Standardize your Addresses Automatically
While not required, the USPS prefers that certain pieces of an address are abbreviated. You may be aware of State being abbreviated, but did you know they also want you to use abbreviated pre and post directions (N vs North), abbreviated street suffix (St vs Street), and abbreviated secondary unit designators (Ste vs Suite)?
TrueGivers will automatically update all Pre and Post Directions, Street Suffix, and Secondary Unit Designators to use the preferred USPS format. This means that addresses that are not using these abbreviations will be updated.
Pre and Post Directions
These directions are found in the Address Line 1 and can appear before or after the street name and suffix.
| Pre and Post Directions | Standard Abbreviation | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North | N |
| 2 | South | S |
| 3 | East | E |
| 4 | West | W |
| 5 | Northeast | NE |
| 6 | Northwest | NW |
| 7 | Southeast | SE |
| 8 | Southwest | SW |
Read more about USPS preferred directionals format here.
Street Suffix
These suffixes are found in the Address Line 1 and follow the street name.
| Street Suffix Name | Standard Abbreviation | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Avenue | Ave |
| 2 | Circle | Cir |
| 3 | Glen | Gln |
| 4 | Meadow | Mdw |
| 5 | Valley | Vly |
View a full list of Street Suffix Abbreviations here.
Secondary Unit Designators
These designators are found in the Address Line 2.
| Designator | Standard Abbreviation | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apartment | Apt |
| 2 | Building | Bldg |
| 3 | Floor | Fl |
| 4 | Trailer | Trlr |
| 5 | Unit | Unit |
Don't want to use the recommended abbreviations?
That's ok. The USPS does not require you to, and neither does TrueGivers!
In your Integration Settings, you can choose if you would like your Address Line 1 to be verbose or not (123 S Main St vs 123 South Main Street). Read more about it here.
Improve Delivery Rates
Address Standardization and NCOA services provided by the TrueGivers Data Stewardship Integration improve delivery rates in three important ways. First, they provide new addresses for moves within the last 48 months. Having an updated mailing address helps you ensure more of your mail pieces reach their recipient. Second, they identify other move data, which helps you avoid sending mail to a vacant, invalid, or just plain wrong addresses. Third, NCOA standardizes all of your addresses to meet USPS mail standards. This makes it easier for the post office to deliver the mail.
Read more about USPS preferred address formatting:
- The Standardized Address
- Street Name Format
- Rural Route and Highway Roads
- USPS Postal Addressing Standards Publication
For fully automated hands-off data updates try TrueGivers' CRM Data Hygiene and Enhancement Services.
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