How Does Swiss Post Address Validation Work

Swiss Post Address Validation: Everything to Know About it

According to Mordor Intelligence, the value of the ecommerce market in Switzerland is $18.76 billion. It is estimated to grow to $35.67 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 13.71%.

As ecommerce sales increase, the need for incorporating a solid address validation solution rises. Brands plan on using a mechanism to help them cross-verify all delivery addresses before shipping orders to clients. However, they also need accurate address data for other purposes, like data management, decision-making, marketing, etc. Furthermore, they can use this information to mail transactional and compliance documents.

Swiss Post address validation allows businesses to ensure all mailing items go to the correct destinations in Switzerland. It helps reduce return mailpieces and the need to pay postal surcharges.

This blog discusses things you need to know about Swiss Post address validation, including its meaning, how it works, its limitations, and more. Let’s dive in!

Key Takeaways:

Swiss Post address validation allows you to cross-verify whether your delivery addresses are correct and deliverable.
You can use its address assistant to autocomplete addresses or get access to the street directory with or without the geocoding data based on your needs.
Insurance, real estate, healthcare, logistics, retail, and other businesses can use Swiss Post address validation to send mail to their intended recipients without delivery issues.
Though helpful, Swiss Post’s address-checking tool has many limitations, like restricted coverage, high costs, and low speed.
You can use an alternative, like PostGrid’s address verification API, to get more accurate and prompt results for national and international records.

What is Swiss Post Address Validation?

It is part of Swiss Post’s business solutions to enable businesses to check, validate, and update delivery addresses. This service lets you confirm whether your customer addresses are complete and accurate, ensuring you can send your items via the postal services without hassles.

Swiss Post will provide a free address analysis if you send it a list of the mailing addresses you want to check or validate. The analysis will then tell you how many records need cleansing or updating and provide a quotation accordingly.

Swiss Post offers businesses a REST/SOAP API to integrate into their websites or other platforms. Thus, you can get movers’ data and detailed logs for every address and ensure your records match the post office. If not, it helps you make the necessary changes.

Furthermore, Swiss Post address validation keeps you from accepting fraudulent transactions with non-existent customers. This data lets you immediately check whether an address is approved and approve or block transactions. Apart from address data, the Swiss postal services help you access postcodes, geocodes, street information, municipality numbers, sorting data, etc. Incorporating these details into your system enables you to make informed marketing and other business decisions. You can also leverage them to conduct location-based marketing and other initiatives.

How Does Swiss Post Address Validation Work?

Swiss Post segregates its address validation services into three parts:

Address Assessment

It ensures you only have correct and deliverable records in your CRM, helping you send consignments to the intended recipients. Under assessment, you get an address assistant, which allows you to check individual mailing addresses for free on the postal web service. You may build the interface into POS systems, call center modules, etc., to stop incorrect records from entering your CRM.

Also, the address assistant helps your employees autocomplete new addresses as they start typing them in. It allows them to capture new customer details without making any manual errors. This tool automatically validates the street name, town, house number, and postcode as the user enters this information on your platform.

Swiss Post maintains its database with records collected from 12,000 delivery staff members. Nearly 450,000 houses in the Principality of Liechtenstein and Switzerland provide the postal service with their relocation information annually. Moreover, 2,200 municipalities collaborate with Swiss Post to determine house numbers and street names.

The address assistant uses this data to autocomplete delivery addresses on your system. You get a list of suggestions after typing, letting you quickly select the right one. The best part is that you can use such address autocomplete functionalities free of cost because Swiss Post freely offers the address assistant tool to all. Please note that it does not sell, rent, or lease its addresses.

The other option is Swiss Post address verification, which allows you to check individual and batch addresses, unlike the address assistant. It is more advanced than the assistant because it checks for personalized and non-personalized address aspects. You can validate the recipient’s first and last name and other elements, like postcode, town, street, etc. However, you must contract with Swiss Post to use this feature.

