AFD customer bpha are a housing association operating between Oxford and Cambridge, whose company values include showing empathy and taking responsibility. They even demonstrate their culture of care not only by efficiently managing 19,500 homes with their 500 staff, but also by running a “Carelink service” which supports not only bpha customers but the wider community with a 24- hour responder service. By going this extra mile they live out their ambition to build communities where people can live happily in affordable homes, while giving customers and families an additional layer of security knowing someone can support them in an emergency.
We spoke to Bill Powell, Software Development Manager at bpha, to learn the role accurate data has in helping the organisation and its tenants: “Our vision is to build thriving communities, and primarily our job is to house and manage our tenants and the properties that they occupy. We wanted to have accurate, property level address data as important updates sent by post need to get to the right place and essential maintenance work would be delayed and would have to be rescheduled months later if we could not find the property straight away.
Since we have brought the maintenance service in-house, we must ensure we are sending our maintenance teams to exactly the right place for every job. Cost of time and fuel is of course a saving we wanted from this process, but the most important benefit was reaching our tenants as planned.
We found AFD had a solution that would review all our property data, cleanse it against the best sources and add property level latitude and longitude data. The result is correct address data with a pinpoint location accuracy of each one, making maintenance planning fast and accurate.”
Combining datasets is difficult, especially so when two datasets could have the same property yet different address data, common with flats and apartments. AFD has over 450 years of combined experience in developing solutions to help solve potential address anomalies or complexities, making them the leading provider of address validation and cleansing solutions. Bill continues:
“For our requirements, we wanted Royal Mail’s Postcode Address File (PAF) data to cleanse our address database, because we wanted to work with the address format that people are most used to seeing and using. We also needed data from Ordnance Survey (OS) which provided the latitude and longitude data, and a Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN), to link together other datasets which are very important to us.
To achieve this solution ourselves we would have needed licenses from both Royal Mail and OS, and then we would have needed to combine the datasets and attempted to match our data to all of this – to be honest this just wasn’t a feasible option.
Finding a partner in AFD Software that offered the exact datasets we required, pre-aligned for both point of entry validation and cleansing, provided an extremely valuable solution for us. We know full well how difficult it is matching addresses between our own data and another dataset, never mind against two datasets! Many of the addresses in our database had quirks around flat numbers and names that didn’t match initially, but AFD worked with us to identify and match these further, thereby minimising manual work and increasing data accuracy.”
Bill explains: “Once the data was cleansed, we used the appended UPRN data to match Energ Performance Certificates (EPC) to each property, quickly identifying how well insulated they are. We asked the question, which properties would most benefit from additional insulation and other measures to improve their energy performance?
EPC data allowed us to instantly identify a list of our poorest performing properties, so we could then plan what performance upgrades were needed to keep our tenants safe and warm. This vital job would be impossible to get right without having an authoritative dataset of accurate property details that we could match with the EPC data.
Ultimately, this solution allows us to provide our tenants with the right standard of property and efficiently carry out remedial work based on other factors, such as prioritising vulnerable tenants, like elderly residents or residents with young children. In partnership with AFD, we are better planning the work and improving the properties that need help, which will keep our tenants warm this winter.”
So what difference have the Postcode People at AFD made to bpha? Bill concludes: “After working closely on cleansing our property database, I was very impressed with the reliability that we got through that process. The tech guys at AFD were very willing to look at our data and work with us to get the best results, which gave us great confidence and allowed us to plan work in priority order to the properties most in need. We could also be optimistic that the maintenance teams would not have to waste time finding any property.
I felt that we were properly in a partnership, and to find someone at the end of the process that was as responsive as AFD was a real bonus. The Postcode People at AFD stay the course and help make their solutions fit your exact requirements, the attentiveness has continued and that is what I value most.”
AFD Software worked with bpha to provide the exact solution to their specific requirements, a solution to help identify and manage property locations and data helping efficiently deploy their maintenance teams. Does your organisation have full confidence in its address data? Do you separately manage other datasets that we could help bring together?
Contact Joel Miller today on 01624 811709 or email joel.miller@afd.co.uk to discuss your requirements and understand how we can help solve your issues around data quality, and get full value out of all your data.
| Type | URL |
|---|
What do Panasonic, Sony and Richer Sounds all have in common?
