USPS Priority Mail, Express Mail and Global Priority Mail: Products that deliver

Great service. Great prices. Great access. USPS® has it all. Naturally our customers should have it all, too. And they do. With USPS Priority Mail®, Express Mail® and Global Priority Mail® services, customers can ship their packages quickly and safely, knowing they'll be delivered on time.

Priority Mail service offers expedited delivery of mail or packages to any address in the United States - including Post OfficeTM boxes and military addresses - in 2-3 days. Customers who print their shipping labels online can get Delivery ConfirmationTM service at no extra cost!

Express Mail service - our fastest service for time- sensitive letters, documents and merchandise - offers guaranteed next-day and second-day delivery nationwide. Plus customers can add extras like insurance and confirmation of delivery.

For value, handling and convenience, customers can't beat Global Priority Mail service, accelerated airmail service that offers a reliable and economical way to mail correspondence and other documents 4 lbs. and under to more than 51 nations worldwide.

And access? Our customers have that, too - from the Post Office to the Web, from contract postal units to Automated Postal Centers® and beyond. We've even extended hours at our high-traffic retail units, so customers have access to our products and services, when and where they need them.

But access is about much more than hours or location. It's about giving our customers what they demand: more convenient ways to do business with the Postal ServiceTM.

It's our job to make sure that we deliver on the promise of our products.

Transformation: Next steps coming into view

Where do we want to be five years from now? USPS is taking transformation to the next step - creating a Strategic Transformation Plan for 2006-2010. And, while the plan is still being developed, one thing is certain about its focus: "It's about the customer," says Postmaster General Jack Potter.

The new plan will do what the Postal Service did in 2002 when the original Transformation Plan was created - narrow our focus down to the basics. "That's what we did then, and the results have been phenomenal," Potter said.

Service and customer satisfaction have reached record highs. We've reduced debt and cut costs. We're in our sixth straight year of productivity gains. We've developed innovative new products and services, and we've expanded access to our core products and services. We've made it quicker, easier and more convenient for our customers to use the Postal Service. And, we've made tremendous progress enhancing our performance-based culture.

So what's next? Simple. We build on our successes. We move forward. And that's what the new Strategic Transformation Plan for 2006-2010 is all about.

Growing LiteBlue: More visitors, more content

What's on your list of online favorites? Be sure to add LiteBlue - http://liteblue.usps.gov. It's the USPS Web site you can access from your or anywhere you have Internet access.

More and more, employees are checking out LiteBlue - and they're coming back every week to more information and resources.

You already know LiteBlue is your connection to PostalEASE, employee deals, internal job openings and USPS News Link.

The latest additions include PostalPEOPLE in the "Inside USPS" section and beneficiary forms for Thrift Savings Plan, retirement accounts, life insurance and other benefits in the "My Life" Benefits Management section. The PostalPEOPLE site tells you everything you need to know about PostalPEOPLE, plus updates, news releases, newsletters and more.

Since mid-April, more than 80,000 visitors have been logging on to LiteBlue at http://liteblue.usps.gov every week - that's about one in ten Postal Service employees!

Ready to log on? Have your employee ID and PIN ready.

Moving? Give us a call! Change-of-address hits the phone lines

Moving can be a headache. The Postal Service is offering relief with expanded options for filing changes of address to ensure prompt, uninterrupted mail delivery.

Specifically, customers now can change their addresses by telephone. Like the online option at usps.com, the new method helps reduce the number of illegible and incomplete hardcopy forms filled out at Post Offices.

More than 45 million Americans move each year. And, more than 7 million have changed their addresses online. The telephone option may prove as popular since it's so easy.

Customers simply call 800-ASK-USPS (800-275-8777) for interactive voice response assistance. Or they can speak with a customer service agent. Customers must have a valid credit card for identity verification and security, and there is a nominal fee for the service.

As always, USPS validates and confirms the address changes to protect customers' privacy and security.

Stuck on sticky notes: Fingerhut tests RPNs on catalog mailing

The first national customer to test repositionable notes (RPNs) in the new USPS "sticky notes" pilot program is stuck on the new product. In a national 750,000-piece mailing, Fingerhut used RPNs to increase catalog orders.

"We expect repositionable notes to stick with the customer long after the mailpiece is gone," said Mike Sidders of Fingerhut's direct marketing group.

RPNs were attached to 200,000 catalogs, half of them urging customers to "Order Today! Don't Let This Be Your Last Catalog," while the other half were personalized with the recipient's name and offered a free gift with any order. Results are being gathered now.

The USPS pilot test will run until April 2006. The cost for mailers to use RPNs is one-half cent for First-Class Mail® letters and 1.5 cents for Periodicals or Standard Mail® mailpieces.

Carolina cash: Three carriers combine for $1 million in sales

Letter carriers in the Mid-Carolinas Performance Cluster are making the most of Customer Connect, with a North Carolina trio generating $1 million in new business.

Charlotte Letter Carrier Ted Benjamin brought in more than $500,000 in annual revenue from one business customer. In Fayetteville, Bruce Frias convinced the Games and Hobbies company to switch shippers and brought in more than $250,000. And In Asheville, Gerald Brown generated a lead worth $150,000 in new business from Digitech.

"There are still customers who don't realize that our products and services are directly competing with other shippers," Mid-Carolinas Small Business Specialist Elizabeth Thompson said. "Once we point that out and explain the free packaging, Delivery Confirmation and Click- N-Ship®, that USPS provides, as well as our competitive pricing, they're really impressed."

And of course there's added revenue potential with Business ConnectTM, which involves postmasters, station and branch managers and supervisors, who are introducing more customers to USPS products and services.

Vonzell - you're still our idol! Your voice will always resonate with us

She showed grace under pressure, dignity under duress and poise in the face of adversity. In short - soul.

And when her name was announced as the one eliminated from the final competition, Vonzell Solomon displayed all three one last time as she wished the remaining two contestants well and turned to the audience to do what she does best. Sing.

Joined by the two finalists, Vonzell sang one last song for a nationwide audience that had embraced her, warmed to her more with each passing week and finally catapulted her from one of 24 original contestants to the final three - in the most closely contested "American Idol" competitions in years.

Vonzell's father, Larry Goethie, thanked her Postal Service family for supporting his daughter throughout the competition. "I think that's what motivated us to keep going - knowing that we had the whole United States Postal Service® behind us."

During a phone call with Public Affairs and Communications Vice President Azeezaly Jaffer, Vonzell asked that he convey a simple message to everyone in the Postal Service. "I love you all," she said. "I can't thank you enough."