The Internet and instant electronic communications have given every business the opportunity to reach potential customers anywhere in the world with very little extra effort. Catalogs and websites full of products that were once completely unheard of in some countries are now commonly seen whenever someone decides to search online. Although electronic communications give businesses a global reach, the physical shipping of letters, catalogs and packages must still go through traditional channels. An international address checker is an integrated piece of software that gives any business access to an accurate database containing information about addresses in 246 different countries. This makes sending letters or packages overseas easier in a number of different ways.

Formatting

There are many different types of formatting used by the various postal services located around the world. There are some common elements between the systems but there are also many differences. Words that are recognized by a certain abbreviation in one country might be completely unknown or have a different meaning in another country. An international address checker removes the need to look up codes, decipher letters or make guesses about what certain abbreviations mean. The software will check each individual element of the address and format it according to the standards of the destination country making as many corrections as possible so that delivery is not delayed.

Geocoding

There are some situations where even the best basic data might not supply a new postal worker in another country with enough information about a location. This is where geocoding software becomes a valuable tool. An international address checker that includes geocoding will be able to supply actual coordinates that guide delivery personnel with a global positioning system (GPS) directly to the building or the area of the address. This removes any doubt about the location of building. It also prevents confusion and provides a backup way for the delivery person to verify that the package is being delivered to the correct home or office.

Accurate And Updated Information

An international address checker uses databases that are maintained and updated whenever necessary. This means that there will be no shipping surprises if a country suddenly starts to use a different labeling format or implements new postal codes. Additionally, addresses that no longer exist will be purged from the international database so that only deliverable locations are left. This will lower costs when performing mailings that are generated automatically from a customer list. An updated database of international addresses provides a way to safely measure and prepare mailings that will arrive exactly as intended to homes and offices all around the world.