Private and Business Address Verification

This feature lets you confirm whether the address matches the recipient or company name. If not, you can get the correct and most recently updated addresses. This tool works almost the same way as the address assistant, checking whether the postcode, town, street name, and house number are accurate. However, you can ensure you have the recipient/organization name and the delivery address correct to avoid sending mail to the wrong recipients.

Also Read: Deutsche Post Address Validation

Update and Maintain Addresses With Swiss Post

Swiss Post address validation provides address maintenance services to help organizations update addresses to:

Send transactional postal mail, orders, etc., to current customers.
Reactivate old customers by sending marketing direct mail.

Imagine you have 10,000 customer records in your database, but 5,000 are from three to six years ago. You cannot risk sending mailpieces to such outdated records and want to update them. Swiss Post’s address maintenance tool is handy in this case, letting you check between one and 300,000 Swiss addresses.

The tool identifies and modifies old addresses, recognizes and corrects incorrect spellings and typos, and ensures the addresses are deliverable. You can request that Swiss Post store the database to access whenever needed.

Businesses can use the address maintenance tool via web service to update large-scale mailing lists in their CRMs. They can integrate the web service into their system to automatically make changes daily. The tool ensures all shipments have the correct delivery details, helping them arrive safely and promptly.

Move Notifications

This service lets you quickly update your address list with movers’ new addresses. After submitting an online change of address, customers can click on your logo to inform you directly about their move. Doing this allows them to share their new address with you. Swiss Post then sends you these updated addresses every day. You can get these notifications through the same system if you already use an address maintenance web service.

Also Read: Best Address Verification Software

Address Data Acquisition and Geodata

Swiss Post can help you improve logistics, marketing, and sales processes and make smarter decisions using location data.

Swiss Post maintains the “Street Directory,” which includes all street, plot, and hamlet names in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. This directory is updated regularly, and businesses can access it with extra details like GPS coordinates or municipality numbers. You can invest in any of the following directories:

Street Directory (Sorting Data)

Swiss Post’s free street directory lists the addresses of all buildings that receive mail in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, along with sorting details.

It is updated regularly and helps check if customer addresses are valid for mailing. The data does not include first or last names. It allows businesses to sort large mail batches in advance, saving you money.

This free directory is updated every 14 days to stay current. You can verify address details like street, house number, postcode, and town (but not personal names). You can also use the sorting data to organize your mail for faster delivery and get a discount from Swiss Post.

You can download the latest “Street Directory with Sorting Data” from the “Address and Geodata” online service at no cost. Just log in with a Swiss Post user account.

Street Directory (Geocodes Including Altitude Information)

This directory includes address details and geographic data, such as longitude, latitude, and altitude, for all buildings that receive mail in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Swiss Post updates this information regularly.

How you can use it:

Integrate it into your geographic information systems (GIS) to display building addresses on digital maps.
Analyze locations for better decision-making in site selection, logistics, or customer mapping.

Another helpful option is the Swiss Post’s digital postcode map, which provides area or point data for four—and six-digit postcodes in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Street Directory (Municipality Numbers)

It includes address details and a link to the building’s municipality number, which the Swiss Federal Statistical Office assigns and regularly updates for Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

How to Order These Directories

You can order the directories (paid service) from the Address Competence Center at address-maintenance@swisspost.ch. Once ordered, you can download it from the “Address and Geodata” online service.

Also Read: Bulk Batch Address Verification Services

Who Can Use Swiss Post Address Validation?

Swiss Post address validation is helpful to any business that wants to check whether specific delivery addresses are accurate. Companies can use it to send marketing items, transactional documents, compliance reports, and more. Many also use the tool to send orders to buyers who bought their products online.

The use cases can differ from company to company based on what products and services they offer. Here are some examples:

Healthcare

Healthcare service providers, tech providers, health insurance companies, and other businesses use precise address data for:

Sending marketing mail to prospects and clients.
Maintaining an updated database to make business decisions.
Mailing healthcare-related documents, like diagnostic test reports, consent forms, etc.
Sending bills, statements, and other transactional mail.
Registering new clients.

Example: A healthcare CRM provider can use Swiss Post address validation to ensure only genuine people register for demonstrations. The tool can tell them whether an address is existent and valid, allowing the company to block fake registrations.