They all rely on CefaSoft for their Point of Sale systems which provides a platform for consumers to purchase their goods quickly and easily.
CefaSoft chose AFD Software as their partners in data quality to provide address validation functionality within their systems. This allows customers purchasing high-end electronic systems to quickly find their address and have confidence their order is going to arrive accurately.
“AFD solutions are helping us help our retail clients improve the accuracy of their contact data – and have done so consistently for over 30 years. Service and support has always been exemplary.” Joe Walsh, Managing Director, CefaSoft
Does your organisation require an address lookup solution? Try our demo below and get in touch with one of our Data Quality Consultants today.
| Type | URL |
|---|
Alzheimer’s Society is here for everyone affected by dementia.
By 2025, 1 million people will be living with the condition in the UK, and many millions more carers, partners, families and friends are affected.
Lack of treatments and postcode lottery for care means that people with dementia and their families aren’t getting the support they need, when they need it.
Their supporters ensure that people living with dementia today have the support they deserve, that their rights are protected and enhanced by campaigning, and that they can look to a brighter future thanks to investment in research.
By providing expert advice and guidance, support through their most challenging days, and a safe space to turn when they need it – this is Alzheimer’s Society deliver to the people who need it.
Their dementia Advisers have an extraordinary depth and breadth of knowledge. Combined with their dedication and compassion, they are unstoppable when it comes to providing personalised solutions that make a real difference to people with dementia and their carers.
Alzheimer’s Society partners with AFD Software to ensure address data is entered quickly and accurately, this is the feedback they gave:
“Using AFD Software enhances our in-house user and supporter experiences.
AFD address lookup API is integrated with the Alzheimer’s Society CRM system and provides both greater efficiency and data accuracy when our colleagues enter and update data. Supporter satisfaction and confidence is also increased and protected because those receiving our mailings see their address accurately and professionally presented.”
Tillat Kadri – Fundraising Database Manager
Does your organisation require an address lookup solution? try our demo below and get in touch with one of our Data Quality Consultants today.
| Type | URL |
|---|
Thompson & Morgan, the UK’s largest mail order retailer of both seeds and plants, play a key part in stocking our gardens and green spaces. Since 1855 when its first seed catalogue was published, the organisation has been fulfilling its customers’ gardening needs. Today, the organisation serves multiple generations of gardeners via published catalogues, a call centre, and an award-winning website.
Synonymous with quality and delivering on high customer expectations, Thompson & Morgan chose AFD Software to provide address validation to both the website and call centre, ensuring their high levels of service improve even further.
Address accuracy for any mail order company is essential, reducing wasted costs of failed deliveries and mailings to incorrect addresses. When the items being delivered are perishable (like living flowers, plants, and trees), this necessity increases further.
Andrew Crees, Group IT Director, also highlights the time-saving element: “Customer calls are valuable, we need the conversation to focus on serving customers rather than on confirming the spelling of addresses. I know from experience living in Wales the pain of placing an order when you must spell out every single part of your address.
When customers enter their delivery details online or over the phone, finding a full address is as simple as entering the postcode to see a list of possible results. When a user only gives part of an address; the house name and street, for example, the solution returns valid addresses that match.”
Many organisations view integration and the anticipated amount of work involved as one of the biggest barriers to change when looking at new software implementations.
In response to these concerns, Andrew says: “When rolling out our new enterprise resource planning system, the software developers recommended AFD as they knew it could seamlessly integrate within our chosen platform. We found this whole process to be very straightforward and AFD plugged in hassle-free.”
Integration aside, Thompson & Morgan wanted to ensure that the latest available data was used to validate customer addresses with AFD’s postcode lookup API. Andrew continues: “We needed a solution that would be kept up to date. AFD offers frequent data updates to its products helping ensure addresses entered are validated against the latest version of the Royal Mail Postcode Address File (PAF). We never have difficulties finding a customer’s address, which is a great benefit.”
When asked for the key reasons why Andrew would recommend using AFD, he answers: “From our initial contact, The Postcode People at AFD were on hand to help not only on a technical front but also through pre-sales, demonstrations and trialling the product. We have a working relationship that has always felt like a good fit; working with a company that is there to help and assist rather than fight against our requirements is refreshing.”
