Forward Geocoding

When you are managing different moving elements of business, the last thing you want is the hassle of searching for an address in twisted lanes and alleys. But you need an accurate address for correct delivery. The quality of your address data can impact your daily operation, marketing strategies, customer impressions, and revenue. You need a solution/software that tells the exact location of your customers so that your products and services can be delivered to the right person. Forward geocoding is one such solution. It will tell you the exact coordinates, thus saving time, and increasing efficiency. 

In this blog, we will discuss forward geocoding, its benefits, and its features. We will also learn how different industries can use forward geocoding and what role address verification plays in it. 

Key Takeaways

• Forward geocoding transforms human-readable addresses into geographical coordinates. This solution is available as software and a forward geocoding API like PostGrid.
• Forward geocoding converts addresses to coordinates, but geolocation identifies the device’s real-time position, such as that of a smartphone or laptop. 
• The difference between forward and reverse geocoding is the direction of searching. You add a physical address to get forward geocodes but in reverse geocoding, you add coordinates to get a physical address.
• Forward geocoding enhances data quality, aids logistics optimization, detects fraudulent activities, and boosts customer satisfaction.
• Businesses across industries can leverage geocoding. Whether you work in retail, insurance, telecommunication, healthcare, or financial services, forward geocoding offers diverse advantages.
• To get accurate geocodes, you need verified addresses. PostGrid’s address verification tool comes with a geocoding API that verifies and standardizes the address before providing validated geocodes.

The major distinction between forward and reverse geocoding is the direction of search. You provide a physical address as a query to a forward geocoding API and get coordinates as a result. However, in reverse geocoding, you enter the coordinates and the API provides a detailed physical address. In forward geocoding, you get latitude and longitude. But, in reverse geocoding, you get city names, postcodes, neighborhood information, country names, and so on.

When you want to plot a list of addresses and create a route, you can use forward geocoding. However, when you want to know the address of the place, like the building name, you can use reverse geocoding. Take, for instance, your delivery service can use forward geocoding for route planning. But when they arrive in your neighborhood, reverse geocoding will help pinpoint the building and apartment number. 

With PostGrid you get both forward and reverse geocoding. The dual-function capability ensures long-term usability and scalability for diverse use cases. Take, for instance, you work in a healthcare facility. Your emergency response team can use forward geocoding to reach the person in distress and reverse geocoding to know the street name, city, and postal code for quick navigation.

Enhanced Data Quality

People from different regions write addresses differently since there is no international standard. This can result in your database containing inconsistent, or even incomplete data. However, with a forward geocoder, you get exact coordinates, regardless of how you write the address. You can use the geocoded data to correct the physical addresses. 

PostGrid’s Geocoding API/solution converts addresses from your customer database into corresponding coordinates. It simplifies using data for location-based marketing, analytics, or targeting. Fortunately, PostGrid’s geocoding API also standardizes and cross-checks mailing addresses against the USPS CASS and NOCA databases.

Efficient Route Planning

Forward geocoding serves as an instrumental tool for logistics, delivery services, and transportation planning. Using the accurate coordinates, the routing optimization algorithm can identify the quickest or shortest route. This can help minimize travel time and fuel consumption. Moreover, a forward geocoding API like the one offered by PostGrid can be integrated with the GPS-enabled navigation system to provide real-time direction and re-routing. This will prevent any delay due to misdirection and enhance customer satisfaction.

Boost Customer Satisfaction

Use forward geocoding to analyze customer behavior. The insights will help you know how shopping behavior, needs, and preferences change with location. You can use this data to develop targeted marketing strategies and cater to the customer’s needs. This will make customers feel valued and it will boost engagement and satisfaction.

Fraud Detection

Many organizations use forward geocoding for detecting fraud. In every location, people have a specific shopping pattern. These organizations monitor it and in case they find inconsistencies from certain coordinates, such as multiple transitions from different areas at the same time, they can detect fraud. The forward geocoding results can thus prove instrumental in preventing identity theft.

Filters

A forward geocoding API like the one offered by PostGrid allows you to set up a filter of your choice. To narrow down your search results you can add filters like country, state, city, ZIP+4 code, and more. If you are operating in a specific region, you can add these filters to get only relevant location coordinates. This will increase the speed at which you will revert to changing customers needs and preferences and you can enhance customer experience. With our forward geocoding API that directly integrates into your CRM and other applications, you can start automatic geocoding based on your specifications. 

