7 ways to use Loqate to create a better UX and improve your data quality

The majority of readers will know Loqate thanks to our innovative address verification service, but it may come as a surprise to some that that’s not all we do. We have an extensive range of tools that are designed to make life easier for our customers and their end users by improving UX and the quality of the data in your database.

Here are a few examples of how Loqate can help you achieve better business efficiency, improved UX, better quality data and happier customers.

Address capture: Accurate address data, fast

Ok, so this is the one that most of you will already know, but do you know the amazing benefits that our innovative real-time address verification technology can have for you and your end users?

For a start, Loqate’s type-ahead address verification reduces address entry time by 78%, which means that customers can speed through your online forms or checkout quickly and easily, helping ensure they convert.

What happens is a user begins to type, and, as they do so, accurate addresses appear, narrowing down to the user’s in just a few keystrokes… even if common typos are entered (thanks to fuzzy matching technology). The user then simply selects their address when it appears and our technology returns and completes the entire thing. This technology improves UX and results in higher conversion rates. Cool right?

We only use the best global data sources too, meaning we are able to validate addresses in over 245 countries and territories. This ensures that you have only accurate data for your customers - no matter where they are in the world.

As used by: Gymshark

Geolocation: A complete address in one tap

With mobile commerce on the up, it is vital that businesses are able to provide a mobile friendly experience. Convenience is everything in the online world and without it, keeping hold of customers long enough for them to convert is a huge challenge.

In a time where consumers are looking to click and go, we have got you covered. Our Geolocation feature is a great bolt on to address capture, eliminating the need to type at all and allowing consumers to enter their address in just one click of a button.

What does this mean for you? Well, imagine you have a large percentage of mobile users or anticipate that you soon will (after all, by 2020, more than half the world’s population will own a smartphone). When it comes to your forms, these consumers are looking for a fast, smooth experience that will enable them to go to the next stage without friction. However, long forms have exactly the opposite effect. So, looking at your address entry forms is hugely important. After all, convenience is king.

Address cleanse: A spring clean for your data, whatever the season

Poor quality, messy data is costly and is often to blame for all sorts of issues within businesses. So, what do you do if you think your database is in need of help? Cleansing your customer data is extremely beneficial as it means that thanks to the highest quality data sources available, we are able to parse, standardise, cleanse and enhance the address data in your back-office system.

Manual data checking can be time-consuming and extremely boring, but we help take the pain out of cleansing, while making sure that the data you possess is consistent and reliable, so you can reach the right customers, wherever they live and whenever you need to.

Loqate’s address cleanse tool is also really useful if you are looking to join two or more ecosystems together as it ensures that the data in both is not just accurate but formats are also standardised across each.

We are also able to transliterate. Not sure what that means? Don’t worry - I’ll explain. If you have global customer addresses in your database, this will undoubtedly be saved in the original language that the customer entered it. The problem is, if you are unable to read this language, how will you know where your customers are located? Seeing an address spelled out in a common language such as English allows you to find out. So, transliteration is where a character is taken from one alphabet and converted to another.

Geocoding: Enhancing location databases with latitude and longitude

Put simply, geocoding is where an address is converted into latitude and longitude coordinates. This provides a business or individual with accurate location data that can be found easily. So, If you work in retail, transportation, insurance or you have to calculate mileage costs for your employees, chances are you would benefit greatly from this tool. In fact it is useful for businesses in a whole range of sectors.

Typically, geocoding allows you to simplify shipping by providing the quickest route, reducing travel time and costs; calculate mileage costs, meaning you can ensure you calculate your mileage costs in accordance with HMRC regulations; encourage shoppers into your physical store with Store Finder; prevent fraud and assess risk.

As used by: Selenity

Email verification: Checking email addresses really exist

Did you know that more than 17% of email address data is incorrect, and that some of this is intentional? And at some point, over half of online users provide incorrect email data to avoid being contacted by businesses, which is a worrying statistic.

Customers provide their email addresses for a whole range of reasons, and sometimes mistakes are made (fat fingers on small devices don’t help). This can result in important communications, personal information, tickets and digital receipts not being received, which can lead to financial loss, poor and business inefficiency, but luckily there is something you can do to ensure this doesn’t happen to you.

Loqate’s email validation tool doesn’t simply check that an email address looks right, it actually checks that the email address exists and can receive incoming mail. This is essential in order to make sure you avoid bogus registrations - a common issue for many businesses.

When a customer has typed their email address, we are able to detect whether or not it is valid, and if it isn’t valid, we let your customer know then and there so that they can check and amend it before submitting to you. This means you only receive accurate email addresses and your customers receive the communications you intend them to receive.

Phone verification: Beyond checking the length of a number

Think about how many times each day we pick up our phone; they’re always in arm’s reach. And, as mentioned above, the number of mobile users is only set to rise in the next few years. So, they are a seriously powerful tool for contacting your customers. But here’s the thing: Unless you have accurate phone data, you won’t be able to reach the the prospects and customers you need to reach. Sounds simple, doesn’t it, but it’s amazing how many companies still aren’t combating poor data, and as a result are not able to successfully communicate - and are wasting a lot of money..

We all make mistakes, especially if we are entering details on small devices, so it is common that users often input a wrong digit, which can result in an invalid number. However, there is a simple remedy to this issue: Phone verification. Phone verification allows you to check that the phone numbers entered into your online forms, apps and CRM are accurate. Not only does this tool check that the phone number entered is the correct length, but also lets you identify the location of the phone number as well as the carrier. Pretty handy, huh?

So, you have the quality phone data you need to reach your customers and your customers are able to be reached - which is undoubtedly what they want if you have promised to send them a text message when their delivery is due to arrive or to remind them about an appointment or event.

As used by: Intelliflo

Property intelligence: A complete picture of a property (UK only)

What about those of you who work in home insurance, providing quotes? Sure you need to know the basics, such as name or number of the house and road of the property you’re quoting for, but how much more do you actually know?

Loqate’s property intelligence  data gives you a complete picture of a property and its surrounding area. Knowing essential information like what type of property it is, the age of that property, whether it’s prone to flooding and how many bedrooms or bathrooms it has is vital for providing the right quote, not too high, not too low. It also means that as customers are completing your insurance quote forms, they don’t need to spend forever filling out details regarding their property, because you already have the information you need. This speeds up the quote process massively and, as a result, improves UX, getting customers through to the point of conversion quicker.

As used by: Homelyfe

These are just a few of the many amazing tools Loqate offers - there are loads more that help out with your UX and data quality needs.