For a demonstration on how AFD’s solutions can be implemented into your systems and deliver fast, accurate address lookup from the most up to date sources, contact Joel Miller on 01624 811711 or email postcode@afd.co.uk.
Since Tony Hillary fitted his first made-to-measure blind over 50 years ago, Hillarys has been dedicated to exceeding its customers’ expectations at all stages of their buying process.
From the humble beginnings of running the business from a garage, Hillarys has grown to become the nation’s favourite provider of made-to-measure blinds, curtains, and shutters, and continues to increase the number of satisfied buyers by delivering high levels of customer service and innovative technology.
A customer’s buying journey starts with booking an appointment online or via the call centre. Appointments are available 7-days a week, daytime, or evening, to cater for their customer’s availability.
All advisors are trained to help customers choose the right product for their needs. The colour, texture, and look and feel of the room are all key considerations that only come with face-to-face customer collaboration. During the appointment, the advisor also measures the windows. Here there is no margin for error, measurements of both the width and drop must be precise for “made to measure” products.
Once everything is decided and double-checked, the orders are sent to the factory in Nottingham where fabric is cut to size and
made to fit the exact specification.
When the order is ready, the customer is contacted and agrees a time slot that is convenient, and an installer attends to fit the products and ensure the customer is satisfied with the completed work.
We spoke with Matthew Lamb, Software Development Manager at Hillarys, to understand more about how technology is helping meet and exceed customer expectations:
“I have been with the organisation for the past 8 years and have overseen enhancements to technology that put the customer first. We must make the buying journey as smooth as possible, and a key part to this is ensuring that contact details are captured quickly and accurately. By deploying AFD’s UK address lookup solutions online and for our call centre staff, we can focus on understanding our customers’ requirements rather than repeating back addresses.
In addition to improving the speed of entry and not frustrating the customer during their initial enquiry, having an accurate
address is important because advisors are visiting the customer’s home or work premises. It doesn’t set the right first impression if our advisors miss appointments or are late, but with up to 12 appointments per day, one address error would have a negative knock-on effect for all the following meetings that day.
From an environmental perspective, by matching advisors to their closest customers we can minimise wasted travel time, fuel cost and carbon emissions. Correct customer address data helps facilitate these
important savings.”
An Post in Ireland (Eire) introduced the Eircode seven years ago, giving all the 2.2 million letterbox addresses in Ireland their own unique Eircode. Before its launch, mail and parcel delivery relied on the local knowledge of the postie or courier.
Discussing how Hillarys has made use of Eircode data, Matthew continues; “Irish addresses had previously been problematic. We found that Eircode use was low before the pandemic, but Covid helped improve its use as everyone suddenly became reliant on e-commerce deliveries.
Prior to our implementation of AFD’s Eircode address lookup solution it was difficult to match advisors to a customer appointment in Ireland. As an Eircode is a unique property reference, we can now quickly find the address and be confident we are sending the closest advisor.
As the solution from AFD also returns the grid coordinates, our advisors can pinpoint the location of each appointment and help them plan journey times to stay on schedule.”
Explaining why Hillarys chose AFD as their address & data quality partners, Matthew said; “I was able to speak with an expert in address data who answered all my questions and understood the complexity around Irish data. Integrating AFD’s UK address lookup and Eircode solution was simple to do, and all interactions have been straightforward. Knowing that The Postcode People at AFD share our high standards of customer service and environmental awareness, I would recommend them to other organisations that require accurate address data.”
Hillarys rely on AFD’s postcode lookup API and Eircode lookup API to help ensure data is captured quickly and accurately. Does your organisation have challenges around capturing accurate contact data? Contact our expert team today to discuss your requirements on 01624 811711 or email postcode@afd.co.uk.
AFD’s powerful and flexible postcode API helps thousands of organisations to validate UK and international addresses in any web platform, application, front-end or back-end system.
Our developers page has further information about our postcode lookup API’s capabilities which can deliver responses in JSON, JSONP and XML. AFD’s integration options also includes prebuilt developer-free integrations containing our address validation API for popular platforms including Dynamics 365, Magento, Salesforce and Shopify.
See more information and developers guides here.
To try AFD’s address lookup API yourself, start typing an address or enter a postcode in the field below:
| Type | URL |
|---|
To respect the passing and funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, Lord of Mann, AFD’s offices will remain closed on Monday 19th September 2022.
