Address Verification

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Current revision

Address Verification compares addresses that you enter in the Order Entry, Point of Sale, and Customer Detail Information windows to an address database of U.S. and Canadian addresses. Address Verification is Web-based, providing you the most current address information available. However, because it is Web-based, you must have a working Internet connection for it to function.

Address Verification is included with Advanced Delivery in FTD Mercury. Mercury Connect customers (including those with FTD Flower Shop Essentials) also have Address Verification.

If an address is an exact match, Address Verification compares each address element, correcting any errors in your data. For example, if the address is incorrectly formatted, misspelled, or missing the 4-digit ZIP code extension, the system corrects the address.

When you press the TAB key to exit the address field, the Address Verification software attempts to find a match. If an exact match is found, the address will be verified, and if you entered a 5-digit ZIP code, it will be replaced with a 9-digit ZIP code. If Address Verification cannot find an exact match, it recommends close matches to the address that you entered. Verified addresses appear in uppercase text in Order Entry and Point of Sale.

For Canadian customers, Address Verification only verifies the first three characters of Canadian postal codes. You will therefore only see those three characters for verified Canadian addresses.

If you have delivery zones set up, the delivery zone and charge will be selected for you automatically in Order Entry and Point of Sale, based on the recipient’s postal code or location on the map.

By default, the system will prompt you with a close address match. You can change this setting so that addresses are corrected automatically without prompting you first. This setting can be changed in the FTD Mercury Configuration window (from the FTD Mercury menu bar, click Tools, then click Settings).

If an address cannot be verified (and you do not select a close match if one was suggested), you can still save and complete the order as normal. When you go to route that order in the Mercury Delivery application, the system uses its own address verification feature to try and verify the address. If the system cannot verify the address, it warns you that the address cannot be verified. If the address cannot be verified, you can still add the order to the route, however the order is not added to the delivery map and is not included in the driving instructions.

In the FTD Mercury Configuration window, there is a setting called Enable Address Verification Override. If this is selected, a Verify check box is displayed in the Recipient area in Order Entry and Point of Sale. The Verify check box allows you to selectively override address verification for orders (for example, if this is for an address that is correct, yet does not verify for a reason such as new construction).

Setting Up Address Verification

FTD Mercury Customers

Before you begin using Address Verification, you must be licensed for Advanced Delivery in Mercury Administration. If this is a new system, this should have taken place during installation. If you purchased Advanced Delivery as an upgrade, you should have received a GenNeral message from FTD enabling it on your system. To check that Address Verification is licensed on your system, go to the License option in Mercury Administration and make sure that the Address Verification component reads Valid.

Mercury Connect/FTD Flower Shop Essentials Customers

Mercury Connect (and, by extension, FTD Flower Shop Essentials) customers are already licensed for Address Verification.

Using Address Verification

In Order Entry or Point of Sale, when you enter an address, the Address Verification software attempts to find a match. If an exact match is found, the address is verified, and if you entered a 5-digit ZIP code, it is replaced with a 9-digit ZIP code.

If a close but not exact match is found, the closest matches pop up on your screen so that you can select the correct address. If there are multiple addresses found, you would highlight the correct address from the list and then click Select. If you do not want to select any of the valid addresses from the list, you can click Escape and return to the order without changing the address that you entered (the address will not be verified). If you selected an address, the new address displays for you in the address field.

If you have delivery zones set up, the delivery zone and charge are selected for you automatically in Order Entry and Point of Sale, based on the recipient’s postal code or location on the map.

If you deliver to an army base, address verification is not able to locate it because the military does not give the exact location of their bases. Since army bases have their own postal codes, you can create a delivery zone by postal code for the army base.

By default, the system prompts you with a close address match. You can change this setting so that addresses are corrected automatically without prompting you first. This setting can be changed in the FTD Mercury Configuration window (on the FTD Mercury Tools menu, click Settings.)

When the Prompt before changing a close address match is selected, the system first prompts you before changing an address to a close match. If this option is not selected, you are not prompted first if the system finds an address that is close to the address that you entered.

Canadian Addresses

Address Verification only verifies the first three characters of Canadian postal codes. If you do not provide the postal code and it is verified, you will only see those three characters for verified Canadian addresses. If, however, FTD Mercury sends an address verification request with the full six characters of the postal code, all six characters are retained if the first three characters match the postal code in the verified address.

Updating Address Verification

Beginning with FTD Mercury X3, address verification is Web-based; updates are performed automatically as new information becomes available.