On-Demand Geocoding

Getting coordinates on demand is a synchronous process, which means as soon as you send a request, you will get geographical coordinates in real-time. This works for single geocoding and address verification requests. 

Batch Geocoding

Get coordinates of more than a million addresses in one go. Unlike the on-demand geocoding solution, this process is asynchronous. Once you submit batch addresses for geocoding and verification, you will get a separate API call with the results. Depending on your requirements, you can choose between on-demand or batch geocoding. 

Retail

Stores can use geocodes to segment the customer and offer them personalized products and services. Take for instance, a clothing store can use geocode to suggest certain types of t-shirts or trousers that are preferred in a particular zone. Using geocodes, retail stores can also identify which products are in high demand in which area and hence prevent stockouts in different outlets. They can also use geocodes to understand if a certain percentage of customers are coming from an underserved area. They can open new stores in those regions.

Financial Service

Geocodes can be used to understand which areas are underserved so that the banks can set up new branches or ATMs. A mortgage provider can use geocodes to analyze property location, and assess the collateral risk such as proximity to flood zones and market conditions. They can use this data to make strategic loan policies and set interest rates and premiums. 

Geocodes can also be used for credit risk analysis. Take for instance, a financial institution can leverage geocodes to understand regional unemployment rates, foreclosure trends, etc for accurate risk evaluation. A credit card company can use geocodes to send tailored offers like travel rewards to individuals living near the airport.

Real Estate

Real estate businesses can use forward geocoding to analyze the property location and understand market trends. The spatial analysis of the geographical coordinates will help identify the high-demand areas and plan new developments. They can also use it to create interactive maps that showcase the property and its proximity to schools, hospitals, and other facilities. This will help customers make a quick and informed decision. 

Additionally, they can also use it to analyze the trends that are impacting the price and demand. This will help them make an informed decision about pricing and marketing strategies. 

Insurance

Insurance companies can leverage the spatial data provided by forward geocoding to examine location-based risk factors. They can identify which region is prone to natural disasters, what is the crime rate of each area, and more. This granular risk assessment will help in creating accurate underwriting and set the right premium accordingly. Furthermore, the geocodes can also help identify high-claim areas so that the insurance company can adjust prices accordingly. 

Moreover, during claim processing, insurance companies can use geocodes to verify that the person claiming the insurance lives where they are claiming to be and is not trying to get more money than what they are entitled to.

Healthcare

Geocodes can help a hospital network map patient addresses and analyze underserved areas. They can use this data to create new facilities for communities with limited healthcare facilities. In case of an emergency, hospitals can use geocoding to direct ambulances to the accident site, minimizing response time and saving lives. Geocoding can also be helpful to healthcare providers in situations of a high flu. They can use it to identify areas with high infection rates and prioritize vaccine distribution accordingly.

Marketing

You can use the geocodes to segment customers according to the local culture, needs, preferences, and shopping behavior. This will help you create tailored marketing strategies that will yield a positive result, and drive conversion. 

Geocodes can also be used to perform competitor analysis and offer services at a competitive price. It can also be used to analyze the geographic reach and ROI of a campaign to understand in which area was the campaign most effective.

Telecommunications

A telecommunication company can use geocodes to identify areas with poor network coverage and customer complaints. They can use it to prioritize tower installations in those areas. By mapping customer’s locations through geocodes, the company can optimize the technician’s route for installing and repairing equipment efficiently. The geocodes can also be used to evaluate the demand for the service in different regions and strategically expand the service.

The data you get from a forward geocoding system is only as good as the data you add to it. This is why the geocoding API you choose should have an in-built address verification system. If a geocode provider does not verify the before providing coordinates, it will generate results for addresses that do not exist. Using this data will lead to misdelivered shipments, marketing segmentation challenges, and missed sales opportunities. 

This is why you should invest in PostGrid’s address verification solution that comes with a geocoding API. Before generating the geographical coordinates, the solution will verify, and standardize the data against USPS and NCOA databases at the point of entry to ensure you only get coordinates of accurate and recent addresses.  

PostGrid offers a geocoding API as a part of its address verification tool. Whether the entered address is incomplete, unformatted, or inaccurate, our solution will provide valid and deliverable geographical coordinates. Aside from forward and reverse geocoding, we offer rooftop geocoding. You can use this to get the exact address of the customer, down to their rooftop, thus enhancing delivery accuracy. 

We are CASS certified, hence all our coordinates are determined using the USPS database. This will ensure that you get accurate and recent geocodes for every address. If you are curious to know how we work, request a demo now.