INTRO:

National on-time performance scores for the delivery of First-Class Mail reached 96 percent and more than 93 percent of customers gave the U.S. Postal Service the highest satisfaction marks under a new, national standards rating process. Postal Service Consumer Advocate Delores Killette says the scores reflect progress in mail preparation, processing and transportation.

KILLETTE SOUNDBITE:

The POSTAL SERVICE REMAINS COMMITTED TO PROVIDING THE HIGHEST QUALITY CUSTOMER SERVICE. OUR NEW SERVICE GOALS ARE AMBITIOUS, AND WE WILL WORK TIRELESSLY TO MEET THEM. TODAY’S CURRENT ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT DEMAND NOTHING LESS.

CLOSE:

Service standards are set in consultation with business and residential customers. The scores announced today cover the first quarter of the current fiscal year.

(Preceding audio courtesy of U.S. Postal Service)

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.