Address Validation Boosts Overseas Fundraising for World Muslim Federation

Worcester, United Kingdom, June 28, 2012 --(PR.com)-- A global charity for Muslims has improved its fundraising overseas by using international address validation from Postcode Anywhere in its customer management software.

The charity, the World Federation of Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Muslim Communities, uses Postcode Anywhere’s new addressing tool, Capture+, to validate international addresses from all over the world in its extensive customer database.

Sadiq Datoo, deputy secretary general for the charity, said: “We needed an international address look-up service to populate our CRM system which includes donor and partner data from all parts of the globe.

Totally different address formats

“In common with many global charities, we rely on the generosity and the philanthropy of our donors. Our telephone operatives respond to valuable calls from all parts of the world where addresses can have totally different formats from the UK.

“On top of that, our call handlers deal with calls where English may not be the first language and pronunciation can sometimes cause ambiguity over the telephone. We have to ensure we deal with calls from our overseas donors sensitively and courteously, being very mindful of differing cultural protocols.

“Having a tool like Capture+ has taken a great deal of frustration out of the whole process and gives our donors much more confidence in us as a professional organisation handling their personal data.

India, Pakistan, North Africa, North America and Europe

“The service is so intuitive across myriad complex international address formats, including those from India, Pakistan, North Africa, North America and Europe, where our beneficiaries are.

“Our operatives can simply type in any address fragment for the service to present the right address in the correct format. It even has the intelligence to read special characters and linguistic denotations.

“Our telephone operatives are much happier and more productive as it enables them to capture data quickly and accurately without having to get donors to repeat certain critical address information or spell things out.

Capture+ helps reduce keystrokes and improve accuracy

“It makes donor and operative interaction much more friendly and relaxed as the whole process is simplified. I feel it has also helped to positively influence donor perception. Our supporters have the knowledge that not only are they donating to a worthy cause, but as a charity we are being efficient with our resources.”

Postcode Anywhere’s managing director Guy Mucklow said: “Manually recording addresses over the phone is both a time-consuming and error-prone chore. When this is combined with the challenges of international character-sets, multiple address formats and unfamiliar languages, it can seem almost impossible to obtain accurate data.

"We work with lots of charities and non-profit organisations across the board so we are fully aware that every last penny counts; there is simply no room for these sorts of errors. With its one-click address auto-completion, Capture+ makes address entry faster, more efficient, and less frustrating."

No room for international address errors

“The World Federation is playing a pivotal part in raising funds for disadvantaged communities. We are proud to support them and to provide the technology which makes their job easier and more efficient.”

Capture+ is available on an annual user licence, or using pay-as-you-go credit. Installation typically takes minutes, and free customer support is available. For more information about Capture+, please visit the Postcode Anywhere website at www.postcodeanywhere.com/capture-plus.