The Postal Service implemented a new Customer Experience Measurement (CEM) system in 2010, providing an expanded view of customers’ experiences sending and receiving mail, visiting Post Offices, requesting information, and reporting problems. CEM replaced the Customer Satisfaction Measurement (CSM) system, which had been in place since 1991.
Data on customer experiences is obtained independently through surveys conducted by Maritz Research. Survey questions are based on customer-defined aspects of their postal experience and results are used to improve and adapts service to changing customer needs. To meet requirements of the Postal Act, customers are also surveyed about their satisfaction with specific postal products.
About 359,000 residential and 345,000 business customers responded to the surveys in 2010. Of the residential customers who received a survey, 14.7 percent responded, while the response rate for businesses was 9.1 percent.
The Postal Service made a significant change with the transition to CEM: Instead of basing scores on the top three customer rating options, as it had with CSM, it bases CEM scores on the top two customer response ratings.1 This more challenging approach aligns the Postal Service with the way that leaders in the private sector assess customer satisfaction.
Comparing the first and fourth quarters of 2010, Residential ratings improved for overall satisfaction, sending mail, receiving mail, and most recent Post Office visit, while the score for contact (requesting information or reporting problems) was down 1.7 percent.
All categories showed improvement for business customers.
