Why validated addresses matter

• Fewer returned envelopes
  Returned mail means double printing, double postage, and delays. Validation catches typos, incomplete fields, and undeliverable addresses before mail leaves your office.

• Standardized formatting for every list
  A standardized address enables cleaner deduplication and better list hygiene. That improves segmentation, deliverability, and reporting.

• Faster fulfillment and service recovery
  Teams stop chasing fixes after something fails. They work from correct, mail-ready data the first time.

• Better brand experience
  Time sensitive items that arrive when promised build trust. That trust compounds across client relationships and donor programs.

How we built the USPS validation inside HubSpot

We implemented validation as a lightweight, repeatable workflow using HubSpot Data Hub and a custom coded action.

Workflow overview

1. Trigger
   Enroll contacts when any of the following change: Street address, City, State, Postal code. You can also enroll new records on creation.

2. Custom coded action

   • Language: Python 3.9

   • Inputs from the enrolled contact: saddress, city, state, zip

   • Secrets: usps_client_id, usps_client_secret (stored securely in HubSpot)

   • Call: USPS API to validate and standardize

   • Returns to HubSpot:

     • usps_validated (Yes or No)

     • std_street, std_city, std_state, std_zip

     • validation_status_msg for debugging

3. Preserve the original
   Write the original street value to orig_streetaddress so you have an audit trail.

4. Update the record
   Overwrite the visible address fields with the USPS standardized outputs. Set USPS Validated to Yes when appropriate.

5. Reporting
   Build a simple report by lifecycle stage and owner that shows: percentage validated, number of non-validated contacts, and top reasons from validation_status_msg.

Why this approach works

• No external middleware to maintain.

• Secrets keep your USPS credentials out of code snippets and exports.

• It is fully transparent. Your team can see the original and the standardized value side by side.

Checkout this video walking through how it works!

Expected ROI: a practical model you can copy

Use the framework below with your own numbers. I will show a sample calculation with realistic but conservative assumptions.

Define inputs

• Annual mail volume: V pieces

• Baseline return rate before validation: R0

• Return rate after validation: R1

• Postage and materials per piece: C_mail

• Staff handling time per returned piece: T_minutes

• Fully loaded hourly cost for staff: C_hour

Compute costs

1. Returned pieces before validation
   Returned0 = V × R0

2. Returned pieces after validation
   Returned1 = V × R1

3. Hard cost of wasted mail saved
   Savings_mail = (Returned0 − Returned1) × C_mail

4. Labor time saved
   Convert minutes to hours: T_hours = T_minutes ÷ 60
Savings_labor = (Returned0 − Returned1) × T_hours × C_hour

5. Total annual savings
   Total_savings = Savings_mail + Savings_labor

6. Investment
   Combine Lloyd Solves implementation plus your annual USPS API usage and any HubSpot tier deltas. Call this Investment.

7. ROI
   ROI = (Total_savings − Investment) ÷ Investment

Worked example

• V = 5,000 pieces per year

• R0 = 8 percent return rate before validation

• R1 = 2 percent after validation

• C_mail = 1.10 dollars per piece

• T_minutes = 4 minutes to research, correct, and reprocess

• C_hour = 25 dollars per hour

• Investment = 5,000 dollars all-in for year one

Step by step

1. Returned0 = 5,000 × 0.08 = 400 pieces

2. Returned1 = 5,000 × 0.02 = 100 pieces

3. Savings_mail = (400 − 100) × 1.10 = 300 × 1.10 = 330 dollars

4. T_hours = 4 ÷ 60 = 0.0667 hours
   Savings_labor = 300 × 0.0667 × 25
0.0667 × 25 = 1.6675
300 × 1.6675 = 500.25 dollars

5. Total_savings = 330 + 500.25 = 830.25 dollars

6. ROI = (830.25 − 5,000) ÷ 5,000 = −0.83395 or negative in year one with these exact inputs

What this tells us

• The example used a small mailing volume and conservative costs.

• ROI becomes positive quickly as volume, baseline return rate, or cost per piece rises.

• In many firms we see larger mail volumes, higher waste rates, and staff time well above 4 minutes per piece once reprints are included.

Sensitivity scenarios

If any one of the following is true, the math flips:

• Volume is 20,000 pieces with the same rates

  • Returned0 = 1,600, Returned1 = 400, savings in mail = 1,200 × 1.10 = 1,320, labor savings = 1,200 × 1.6675 = 2,001, total savings = 3,321, ROI with 5,000 investment becomes (3,321 − 5,000) ÷ 5,000 = −0.3358. Still negative, so adjust two drivers.

• Keep 20,000 pieces and raise C_mail to 1.90 and T_minutes to 6

  • T_hours = 0.1, labor savings = 1,200 × 0.1 × 25 = 3,000

  • Mail savings = 1,200 × 1.90 = 2,280

  • Total savings = 5,280

  • ROI with 5,000 investment becomes (5,280 − 5,000) ÷ 5,000 = 0.056, or 5.6 percent

• Many legal and healthcare mailrooms report baseline return rates above 10 percent for legacy lists. If R0 = 12 percent and R1 = 2 percent at 20,000 pieces with C_mail = 1.90 and T_minutes = 6, then:

  • Returned0 = 2,400, Returned1 = 400, delta = 2,000

  • Mail savings = 2,000 × 1.90 = 3,800

  • Labor savings = 2,000 × 0.1 × 25 = 5,000

  • Total savings = 8,800

  • ROI with 5,000 investment becomes (8,800 − 5,000) ÷ 5,000 = 0.76, or 76 percent in year one

Soft benefits that are real money

• Faster receivables when invoices arrive on time

• Fewer complaint calls and make-goods

• Sharper analytics since address fields are normalized

• Better list match to shipping and third-party services

Implementation checklist you can reuse

• Create a Data Hub workflow on Contact enrollment.

• Add a custom coded action in Python 3.9.

• Configure Secrets for USPS credentials.

• Map inputs: street, city, state, zip.

• Parse the USPS response and return standardized fields and a validated flag.

• Preserve the original address in a separate property for audit.

• Overwrite address fields with standardized values and set USPS Validated.

• Build reports and a list of contacts where validation failed.

• Train your team and document the edge cases such as suites and PO Boxes.

What success looks like in 30 days

• At least 90 percent of active contacts carry a USPS Validated value.

• Your non-validated list is owned by operations for cleanup.

• Mailing returns drop in the next campaign.

• A simple dashboard shows validation rate by owner and lifecycle stage.

• Finance confirms less reprint and postage waste.

Ready to see it in your HubSpot portal?

We install, document, and train your team so value sticks. If you want validated, standardized addresses running in your firm, email hello@lloydsolves.com or use the link below to book a call and we will walk you through the next steps.