Insurance

These companies receive thousands of sign-ups daily, making Swiss Post address validation necessary. They can check new client records on the spot to ensure only correct data enters their system. This tool can also help them send client welcome letters, updates, regulatory notices, and other mail items to valid delivery addresses.

Swiss Post allows insurance companies in Switzerland to communicate with their clients hassle-free. They can capture precise data to process claims and perform other operations. Also, they can use address verification to validate locations before approving or rejecting new policies. It helps them with risk assessment, underwriting, and more.

Example: A property insurance firm can conduct address validation to analyze the location before approving a policy application. It allows the company to confirm whether the area is flood or storm-prone and how much premium they should charge.

Retail and Ecommerce

These businesses require Swiss Post address validation to send their orders to the correct recipients. It would be more helpful if Swiss Post were their delivery partner. Please note that many companies get a commercial mailing permit from the postal services to send large-volume parcels and envelopes at lower rates.

Thus, retail and ecommerce companies use Swiss Post’s address verification tool to check if the delivery addresses are valid as per the official street directories. If not, they can make the required changes beforehand. It enables the brands to keep up with the estimated delivery dates they have promised their customers.

Example: An online clothing store can use Swiss Post’s address assistant to autocomplete addresses when typing them. This would ensure that the brand’s employees don’t make manual mistakes when processing customer orders.

Real Estate

Agents and real estate agencies use location data to communicate accurate property details with clients. They might also need to run Swiss Post address validation before creating “to sell” and “to buy” listings on different websites.

Furthermore, real estate businesses must verify the addresses before sending people to a property to inspect or conduct an open house. It is always better to ensure an address exists before forwarding the details to clients.

Example: A realtor contracts with a local landlord who owns tens of houses in the neighborhood and wants to find tenants. Swiss Post address validation can help them validate these home addresses before putting up the details on their website.

Also Read: International Address Verification API

Swiss Post Address Validation Limitations

While Swiss Post address validation offers many benefits, it also comes with limitations that businesses should consider. Below are some of the primary drawbacks to know about:

High Costs

One of the biggest challenges with Swiss Post address validation is its cost. Small businesses or startups may find the pricing too high for their budget, especially if they don’t handle many addresses. Imagine a small ecommerce store struggling to justify the expense if they only process a limited number of orders monthly. The costs can also add up for larger businesses that validate addresses frequently, making it a significant expense over time.

Does Not Use Fuzzy Address Data Matching

The tool does not support fuzzy matching, which means it cannot interpret or fix misspellings, typos, swapped characters, incorrect formats, etc. For example, if a customer accidentally types “Zuric” instead of “Zürich,” the system may fail to recognize the intended location.

This limitation can result in missed opportunities, delivery errors, or manual corrections. Businesses handling large volumes of customer-entered data may find this daunting and time-consuming, as they might need additional software or manual efforts to address such issues.

Not Recommended for Using Global Address Data

Swiss Post address validation is designed exclusively for Swiss addresses, making it unsuitable for businesses with global operations. Companies serving clients in other countries and territories must use a separate tool to validate international addresses. They need a solid mechanism that gives them the required results irrespective of the language, country, and format.

Low Reliability in Complex Scenarios

Although Swiss Post address validation works well in most cases, it may not always perform perfectly in complex scenarios. For example, addresses with unusual formats, missing details, or recent changes (like newly constructed buildings or renamed streets) might not be validated accurately. It could lead to errors or delays, especially for businesses that rely on precision, like logistics companies or healthcare providers.

Hence, businesses must have a backup process to handle such situations. They can also use another reliable address verification tool, like PostGrid, to get accurate and updated results.

Only Checks Switzerland Addresses

Swiss Post address validation only works for addresses within Switzerland. It can affect businesses operating internationally or shipping to customers in multiple countries. For example, an online retailer with customers in Germany, France, or Italy cannot use this postal tool to validate those global addresses.

