Insights Library

Powerful Ideas. Practical Applications. Holon Thinking in Action

At Holon Insights, we believe knowledge should be shared—not siloed. That’s why we’ve made our whitepapers, articles, and case studies available to you at no cost. These are the same frameworks we use when consulting with leading enterprises, solving million-dollar workflow inefficiencies, grounding AI systems with postal data, and designing ecosystems that actually learn.

From optimizing return mail and securing USPS incentives to building data governance models that drive enterprise trust, each piece is packed with actionable content grounded in Holon Theory. You’ll see how we connect the dots—from Intake to Feedback, from strategy to savings—with systems that are more than the sum of their parts.

Explore these resources freely—and when you're ready to transform your organization, we're here to help you build a smarter, holonic system from the inside out.

💡 Access. Read. Apply. Then call us when you’re ready to go beyond linear thinking.

Cutting UAA (yellow stickers) in Government Mail

A Holon™ Playbook to Protect Funding, Compliance, and People

by Lori Joyner-Swetlin

Executive summary

Many government programs see 7–10% Undeliverable-As-Addressed (UAA) on critical notices. That burns postage, labor, and worse, causes missed deadlines, procedural terminations, and with the new big beautiful bill —funding risk. USPS network changes have lengthened letter delivery in many lanes, so the old “receive + mail back within 7–10 days” loop often fails.

Holon™ approach: Treat each step as a part-within-a-whole—Intake, Composition, Address Hygiene, Sortation, Print/Digital Output, Finishing, Distribution, Feedback—and wire them to learn from each other. Combine IMb® scan intelligence with Smart Codes (QR tokens) so each letter can trigger a secure, case-bound mobile upload, turning exceptions into prevention.

What you get in 90 days

• Automatic address corrections flowing from NCOALink® (48-month where permissible), ACS™, and IMb® scans

• “Live-in” confidence: deliverable and the person still lives there (DPV + COA + first-party activity + permitted private corroboration)

• Secondary-unit enforcement to prevent “missing APT/SUITE” UAAs

• Smart Code uploads so recipients respond the day they read the letter—no return envelope needed

• Data governance aligned to the Federal Data Strategy (ethical governance, conscious design, learning culture)

Why UAA is spiking

• Secondary-unit strictness: If an APT/STE is required and missing, carriers aren’t expected to guess.  Retirement and route switches are high, we can’t count on carrier knowledge to get a mail piece to its final destination if it isn’t addressed correctly. 

• Operational pressure: Fewer ad-hoc fixes; standards dominate. Carriers are timed for efficiency. 

• Program exposure: Can’t reach people → missed compliance deadlines → avoidable churn and cost.

The Holon™ workflow (8 parts that learn together)

1) Intake * The Gateway

Capture complete, validated addresses (APT/STE/UNIT), phone/email with consent, and source-of-truth + provenance. Enforce multi-unit capture when DPV flags it. Add address correction services to web portals, forms, IVR, and agent desktops. Get it right up front.

2) Composition * The Shape-Shifter

Personalize letters and compose a Smart Code that deep-links to the case (“Scan to upload / confirm / pay”). Build digital + physical versions at the same time and route by preference and policy (email/SMS/portal + USPS letter with IMb® to enable tracking via Informed Visibility®).

3) Address Hygiene * The Accuracy Guardian

Two questions:
A) Deliverable? Run CASS/DPV down to secondary units.
B) “Live-in”? Use NCOALink® (up to 48 months where allowed), ACS™ reason codes, and permitted private corroboration. Elevate first-party signals (returns, portal updates, authenticated calls) as authoritative. The data owner retains responsibility for updates—don’t rely on presort partners to write back address changes.

Policy detail: Enforce Pub 28 secondary-unit capture in portals/IVR/agent scripts for addresses known to require it.

4) Sortation * The Postal Strategist

Select the correct STID in the IMb® to enable the ACS™ option you want (electronic, no paper). Where eligible and enrolled, use USPS Secure Destruction for returned pieces that would otherwise be routed back physically. 

5) Print/Digital Output * The Decision Point

Default to hybrid outreach where allowed. Bind the piece to the case with machine-readable codes for inserting and inbound automation. Print near destination (distributed print / drop-ship) to reduce in-mail time. Track USPS promotions for potential 4–7% postage savings when applicable (e.g., Informed Delivery®).

