Year in Review

WE GIVE OUR CUSTOMERS OUTSTANDING SERVICE.

On-time delivery of overnight-committed First-Class Mail continues at 95 percent, as independently measured by IBM Consulting Services, continuing our strong service performance levels of recent years.* We delivered through ongoing disaster recovery after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf Coast region and an unprecedented wildfire season in the west.

WE OFFER EXCELLENT SERVICE AT AFFORDABLE PRICES.

Great service at a great value creates customer satisfaction. Ninety-two percent of customers independently surveyed rated their experience with the Postal Service as excellent, very good, or good. Customers trust us, a hallmark of our service to the nation. Americans rated the Postal Service as the No. 1 agency they trust to protect their privacy, according to a Ponemon Institute study.

WE CONTINUE TO TRANSFORM TO MEET CUSTOMER NEEDS.

We continue transforming, guided by our Strategic Transformation Plan 2006–2010. It builds on our commitment to cut costs, add value, become more efficient, and meet changing customer needs. We pledged to continue our commitment to remove $1 billion in costs each year, and be aggressive in making changes to assure affordable and reliable universal service.

WE USE STATE-OF-THE-ART AUTOMATION AND TECHNOLOGY.

We deliver twice as much mail as we did 20 years ago, with the same number of employees, by making technology work for us and for our customers. We recently deployed the Automated Package Processing System, which can process more than 9,500 pieces of package mail per hour. Business customers began using the 4-State Customer Barcode to help them track their mail. A new system for sequencing large mailpieces in delivery order moved closer to reality.

WE PUT THE RIGHT RESOURCES IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME.

On the ground or in the air, we’re committed to moving the mail as efficiently as possible. We expanded our business relationship with FedEx, UPS and commercial carriers who move our mail by air, and we implemented a Surface Visibility system to provide real-time visibility for mail as it moves through our surface transportation network.

WE WORK WITH MAILERS TO PROVIDE SOLUTIONS.

In partnership with mailers, we worked to improve address management and reduce costly undeliverable-as-addressed mail. We redesigned our Business Service Network to better serve large mailers. Participation in mailing industry events has been impressive — more than 15,000 mailers participated in National Postal Customer Council Day and the National Postal Forum had its best-ever attendance. This reflects the importance of the collaboration between the Postal Service and its business customers.

 

*The External First-Class Mail measurement system (EXFC) measures collection box to mailbox delivery performance. EXFC continually tests a panel of 463 ZIP Code areas selected on the basis of geographic and volume density from which 90% of First-Class Mail volume originates and 80% destinates. EXFC is not a system-wide measurement of all First-Class Mail performance.

WE IMPROVE THE POST OFFICE EXPERIENCE.

More than 1,400 postal locations extended their retail hours, which resulted in customers, in growing numbers, taking advantage of the convenience to take care of their mailing and shipping transactions. And while they were at the Post Office, customers could easily learn about our products and services through standardized messaging and merchandising in retail locations nationwide.

WE BRING THE POST OFFICE TO CUSTOMERS.

The online Post Office at USPS.com made it easy to use our products and services. Our powerful online duo of Click-N-Ship, for address labels and postage, and Carrier Pickup, for free package pickup at your home or office, could not be beat for convenience. A redesigned Postal Store on USPS.com — the place to go to buy stamps and retail products — saw a nearly 20 percent growth in revenue.

WE WANT TO RESHAPE THE FUTURE OF MAIL.

We unveiled a new pricing proposal that effectively reshapes the future of mail and provides benefits to both customers and the Postal Service. The current pricing structure for postal products relies primarily on a weight-based system. The new proposal recognizes that shape matters.

WE WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE OUR WORKPLACE SAFER.

Safety is an important part of the workplace culture at the Postal Service. Employees, managers and union representatives worked together to promote safety initiatives and create a safer workplace. The success of this cooperative effort was reflected in reductions in the number of injuries and illnesses as well as a decline in the number of motor vehicle accidents.

WE MAKE HR TRANSACTIONS EASIER FOR OUR EMPLOYEES.

It’s now Quick, Easy, Convenient for Postal Service employees to conduct their personnel-related business. We are replacing outdated human resources technology with a new fully integrated system to streamline, standardize and automate personnel transactions. Once fully implemented, the new system, called PostalPEOPLE, will be the largest of its kind anywhere.

HELPING OTHERS

Our Breast Cancer Research stamp — the Postal Service’s first semipostal stamp — has raised more than $53.1 million to help find a cure. The Heroes of 2001 semipostal has raised more than $10.5 million for the families of emergency workers killed or injured in the 9/11 attacks. And the Stop Family Violence semipostal has raised more than $3.1 million for the victims of this form of abuse.