Dependency on Regular Updates

Address validation accuracy depends on regular database updates. If the tool isn’t updated frequently, it may not reflect changes like new postal codes, renamed streets, or updated regions, leading to incorrect results. Businesses relying on Swiss Post address validation should ensure the service is consistently maintained to avoid such issues.

Limited Features Beyond Validation

Swiss Post address validation focuses on verifying address accuracy, which might not be enough for some businesses. For example, it doesn’t offer additional features like address enrichment or advanced data cleansing that some companies may require.

Businesses looking for a more comprehensive solution may need to combine it with other tools, which could increase the overall cost and complexity.

Might Not Recognize Rural Locations Not Existent in the Swiss Post Database

Swiss Post uses its internal database to verify addresses. If a rural location is missing from the database or hasn’t been updated recently, the tool might fail to validate it correctly. Newly built homes or remote farm addresses may not appear in the system, leading to rejected or inaccurate results. It can create problems for delivery companies or government agencies serving rural areas.

Inconsistent Results for Older or Historical Addresses

The tool may struggle with older or historical addresses that are no longer active or have been renamed. For instance, if a street name changed ten years ago, the system might fail to validate it properly unless the postal service updates it in the database. Insurance companies, legal firms, or other companies dealing with outdated address records can face issues verifying past transactions or customer data.

Limited Adaptability for Custom Business Needs

Swiss Post address validation is a standard tool and might not be flexible enough to meet unique business requirements. For example, a logistics company looking to integrate specific delivery route optimizations or custom workflows might find the tool insufficient. Since it focuses primarily on address checking, businesses requiring advanced customization may need to look for other options.

Swiss Post Address Validation Better Alternative

Since Swiss Post has many drawbacks might not be the best solution for your business. Based on your budget, requirements, and objectives, you can consider other options. One such alternative is PostGrid’s address verification API and dashboard.

It offers national and international coverage, helping you validate addresses from any country. Thus, you don’t have to restrict yourself or send shipments abroad without verifying the delivery addresses. Also, you can integrate PostGrid API into your website, CRM, or another platform to suit your needs. There are no restrictions on how you want to use PostGrid.

Many businesses use our online dashboard to log in whenever needed and from any device. It makes it convenient for companies that work remotely or need a more flexible address verification method than Swiss Post. You can also download PostGrid software into your device, import the address records, and validate them. The deployment option entirely depends on you—the validated results appear the same way, irrespective of it.

Swiss Post vs PostGrid Address Validation

Parameters	Swiss Post	PostGrid
Purpose	It helps people and businesses check whether a delivery address is valid and exists in the postal database.	It parses, standardizes, and validates addresses for accurate mailings, database management, marketing, and other reasons.
Coverage	Swiss Post only maintains a database for domestic mailing addresses.	PostGrid provides address verification for 250+ countries, which means its coverage is comparatively massive.
Geocoding	It provides geocode data for Swiss addresses at some level.	It offers rooftop and reverse geocoding for all national and international addresses verification.
Speed	It works promptly for checking addresses in small volumes, but validating them in large volumes is time-consuming.	PostGrid can check up to a million addresses within two hours.
Pricing	Businesses might find accessing Swiss Post’s address verification functionalities quite expensive.	PostGrid offers address verification for highly affordable prices and has different pricing plans to help companies select one based on their needs.

PostGrid: Your Address Cleansing and Verification Partner

PostGrid’s address verification API is the fastest, most accurate, and most reliable solution. It allows you to standardize the mailing addresses according to the destination country’s postal guidelines. For example, if you want to check a Swiss address, PostGrid ensures it matches the Swiss Post regulations. Otherwise, it automatically modifies the addresses accordingly.

Imagine you want to check hundreds of thousands of delivery addresses. PostGrid helps you reduce manual effort and validate addresses online to get the most precise results. In addition to standardization, we also offer address autocomplete. It identifies the location with only a few user keystrokes and gives you a list of suggested addresses.

The best part is that we offer 24/7 customer assistance, low costs, and high accuracy. Hence, you can occasionally update your databases and ensure all mailers reach the correct recipients.

Swiss Post Address Validation

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