Top Suppression Tips

One size does not fit all
Know what type of data you are dealing with. Recent, high value customer data should be treated differently to cold prospect files.

Ensure your data fields are complete
Records which contain a title, full first name and full address will minimise the chances of mismatching. The 'Mrs T Smith' who lives at WC1 won't be the same 'Mrs T Smith' residing at TN13, for example.  While data processing bureaux will have their own matching methods designed to decrease the likelihood of mismatching, ensuring that as many fields as possible are filled correctly on your database prior to cleaning should be part of your regular data 'housekeeping'.

3. Don't rely on postal returns
40% of postal returns are from consumers who have decided they don't want to receive direct mail - not that they've actually moved.  Maybe this is a good reason for removing them from your mailings - but if you profile them well and target them with other offers they actually want, they may still respond.

Higher match rates do not mean better suppression
The term 'over suppression' means the removal of prospects and customers from your database when they are still very much alive or still reside at the address on file.  It's a very common occurrence - use a suppression file without stringent verification processes and you are likely to receive a higher match rate, which will lead to you suppressing good customers and prospects unnecessarily.   Plus you will be paying your suppression provider for the privilege of removing all those live prospects.

Don't just leave it up to your supplier
Whilst your supplier will have an in-depth knowledge of what generally works best, you should interrogate their assumptions and check what they are applying is best for your data.  Ask about mismatching and how to minimise it; check that they are running deceased suppression at individual level; and request that they not use suppression files containing assumed data (or, if they are, that 'confidence levels' are indeed only 'high').

Consider your matching protocols
Choosing the right 'match level' when cleaning is also key.  I recommend that deceased suppression be run at individual level as in this way you'll be matching like-for-like between record fields. Using 'household' level, by contrast, means that anyone with the same surname living at a particular address could be flagged as deceased. Whereas gone away suppression is more likely to be matched at 'surname' level.

Consider how you access suppression services
There are a number of ways to licence or access suppression services. Most companies will use a specialist data bureau, who then charges for processing and match rate fees.  It maybe that it would be more cost effective for you to licence a suppression file via your bureau or even licence direct. For smaller mailers or one off jobs which require a fast turnaround, online may be the way to go.

Is your bureau right for you?
This is especially relevant if you are processing business data. Business data has many more matching variables than consumer files, and as such requires specialist expertise to get it just right. Failure to do so can lead to high levels of mismatching which could have a detrimental affect on your marketing campaigns. 

What suppression files does your bureaux licence?
Ask your data bureau what suppression files they licence.  Some bureaux may opt for files which provide higher match rates because they can secure more revenue.   In addition, ask them how they select their suppression file hierarchies to ensure they are not running your data first against the suppression file which gives them the highest royalty rate. This may be good for them but it's not always good for you.