Our Consumer and Industry Affairs group is responsible for Postal Service customer interaction and support for individual consumers, small businesses, large corporations and commercial mailers. The Office of Consumer Advocate and Customer Relations serves to confirm the “voice of the customer” is accurately represented to the organization and is focused on ensuring that each and every customer has a positive customer experience. The primary objective is to improve customer interactions with the Postal Service and position “the value of the mail” in a consumer and business environment. In addition, the group develops a strategic direction, policy improvements, program enhancements and standardized expectations to field consumer and industry contact operations.
Consumer and Industry Affairs reaffirms the importance of customer service and shares customer insights through monthly videos, weekly messaging, training, tools and resources that inform and engage employees. We’re continuously working to improve our standardized complaint handling and resolution process, which provides guidelines encompassing initial contact through resolution. A better resolution process for the customer increases their overall satisfaction. We want to improve processes and enhance systems in ways that support timely and thorough resolution of customer concerns and inquiries.
Customer Care Centers – Our four Customer Care Centers are staffed by Postal Service employees. In FY2016, the centers received nearly 49 million calls, of which 33 million were handled through the self-service interactive voice response system. Nearly 16 million callers, about 52,000 per day, requested additional assistance from an agent.
Business Service Network – The national Business Service Network (BSN) is dedicated to providing the best customer experience to over 20,000 of the Postal Service’s largest customers. The BSN encourages a proactive approach that fosters a one-on-one relationship with our customers and serves as the essential link between them and Postal Service operations. By understanding our customers and translating their business needs, the Postal Service not only meets but continuously exceeds expectations by providing excellent service, communications and information to our most valuable customers.
