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What Is CASS Certification And How It Helps Us

Generally speaking, CASS or Coding Accuracy Support System is a software which helps the Postal Services to measure the efficacy of the software which maintains the hygiene of addresses. All vendors and mailers who would like to be enabled to have the USPS evaluate the efficiency of their software which matches addresses, can be offered CASS Certification.

CASS software also helps promote and improve the accuracy of the mailers’ Zip+4 carrier route along with the 5-digit coding. It enables the vendors or mailers to test the capability of their address-matching software packages. After a certain modicum of compatibility is achieved, it is ready to be certified by the Postal Services.

The CASS Certification has to be certified annually with the USPS so as to be able to meet the requirements of the current CASS Certification. The results are then returned to the mailers/vendors to enable them to correct inaccuracies by providing them with useful diagnostic methods.

To go into the detailed workings of this software, one must first look at the benefits offered by the adoption of this software. The advantages of this software are many.

• CASS software corrects and standardizes addresses and also adds the missing elements like zip codes, cities and states to make the total address complete.

• A ‘delivery point validation’, which means, that the software can verify whether a given address is deliverable or not is also possible with this software.

• It can also bring the addresses which have been renamed or renumbered up-to-date by accessing the USPS ‘locatable address conversion system’. The correct address saves the Postal Services a lot of time, money and effort.

• The futility of non-deliverable mail, unsorted mail is reduced. Also, mail which can be delivered but requires that extra push to locate the exact location is also taken care of by this software.

• The debugging and cleaning of the mailing list is possible with this type of software.

• The USPS offers discounted postage tariffs to those who use the CASS software.

However, to be eligible for the discounted postage packages, the mailer’s address list has to be verified against the Postal Services USPS database. This verification is termed “CASS Certification” and it ensures that every address on the list can be delivered to. This certification requires some points to be cleared before being accredited by the CASS certificate. Some of them include getting the mailing list checked by the Mail Preparation Services, signing a declaration that each address on the mailing list has been checked by the USPS or the address has been mailed to within one calendar year. All addresses on each list are also required to be corrected.

A major point to keep in mind while wishing to have the mailing list totally updated and current, is to send a mailing First Class or Standard with the endorsement ‘address service requested’. In case of any addresses being incorrect, information will come from the Postal services.

CASS has certainly simplified the mailing process and the tedium and futility of incorrect or undeliverable addresses has been reduced to a large extent.

Question from a Reader – Answers in Comments

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As the number of lawyers in the United Kingdom increases, so does the demand for first rate litigation support. With the increasing demand for litigation support staff, technology has adapted to better manage the complexities of modern day litigation. 

Litigation support personnel are vital to case work efficiency and effectiveness. While attorneys continue to stay focused on the legal matters, litigation support professionals provide the technological support behind the litigator’s success. 

The legal technology market is expanding and there are now a wide range of case management systems available. Many case management products on the market are compatible with all areas of law, with applications for Convey, Crime, Matrimonial, General, Personal Injury, Probate, Wills, amongst others. Some legal software suppliers also offer online case tracking and hosting or outsourced services. 

These case management applications allow any documentation associated with a particular case to be filed electronically in one central database. Any specific documents associated with a file can be searched for and found within seconds saving time trawling through paper work. These systems also allow workflows for large number of cases to be stored in one easily accessible place. 

Email as an environment is becoming increasingly popular and even the most luddite of fee earners are inevitably working in MS OutlookTM. One software provider, DPS Software, have developed Outlook Office. This system integrates incoming and outgoing emails against cases with no user intervention. This versatile software combines case management, phone, digital dictation, task, web and text messaging with a full power document assembly engine that allows emails, letters and documents to be assembled against cases quickly and easily. 

The implementation of a fully integrated accounts system is a vital part of streamlining case management. Accounts that are associated with a particular file can be attached to a case and stored electronically. Many software suppliers offer combined case management and accounting packages, including DPS Software. 

The Cashier Accounts from DPS Software meets and exceeds the requirements prescribed by the Law Society, the Legal Services Commission (LSC) and LEXCEL, with reports that comprehensively cover all standards bodies. Reports are produced and delivered by email or printout through the system both quickly and easily. 

As a module of DPS’ One Office solution, the Cashier system is built around a single database model meaning that data can be shared throughout a business with ease. When Cashier is installed as a module of Case Management, any transaction entered into Cashier by a member of the accounts department is immediately reflected in all areas of the system, including the fee earner desktop. This aspect of the system is ideal in so far as any accounting transaction that has affected the case (credit limit exceeded, WIP limit approached) is immediately apparent to fee earners. 

Once a case management system has been implemented in a firm, the next step is to maintain the system with the latest updates and security checks. The recent weather conditions across the country have damaged homes and destroyed businesses. Faced with these conditions, businesses need to ensure that measures are in place to ensure that flooding and other such disasters do not effect their working practices. 

Hosting and Outsourced services are offered by many legal software suppliers. These services protect a firm’s IT infrastructure by carrying out maintenance and system updates off site, allowing users to carry on working as normal, safe in the knowledge that their hardware and software is taken care of. 

A Hosted service means that software which is traditionally run from a desktop PC is run over the internet in virtually the same fashion. All that is required is broadband internet access to a data centre ? other than that, users go about their work in exactly the same way. 

Hosting ensures that software is kept up to date, with the host carrying the burden of keeping hardware performance checked and maintained. In addition, the need for IT staff and expertise is removed to the hosting provider. This allows firms to capitalise on not only a wider variety of software, but also more advanced versions of hardware. This proves beneficial to firms, as they can use the same software as much larger competitors offering high levels of client service without the major upfront costs. 

Case Management and Account Solutions combined with hosting and web services, make the life of litigation support staff easier, increasing their efficiency and streamlining their working practices. 

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This video explains how there are open source free software alternatives to some of the most popular commercial software. openoffice, Firefox, Audacity, GIMP, mediacoder. Well worth a watch if you are unsure about the benefits of free software. Source: www.cnettv.com

Question from a Reader – Answers in Comments

What software development tools are available to the public for free? For legality reasons, what kinds of licensing to these software development tools have?