Address Validation Helps Car Care Company Wax Profitable

Worcester, United Kingdom, March 25, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Aberdeenshire car care company Polished Bliss reaches a landmark half-million-pound turnover this month. The company credits an internet presence, backed up by customer service, as “essential” for growth.

Polished Bliss also cites address validation technology as one of the necessary tools for successful business development.

Founder and marketing director Richard Cooper said: “We needed an internet presence in order to grow the business. Potentially we had a huge market - anyone with a car and a passion for looking after it. Our ethos goes beyond merely selling car care products: it includes educating people to get the best results.

“We’ve reached the half a million pounds turnover milestone in just over five years of trading: quite an achievement for a small team of just six people. The ubiquity of today's online ‘social space’ can be a great referral tool, but conversely it can expose you to negative consumer generated content, so delivering the best levels of customer service is essential.

“Address accuracy was quite a challenge, particularly as we grew so quickly. There is always a danger of making mistakes when entering details onto the system and you have to trust the customer is giving you the right information. Basically we needed to mitigate any data transfer errors. It is also essential to provide our couriers with accurate address data.

“Postcode Anywhere was recommended to us by our web designers, Green Jersey, and also by Actinic, whose software we use to run our website. It ticked all the boxes and it was extremely easy to integrate, which helped us to streamline our processes.

“Before using UK address validation, we were experiencing five to ten addressing-related errors per month. It was costing between £5 and £6 to reschedule each item, on top of the admin time it took to rectify delivery errors. In addition to all of this, further time was being taken up apologising to unhappy customers. I would estimate this cost us at least £1,000 per year, not including secondary costs which can have quite an impact on profit margins.

“You have to take into account the reputation damage a failed delivery can cause. It’s unquantifiable, but equally important. You also risk alienating your customers so they do not return. I think address validation has become a given. Visitors benefit from reduced keystrokes, and it makes ordering products more convenient and minimises erroneous deliveries. We have never had occasion to use Postcode Anywhere’s technical support desk, which speaks volumes.

“We are really impressed with Postcode Anywhere’s address validation. It is quick, easy, efficient and cost-effective. It definitely adds kudos to our website and has helped us to save money and enhance our online presence.”

Postcode Anywhere’s managing director Guy Mucklow said: “Making things easier for your customers is only one half of the story. Just one missed letter in a postcode can spell the difference between Manchester and Milton Keynes. You might consider it the ‘fault’ of the customer for mistyping their details, but when they don’t have their order, or you find you can’t contact them, it’s no use pointing out this irony! Quite simply, they won’t be coming back.

“Accurate contact data is incredibly important for any business, and address validation ensures this data is 100% correct going in. Polished Bliss is a fantastic example of a company which has successfully married a bricks-and-mortar business with sophisticated online lead generation. Address look-up is a discreet but vital function for this, something their rapid growth is testament to.”

Polished Bliss has been using Postcode Anywhere to provide address auto-fill since February 2010. The business was set up in January 2005 in Kintore, Aberdeenshire by marketing director Richard Cooper and finance director Angela Cooper. To find out more about Polished Bliss, see the website at www.polishedbliss.co.uk. For more information about Postcode Anywhere’s range of cost-saving services for small business, please visit www.postcodeanywhere.com.

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Media contact for Postcode Anywhere
Jim Williams – PR Manager, Postcode Anywhere
jim@postcodeanywhere.com
+44 (0) 1905 888 570

Press centre at: http://www.postcodeanywhere.com/press
Press Pack download: http://www.postcodeanywhere.com/assets/PDFs/press-pack-2010.pdf

Notes to Editors:

About Postcode Anywhere

Postcode Anywhere supplies software and services which improve the day-to-day operations of over 8,000 organisations worldwide. Best known as a provider of address auto-fill and verification software, the company offers a range of data-driven services, including route planning, customer profiling and bank account validation. It is now the fastest-growing reseller of Royal Mail’s Postcode Address File (PAF®) and the market leader for online address auto-fill. A multi-award-winning organisation, it has also appeared in Deloitte’s European fast-growth technology company list for three years running. For more information about Postcode Anywhere, please visit www.postcodeanywhere.com.

Recent Awards and Recognition for Postcode Anywhere

• Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA 2008/9, 2009/10 & 2010/11
• Red Herring Top 100 Europe - 2010
• Best Small IT Supplier of the Year - UK IT Industry Awards (finalist) – 2009
• Dell Small Business Excellence Award (UK finalist) – 2009
• Small-Medium Sized Business of the Year (regional finalist) - National Business Awards 2009
• Orange Best Use of Technology (Midlands) - 2008 National Business Awards
• Growth Business of the Year - Chamber Awards 2008
• Small Business of the Year - Chamber Awards 2008
• Customer Service Team of the Year (finalist) - National Customer Services Awards 2008