6) Finishing * The Closer

Ensure IMb® on every piece (and on return vehicles like BRE/BRM when used). Add clear APT/STE REQUIRED prompts when data flags multi-unit risk. Expose mailing reports/feeds to operations and caseworkers.

7) Distribution * The Mover

Monitor via Informed Visibility®; predict returns and trigger proactive steps. For high-risk items (cards, checks, EOBs), send “check your mailbox” notices via email/SMS to reduce fraud and improve satisfaction.

8) Feedback * The Learning Engine

Convert ACS™, IV scans, Smart Code uploads, portal updates, and call-center notes into events that flow back to Intake and auto-sync into CRM/case/print systems. Build near-real-time views for client services. Create automations based on reason codes (vacant, deceased, forwardable).

Smart Codes: binding letters to secure responses

• IMb® ties USPS events (delivery/return/ACS™) to the exact record.

• QR Smart Code = secure token + deep link to the case page. Recipient scans → uploads proof → content ingests directly to the system of record (e.g., OnBase) with the right case key—no mail-back delay, no manual matching.

Timing reality under DFA

More First-Class letters move on ground transportation, often adding days vs. prior norms. A fixed 7–10-day mail-back window is frequently unworkable—Smart Code mobile uploads compress the cycle to same day.

First-party data (mission-critical)

Definition: Data you collect directly (applications, portals, transactions, call notes, returned-mail handling, in-person attestations) with notice and consent.
*Why it wins: Most accurate and timely, aligns with privacy expectations, and maps cleanly to governance.

*Use it to power “Live-in” decisions: Formalize rules (e.g., portal update > third-party hint) and push updates everywhere via events/APIs.

90-day quick wins

1. Stand up an exception queue wired to ACS™ + IMb® events; propose address updates before the next batch.

2. Enforce secondary units at intake and with agents/IVR when DPV requires it.

3. Enable NCOALink® 48-month where policy permits.

4. Add Smart Codes to time-sensitive letters (proof requests, renewals, adverse actions).

5. Publish plain-language, multilingual instructions: “If you can’t mail in time, scan the Smart Code to upload.”

Business case (10,000 notices @ 7% UAA)

Returns: 700
Hard dollar cost ($3.00): $2,100
Soft cost (call center calls, appointment misses, folks in fear… ($5.00): $3,500
Total avoidable cost: $5,600 per 10k
Redirect those dollars to automation + address governance—the ROI is immediate.

Track 5 KPIs

• UAA rate (target: >50% reduction in 90 days)

• Days-to-proof (target: same-day via Smart Code)

• % addresses with “Live-in” confidence score above threshold

• % letters with proper STID/ACS enabled

• % notices with Smart Codes enabled

Governance, privacy, accessibility

• Roles & RACI: Program Owner, Mail Ops, Data Governance, Security/Privacy Officer, IT, Vendor(s).

• Controls: Data minimization, consent capture, role-based access, audit trail, retention, breach handling.

• Frameworks: Align to the Federal Data Strategy; adopt NIST-style control families where appropriate.

• Accessibility: Section 508 compliant PDFs/HTML; plain language; language access for LEP populations.

Appendix A — Address-change rules (quick reference)

May change when: (1) First-party notice (signed form, portal update, authenticated call/visit, Smart-Code upload); (2) USPS-sourced updates (NCOALink®, ACS™); (3) Program-defined reliable sources (e.g., MCO/provider feed where policy allows); (4) Organizational redirects for internal delivery.
Must not change when: Unauthenticated request; removing required secondary unit; low-confidence third-party only; policy requires client confirmation.
Capture for audit: Who/when/how; evidence (forms, recordings, portal events, Smart-Code token); USPS files (NCOA/ACS™); rule/approval; downstream sync.
“Live-in” checklist: CASS/DPV valid; APT/STE enforced; NCOALink® + ACS™ checked; first-party signals present; private corroboration (where permitted).

Data Governance in Salesforce: Preventing AI Hallucinations with USPS Anchored Address Intelligence

Introduction

Salesforce has become the backbone of modern enterprise customer engagement, but even the most powerful CRM system is only as good as the data that fuels it. Address data, in particular, often sits at the center of critical workflows—identifying who your customers are, where they live, and when life events like moving signal shifts in their buying behavior.