Our monitoring of urgent emails, etc, will permit us to assist with any genuine emergency.
Please send any such request to support@afd.co.uk
God save the King!
Every evening, post offices situated in rail carriages travelled between major stations on London to Scotland rail routes from the 1880’s through to the 1930’s.
Thousands of bags, letters, and parcels were loaded on to the train, with police officers keeping a watchful eye on the high-value cargo. The mail was sorted on board the train whilst travelling between stations.
AFD was chosen by Royal Mail over a decade ago to examine, process, and deliver the primary (Postcode Address File) PAF data to all consumers of “raw” PAF. This is the data that over 40,000 organisations rely on, and it is used by millions of individuals every day across the world.
No one knows PAF better than the Postcode People at AFD, with over 420 years of combined PAF knowledge and experience helping the thousands of organisations we serve to overcome their data difficulties. AFD Software remains the best choice for resolving your address data issues.
All 31 million delivery addresses in the British Isles are recorded in the Royal Mail’s Postcode Address File – and this file is at the core of a huge range of delivery services – not only for physical products, it is also the foundation for strategic planning and delivery of key services. AFD Processes the PAF to produce a suite of files from optical character recognition data for Royal Mail sorting machines through to multiple-residency details and geolocated addresses down to a 1 metre accuracy. Organisations, including AFD itself, use this data to build products, services and systems that help to deliver parcels, route goods, register patients, identify students and a cornucopia of other applications. AFD’s own products based on this file, drive the computerised systems used by some of the biggest logistics and distribution organisations in the British Isles, not just the postal service.
Like any large database, the PAF file is constantly changing, and Royal Mail relies on AFD Software’s established expertise every month to ensure that the file is properly assembled, quality-checked and speedily shipped either electronically or on physical media. AFD also processes hundreds of daily updates to the file to ensure key organisations are fully up to date where this is critical – and in the last month alone, over 30,000 new delivery points have been added.
AFD’s address lookup API and postcode lookup API with Royal Mail data deliver rapid, accurate address validation to thousands of organisations. Contact one of our experienced data quality consultants to discuss your requirements today.
In 2019, the UK celebrated the 60th anniversary of the postcode.
We use our Postcode practically every day for online purchasing, confirming our identities, checking traffic home, arranging trips for the next day, and so on. In fact, according to a recent Royal Mail survey, some people are more likely to remember their Postcode than their birthdays and significant anniversaries! But how well do you know the Postcode’s history?
During the 1850s, when mail volumes began to rise, it became evident that a complete addressing solution would be required. Initially, this meant merely dividing London into postal districts based on the points of the compass, each with its own head office. Many of these London postal districts, such as SE and NW, are still in operation today. The method was then expanded to other important towns and cities, but it wasn’t until 1959 that Ernest Maples (pictured below), the then Postmaster General, trialled a more comprehensive postal code – the form we know today – in Norwich.
Postcode Address File and Updates
The Postcode Address File (PAF) was produced in the early 1980s and contains all of the UK’s commercial and residential addresses. Data was captured electronically, however updating the file was done on paper, which was time-consuming.
PAF is now a fully digital, integrated system that can be updated in real-time. It receives over half a million updates every year, ensuring that it remains the UK’s most accurate and up-to-date addressing database, with over 31 million deliverable UK addresses spread across almost 1.8 million postcodes.
Jul. 07, 1959 – “The Postmaster General, Mr. Ernest Marples, this afternoon visited Norwich to inspect the sorting office where eight electronic sorting machines (Elsie) have been installed. He also announced that everyone in and around Norwich is to be given a postal code and asked to use it as the last line of their postal address. This will apply to residents, firms and business houses alike – in fact, everyone whose present address includes the words ‘’Norwich, Norfolk’’. He said the people of Norwich will be the first in the world to use postal codes in this way. The object is to open the way for the automatic sorting of letters. Photo shows Mr. Ernest Marples feeding letters into one of the electronic sorting machines at Norwich today. Each of the machines costs about £15,000 and sorts 3,000 letters an hour.”
We serve thousands of organisations and a network of hundreds of partners across multiple industry sectors, enabling them to have full confidence in their contact data.