Improved office and street delivery efficiency resulted from following standardized operating procedures, using automated equipment to prepare more mail for delivery, establishing more efficient lines of travel, adoption of less costly modes of delivery, and focused work hour management.
AM Standard Operating Procedures help delivery units comply with standards in efficient office management practices in the morning before carriers leave for the street. Data show significant performance gains in offices that pass certification audits. Processes have been updated due to operational changes, such as FSS. All sites must be recertified, and certifications will expire after three years.
Delivery Point Sequencing (DPS) reduces costs, improves accuracy and speed of delivery, and contributes to improved customer satisfaction. More than 99 percent of city routes and 89 percent of rural routes receive DPS letters. On average, these routes received 91.8 percent of letters in DPS. The 2011 goals are to continue to increase the number of routes receiving DPS letters and to raise the DPS percentage. Automated flats sequencing was initiated in Northern Virginia during 2008 and began expanding during 2009. At year end, six processing sites are sequencing flats for 4,879 routes in 279 zones at 142 delivery units. Currently 65 percent of flats are in DPS at these sites.
Carrier Optimal Routing (COR) is a computerized tool designed to produce safer and more efficient delivery routes. COR reduces work hours and vehicle costs by improving lines of travel, eliminating left turns, and removing park points. All city carrier zones that are adjusted in 2011 will use COR.