Yet, many Salesforce tech stacks stop short of true data governance. They rely on CASS-certified tools to correct USPS addresses for formatting, but they fail to maintain “live-in” accuracy through ongoing updates like NCOA® (National Change of Address) and ACS™ (Address Change Service). Without this, organizations risk basing decisions on stale or misleading information—fuel for AI hallucinations, missed opportunities, and customer attrition.

Why AI Needs Anchors

Generative AI in Salesforce workflows has created incredible efficiency—but without strong data anchors, it can also hallucinate. When AI models are asked to segment, predict, or recommend actions, incorrect or outdated addresses can skew results.

Anchoring AI to authoritative USPS data solves this problem. CASS ensures standardization, while NCOA and ACS ensure timeliness and accuracy. Together, they provide a single source of truth that keeps AI grounded in real-world facts, not guesswork.

The Power of the “Move Life Event”

Every year, over 30 million Americans move. For enterprises, this is more than an address change—it’s a life event:

• Risk Alert – If a client moves out of your service area or away from a branch, you risk losing them.

• Growth Trigger – A move often coincides with new financial, healthcare, or lifestyle needs—creating natural cross-selling opportunities.

• Engagement Signal – Welcoming a client to their new location builds loyalty and trust.

By embedding NCOA and ACS data streams directly into Salesforce, enterprises can automate these insights: triggering retention campaigns, upselling alerts, or customer service touchpoints.

Data Governance Upstream: When, What, Where, and Why

Address data governance should not be a downstream fix. Enterprises need clear rules upstream, at the point of entry and throughout the Salesforce CRM lifecycle:

• When: Validate at intake, and update continuously with USPS feeds.

• What: Capture full, standardized USPS address elements with COA updates.

• Where: Embed governance rules directly in Salesforce objects and workflows.

• Why: To ensure every decision, campaign, and AI recommendation is tied to “live-in” truth.
  

  With NCOA for Salesforce, enterprises can enforce these rules across their Salesforce stack—keeping address intelligence accurate, auditable, and business-ready.

Building Business Rules in Salesforce CRM

Enterprises can maximize value by creating business rules around address updates:

• Flagging accounts when customers move into or out of a sales region.

• Automatically alerting relationship managers to welcome clients to a new area.

• Triggering cross-sell offers aligned with relocation needs (mortgages, insurance, utilities, healthcare, etc.).

• Escalating risk alerts when high-value clients appear to disengage due to a move.

These rules turn raw address changes into enterprise intelligence—empowering sales, marketing, and service teams with actionable insights.

Conclusion

CASS alone is not enough. True data governance in Salesforce requires “live-in” address intelligence powered by USPS anchors like NCOA and ACS. This approach prevents AI hallucinations, unlocks the hidden value of move life events, and gives enterprises a governed framework for customer engagement.

With products like NCOA-4-Salesforce products, enterprises can finally bridge the gap between address correction and address intelligence—making Salesforce not just a CRM, but a customer truth engine.

More Than The Sum - Book 1

The day before a family wedding in 2019, a horse threw me hard enough to puncture my lung. For a long, breathless moment, I thought I might be leaving this life with a list of unfinished business and words I hadn’t said. When I healed, everything looked different—work, family, faith, the little choices that add up to a life.

That’s when “holon” stopped being a neat idea and became a way to see. A holon is a part that’s also a whole. So are we. We’re made of stories, habits, gifts, and scars—each one meaningful on its own, all of them powerful together. This book is a map for putting your pieces back in conversation with each other—so you can move through the world with clarity, courage, and joy.

If you’ve ever felt scattered or stuck, welcome. You are not broken. You are many—and you are more than the sum.

Holon: Communication Workflow Analysis Book 2

Somewhere in your organization, a critical message—a bill, a statement, a marketing note, or a government notice like a request for proof of income—is on a journey.
Intake logs the need. Composition builds the message. Address Hygiene decides where it should land. Sortation lines it up for print or digital. Finishing packages it. Distribution sends it. Feedback tells you what actually happened.

Most teams—and many government IT shops—treat these as separate jobs. Holon thinking sees parts-within-wholes: mini systems that talk to each other. When they connect, costs drop, errors shrink, delivery speeds up, and people actually get what they need. When they don’t, you burn money on return mail, missed emails, long call queues, delayed benefits, and compliance risk.

This book shows you how to see the whole system at once—then fix the right part first. Clear steps. Real examples. Fast wins. Because better workflow isn’t just efficiency; it’s public trust, delivered.