Pompano Beach is one of many Florida communities with a large population of older customers, many of whom are discovering a feature that makes life a little easier: Informed Delivery.
“Seniors like it because they digitally preview the mail, and if it’s raining, they don’t go to the mailbox right away,” said Frank Mariano, the Postal Service’s customer service operations manager in Pompano Beach.
He uses this feedback to encourage more customers to sign up for the free feature, which is an important part of the Postal Service’s growth strategy.
Informed Delivery has more than 16 million users nationwide, but the organization wants to enroll 40 million individuals by the end of 2020. This will help USPS attract businesses that want to add interactive content to Informed Delivery emails, which will extend the “life” of the businesses’ mailpieces, keep mail relevant and boost postal revenue.
Across the nation, employees are embracing the challenge of growing Informed Delivery.
Kula, HI, Postmaster David Wilbur uses a variety of methods to attract new subscribers. His latest tactic: placing Informed Delivery materials inside a mailbox that sits on Post Office counters.
“Clerks ask customers to guess what’s in the mailbox, which opens a conversation about Informed Delivery,” said Wilbur, who added the promotion is averaging about 100 new subscribers each week.
Meanwhile, Cottonport, LA, Postmaster Tessa Clark has signed up about 25 subscribers by putting Informed Delivery into the hands of her customers — literally.
“I use my personal cellphone to show customers what the emails from Informed Delivery look like, then I use an app on my postal cellphone to sign them up,” Clark said.
Employees can learn more about the app and other sign-up techniques on the Informed Delivery Blue and LiteBlue pages.
Mariano encourages all postal workers to do their part.
“We should all be talking about [Informed Delivery],” he said.