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4. IMPROVE SERVICE

Service improvement has traditionally been defined as the time it takes mail to be delivered. This is the single most important customer requirement and is very closely correlated with customer satisfaction. The Postal Service has been focusing on its premium services: First-Class Mail, Express Mail, and Priority Mail. National service performance data will be posted on usps.com for First Class Mail, Express Mail, and Priority Mail. The data will be posted on a quarterly basis.

As the Postal Service reaches stability at high levels of delivery service performance, the organization will be prepared to extend its definition of service improvement to include measures for other mail classes, customer access, convenience, and responsiveness. These measures are under development and will be used to increase customer satisfaction and to create more value for customers.

2006 Targets

The Postal Service has reached record levels of service performance for First-Class Mail. The current objective is to maintain this service level, although further incremental improvements are possible and will be encouraged at the local level where performance is not yet at the national average. Further nationwide improvements are likely to be expensive, and would not result in improvements in customer satisfaction or increased mail volume.

Percent First-Class Mail Delivered on Time, by Service Commitment

Overnight	2-Day	3-Day
95%	92%	90%

Recent Performance Trends

Percent First-Class Mail Delivered on Time, by Service Commitment

blank	2002	2003	2004	2005 (YTD Q3)
Overnight	94%	95%	95%	95%
2-Day	85%	90%	91%	91%
3-Day	80%	88%	89%	86%