The Why and How of Global Name Validation

When it comes to signing up new customers, almost all forms start with the same block; name. The individual's name is a core element when creating customer personas. But, is it enough to simply have a name? Some people choose to enter only their last name while others will enter their first and last name. It would also be safe to assume that there would be some people who entered false names. Some like 'Donald Duck' might be easy to weed out but other like 'John Smith' may be a little harder to identify.

Why is it important to have the right name?

There are a number of reasons why you need to ensure that your consumers give you the right name. Key amongst them are:

• A Better Customer Experience

The name given to a person determines how he/ she will be addressed in all future correspondence. Ideally, your newsletters and emailers should never begin with "Dear Sir or Madam"... That said, addressing a person by the wrong name can create a bad impression. Similarly, when customers walk into a retail outlet, they would be happier to shop there if they were greeted by name.

• Encourage Brand Loyalty

Just as you expect your customers to remember your brand name, your customers expect you to remember theirs. In today's digital age, personalizing marketing can increase sales revenue, lead to larger purchases, etc. by making your customers feel valued. In turn, this can increases brand loyalty and become a competitive advantage for your brand.

• Optimize Marketing Campaigns

One of the ways to get people to give you their personal information and agree to receive marketing collateral is by offering something like a free eBook etc. in exchange. However, some people may enter fake names and details just to get the freebie. If you have not validated the name, you will include them in your marketing campaigns but will not get any response from them. Not only will this affect the analytics of the campaign, it will also increase your costs.

• Flag Suspicious Activity

Names that cannot be traced to real people may be considered a flag for fraudulent activity. For example, they may place fake orders only to return them without any particular reason.

Consumer Names and Maintaining Database Integrity

Given the many different languages we speak and the different ways people spell their names, validating this detail can be quite challenging. Here are a few tips.

• Standardize Name Entries

Start by standardizing how you want to store customer names in your database. To achieve this, set individual data fields for the prefix (Mr./Mrs./Ms....), first name and last name.

• Weed out Obvious Fake Names

Some names are easy to spot fakes. These could be names of celebrities, TV characters, cartoon characters, etc. these names should be highlighted at the form filling stage itself. That said, there may be the rare case where a person actually shares their name with a celebrity. After all, many parents do name their children after their favorite actors and actresses.

• Limit the Type of Elements that can be Entered

An easy way to keep potential customers from entering random characters as their name is to limit the type of characters that can be used. For example, you could design your form in such a way that it allowed only alphabets to be entered in the name field. This would keep people from entering special characters such as symbols and numbers.

• Partner with an Identity Verification Service Provider

There are a number of identity verification services that can perform a more in-depth validation. These agencies will check the names in your database along with the other personal parameters entered against global databases. For example, they may check details against the driving license records or voter records. This can help flag suspicious names. For example, an entry may be flagged if the name does not match the one on records against the address connected to it on the driving license. It can also help identify intentional or unintentional typographic errors.

In Conclusion

Knowing your customer's name is one of the key elements involved in building a strong foundation for an effective relationship with them. This works in your favor as well as the customers. By removing suspicious names with Global Name Validation by Melissa, brand personas associated with them, your brand can maintain cleaner databases with a lower risk of fraud. Simultaneously, your customers can have better, more personalized experiences every time they interact with your brand.