The Postal Service uses First-Class Mail Overnight, Two-Day, and Three-to-Five Day Service to represent Postal Service performance since this class of mail is one of the most widely used mail categories. Consumers, small businesses and larger commercial firms rely on First-Class Mail which uses virtually all elements of the Postal Service operating chain from collection boxes and retail counters to final delivery.
For single-piece First-Class Mail, the Postal Service has contracted with an outside entity to measure performance independently and objectively since 1990 via the External First-Class Mail (EXFC) measurement system. This external sampling system measures the time it takes from deposit of mail in a collection box or lobby chute until its delivery at a home or business. Performance is measured in 892 ZIP Codes for single-piece First-Class cards, letters and flat envelopes. Service performance for Single-Piece First-Class Mail parcels, which is measured using an internal USPS system, has now been combined with EXFC performance to formulate the combined Single-Piece First-Class Mail results.
In 2012, Presort First-Class Mail was combined with Single-Piece First-Class Mail to measure overall First-Class Mail performance. For Presort First-Class Mail measurement, the Postal Service uses a hybrid measurement approach that combines Full Service Intelligent Mail data from commercial mailers, to measure time from mail acceptance to final processing, with data collected externally to measure transit time from final processing on mail processing equipment through to actual delivery. The processing and delivery data are aggregated, combined and reviewed by an external entity to measure overall commercial mail performance.
For the FY2013 measures of Single-Piece First-Class Mail, the Postal Service made its target performance score for Two-Day delivery, but fell short of the target for Overnight and Three- to Five-day delivery. For Presort First-Class Mail all targets were met. Although targets were not reached for two categories of Single-Piece First-Class Mail delivery, given the changes that are being made to the Postal Service network and the realignment and reduction of workhours, performance scores have remained remarkably high and relatively stable. Weather variability also affects year-to-year comparisons.
The Postal Service also monitors performance for other classes of mail as reported at about.usps.com/what-we-are-doing/service-performance/welcome.htm.
