVS into their TNEW site--What has YOUR experience been (integrations and day-to-day)? Anything we should be concerned about?
Details of our environment:
Any insight you can provide would be SO appreciated!
Hi Alexis -
One small thing that you should be aware of in your future planning involves the v16 upgrade. The licensing and costs for Experian in v16 are different, and will require a cost to change from the v15 version of the license to the one we use in v16. The change is a benefit to our users because it combines the TNEW license and application under one fee which, for most people, may introduce an annual cost savings.
I wanted to be sure to make you aware of this addition, as, depending on your v16 upgrade plans you may want to adjust your Experian plans to best suit your business needs and budget.
Cheers,
Heather
Heather, Can we connect outside this converstation about this? I have questons, as your answer here is not something that I have been told could happen, and I just want some clearification.
Hi Robert - I'd recommend a support ticket to talk through any implications / v16 requirements. They'll have the most detailed information, or if they don't, they'll get it for you!