The Postal Service strives to continually make it easier for customers to find information and conduct their Postal business online at our usps.com website. In FY2013, the Digital Marketing group worked closely with representatives from Consumer and Industry Affairs and Product Visibility to add new features, as well as improve navigation on the Postal Service website.
Changes to tracking on usps.com. A new Quick Tools menu has been added to usps.com. This menu includes a USPS Tracking™ entry field.
Tracking a package on usps.com is easier and more convenient with recent changes. The tracking results page has been updated to help customers more quickly find where their package is, where it’s been and if it’s been delivered:
The Track and Confirm application was renamed “USPS Tracking™.” Tracking numbers now can be entered directly on the usps.com homepage using the Track button under Quick Tools, which also have been updated to include the most popular usps.com web pages.
Changes were based on customer feedback, usability testing, internal stakeholder input and industry standards. Customers seeking tracking information constitute 55 percent of the 2.8 million visits usps.com receives each day.
Mail Service Updates Site on USPS.com Updated and Given a New Name — USPS Service Alerts. Following disasters and events that affected the mail, such as Hurricane Sandy and the tornadoes in Oklahoma in FY2013, customers and employees regularly turned to the Mail Service Updates site on usps.com for service information. Residential and business customer feedback led the Postal Service to take a close look at the design of that web page with an eye toward finding ways to more effectively communicate with customers during service interruptions. The web page was reorganized to provide more complete, timely information about Postal facility disruptions due to weather-related and other natural disasters and events. A new section was added for residential customers so that they can learn whether their mail is being delivered or if their Post Offices are open.
The upgraded web page also provides commercial mailers with more detailed information on the operating status of mail processing facilities and delivery units, allowing them to better plan drop shipments and other operational activities. Important updates affecting international mailing are also available. The name change to USPS Mail Service Alerts reflects current industry naming conventions and was selected to reflect the near real-time information the USPS communicates to its customers about Postal facility service disruptions.
USPS.com Updated to Improve the Customer Experience. Customers provided feedback that it was difficult to know where to find applications and information on usps.com if it was not about shipping, managing the mail or a business-related question. Therefore, the Postal Service began a review and analysis of the website and refresh of the home page to make it easier for customers to find other types of services. As a result of the research conducted, the Postal Service expanded the Quick Tools buttons and added a new section called Popular Links. Now customers can easily find information about change of address, passports, P.O. boxes, mailing and shipping prices, and a contact link as well. Other additions were a banner with the price of Forever and postcard stamps and the News and Information section. More changes are planned based on usage data and customer feedback to continually improve the customer online Postal experience.
USPS Makes Online Address Changes Simpler. The Postal Service processes almost 40 million change-of-address requests each year and strives to make the process as simple as possible for customers. Customers do not have to go to the Post Office to file a Change of Address. They can use the Internet Change of Address (ICOA) service on usps.com. Customers can also alter their original change of address order without going to a Post Office or filling out additional forms. By going to managemymove.usps.com and entering their Change of Address confirmation code and their new ZIP Code, customers can make changes such as updating contact information, changing mail forwarding dates or canceling orders altogether. Customers also can use a credit card with a billing address that is different from either the old or new addresses. This feature is particularly useful for customers whose credit card is associated with a P.O. Box or work billing address, or for those filling out a request for an elderly or deceased relative.
There is also new and improved real-time address verification. Addresses entered as the “move to” address are now immediately matched against the USPS database of deliverable addresses. If there is no match, the customer can be alerted immediately to correct the error before submitting the ICOA order. Customers will receive emails confirming their ICOA submission and alerting them when mail forwarding is about to end. ICOA users also will have access to move-related coupons and special offers.
