A name analysis helps to avoid errors in addressing
A postal address usually consists of the street, house number, postal code, and city. It describes the physical location where a shipment is going. But to whom is a shipment or delivery addressed? That is the personal component, the name with all additions and supplements, which can vary in position and form depending on the country. Only both components together make up a complete address. A lot can go wrong, especially with the personal component, which includes first and last names, and perhaps noble and academic titles. This has a remarkably negative effect on the customer experience. Who wants to be addressed incorrectly? Name analysis provides clarity and certainty in holistic data quality management. Which is the first name and which is the last name? Which title goes with the first name? Which titles should be included in the name and where? What is the salutation key?
Increasing attention is being paid to efficient address management that meets today's requirements, especially digital ones. In particular, the selection-oriented storage of all address elements is becoming increasingly important. There are various reasons for this:
- the more personalized correspondence is handled,
- the more frequently unstructured address entry is the most efficient way of processing name fields,
- the more often the appearance of addresses has to be adapted to changing requirements and conditions,
- the more one strives to achieve the highest possible level of individualization in the address,
the more compelling becomes the need for precise knowledge of the position and meaning of each element in the name field.
This leads to the requirement for a uniformly structured and standardized address database that ensures a fixed order of the elements in a name line. Based on this objective, once address standardization has been carried out, the maintenance system of an address database should be able to analyze and position the name elements during updates and automatically assign the correct salutation key.
Name analysis is a specific task within data quality management. It aims to check and improve the quality of names in a database or data set. Names should be consistent, spelled correctly, valid, and formatted according to applicable standards and rules. To achieve this, the exact position and meaning of each name element within a data record must be identified and determined through analysis, verification, and, if necessary, (re)positioning.
Name analysis analyzes and formats the name components of your customer data in a context-sensitive manner. The name line of an address is checked and divided into its individual components, such as surname, first name, title, determination of the salutation key, prefixes, and suffixes. Lines that contain information about several people are divided into individual lines. Company or institution addresses and patterns that do not belong to the name information, such as a customer number or processing notes, are identified and provided in isolation.
Illustrated in the example – how to do it
As part of data quality management, name analysis involves typical steps such as correcting spelling mistakes, standardizing name formats, and removing unwanted characters in order to maintain a consistent, high-quality name database, for example:
Consistency check and formatting
Before: max Mustermann
After: Max Mustermann
Cleaning up special characters and symbols
Before: Mueller
After: Müller
Recognition of prepositions
e.g., von, van den, van het, della
Recognition of post-clausal words
e.g., sen. (senior), jun. (junior)
Name affixes
e.g. MdB (Member of the German Bundestag), MdL (Member of the State Parliament), RA (Attorney at Law), MBA (Master of Business Administration), B.Sc. (Bachelor of Science)
Noble title
e.g. count, countess, baron, baroness
Academic titles
e.g. Dr. (Doctor), Prof. (Professor), Mag. (Magister – AT)
Particularly in the case of aristocratic titles and academic degrees, a name analysis must be able to output the correct position of such an addition in the name. It should also be noted that there are different elements from country to country, which may not always have to be in the same position. For example, the academic title “Magister” is used in Austria, is usually abbreviated to “Mag.” and is placed before the first name. Noble titles in France include “Duc” for “duke” and ‘Marquis’ for “marquis.”
Small cause, big effect
Although the name, in all its facets, is only part of a complete address, errors here can have a major impact. These range from non-delivery (because the person is named incorrectly, for example) to annoyance about an incorrectly composed name or a salutation that does not correspond to the gender. In this respect, name analysis is an indispensable component for correct, personalized addressing, the correct processing of name information in a wide variety of customer-related processes, and for the identification and cleanup of duplicates.
If names and name components are professionally maintained in data quality management, there are numerous advantages that more than justify the use of such a tool:
Improved data quality and accuracy
Names are consistent, spelled correctly, and formatted correctly. Each component is in its proper place. This results in accurate data, which in turn makes it easier to identify duplicates.
Customer-centric approach
Precise name analysis enables personalized customer communication. Correctly spelled and formatted names help to ensure respectful and individual customer communication, which has a positive effect on customer satisfaction.
Creation of conditions for duplicate cleansing
By correctly positioning all components of a name, name analysis helps to create important prerequisites for duplicate cleansing. This, in turn, has an overall positive effect on duplication and thus on data quality as a whole.
Improved efficiency and cost savings
Manual interventions and corrections to the data are reduced. This saves working time and costs, as fewer resources are required for error correction.
Uniform database maintenance and administration
Name analysis promotes standardized database maintenance, which facilitates the management and updating of data. This supports the updating and maintenance of the database, regardless of its size.
Important component in holistic data quality management
If you want to work with fully optimized addresses, there is no way around name analysis. The ability to correctly map even complex name constructions is what separates the wheat from the chaff. Private individuals in particular pay close attention to the correct spelling of their names. After all, a name with all its additions, prefixes, suffixes, and titles is something very personal to each individual.
With Uniserv's data quality solutions in general, and name analysis in particular, you have intelligent, context-sensitive support that allows you to significantly improve the quality of your customer addresses.
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