The importance of delivering excellent customer service is discussed by Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan in her latest “Business Focus” video. “We’re a service organization, and to attract and retain customers and generate profitable revenue, we need to continue to improve the customer experience,” she says. Brennan encourages employees to deliver excellent experiences wherever they […]
Miguel Leon was taught from an early age that it’s important to look your best, especially at work. Leon, a Los Angeles letter carrier, believes that employees should wear proper uniforms and accessories when interacting with customers. “You are representing the Postal Service. It’s always good to look professional,” he says. For Leon, an 11-year […]
World Autism Awareness Day, which seeks to raise awareness about individuals diagnosed with autism, is Tuesday, April 2. Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder, is a complex developmental disability that usually appears during early childhood. The disorder affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. During World Autism Awareness Day, which the […]
A mural in the Anadarko, OK, Post Office is one of five from across the nation to be featured in the new Post Office Murals stamp release. “Kiowas Moving Camp” was painted in 1936 by Native American artist Stephen Mopope (1900-1974). The artwork is one of 16 in the historic Anadarko Post Office that depict […]
Postal Service workers are getting an upgrade of their Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Starting April 1, New Directions Behavioral Health takes over the EAP contract. Current EAP services will remain available and new services will be added. Most of the Postal Service’s EAP consultants and clinicians will continue in their current roles. EAP remains voluntary […]
Letter Carrier Jeffrey Vollmar was recently delivering mail in a Freehold, NJ, neighborhood when an older customer needed emergency assistance. The man stumbled while walking to his car and struck his head on pavement. Vollmar heard the customer moaning and asking for help, so he rushed to the man’s side and enlisted a neighbor outside […]
I really appreciated Link’s article on advanced annual leave. I now understand this benefit better. […]
My name is Harris London, and I’m a telephone operator at USPS headquarters in Washington, DC. I spend my day answering calls from the public and helping to resolve customers’ problems. My workday starts at 7 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. Most calls come from consumers. I look up each caller’s district and connect […]
Saving money seems like a simple concept, but it’s challenging for some people. It’s a good idea to save to be ready for major life changes, such as getting married and attending college, as well as unplanned events. To mark Financial Literacy Month in April, here’s some advice on saving and investing from the U.S. […]
Dallas, NC, City Carrier Assistant Miranda Quaile was recently delivering mail to an older customer’s home when she spotted the woman facedown on the floor inside. Quaile immediately called 911 and stayed on the scene until emergency responders arrived and took the customer to a hospital. The woman’s brother later contacted Quaile to thank her […]
Natalie Potell is a firefighter, but she does more than save lives. Potell is also the poet laureate for Prince William County, VA, where she lives and works. She writes poems and mails them to county residents that she chooses at random, aiming to lift spirits one envelope at a time. “I try to send […]
Scanning snapshot. The Postal Service’s national scanning rating was 97.8 percent during the week ending March 22, up from one week earlier. The top three areas were Western (98.05 percent), Eastern (97.98 percent) and Pacific (97.76 percent). The top three districts were Dakotas (99.21 percent), Central Plains (98.5 percent) and Western Pennsylvania (98.47 percent). Scanning […]
USPS has updated Postal Facts, a digital and print publication that features impressive data about operations, stamps and other topics. New additions include “Postal Is …,” a section that emphasizes the organization’s values, such as its focus on employees, customers and providing trusted, affordable service. Other additions include a section on USPS innovations, such as […]
Three more Postal Service employees have each received a complimentary registration to this year’s National Postal Forum (NPF). Stefanie Tintera, an Indianapolis field account representative; Peggy Osborne, a Baltimore business alliances specialist; and Charles Walker Jr., a Great Lakes Area senior business development specialist, each recruited five new business customers to attend NPF. Tintera, Osborne […]
Letter Carrier Kimberly Pryor was delivering mail on a 12-degree day last month in Chanute, KS, when she spotted a toddler standing in the middle of an icy street. Pryor rushed to check on the girl, who was wearing only a T-shirt and diaper, and immediately wrapped her in a coat while calling the local […]
The Postal Service has changed its mailing standards to better protect mail from leaks and spills. The changes clarify Domestic Mail Manual language that specifies packaging and markings for mailpieces that contain liquids. USPS proposed the changes last summer and invited mailers to provide feedback. The organization decided to move forward with some of the […]
Appalachian District Manager Leeann Theriault was taking an operations training class last year when she found inspiration for a new safety awards program. “Someone from Los Angeles gave us cards to give to our classmates who were doing well,” she says. From that sprang the Caught in the Act of Safety Awards. The program aims […]
If your department is being audited by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) or the Government Accountability Office (GAO), you should contact the USPS Corporate Audit and Response Management (CARM) team. The Postal Service cooperates with OIG and GAO, two independent agencies that review federal spending and performance. However, CARM must coordinate the postal response […]
Are you mobile? The Postal Service wants managers, supervisors and others to tell craft employees about Link mobile, the Link site’s mobile-friendly version. Link mobile offers the same content available on Link’s desktop version — including benefits information, news reports and feature stories — but in a format that’s easy to read on smartphones, tablets […]
Letter Carrier James Barr was recently delivering mail in DeWitt, IA, when he heard from a co-worker who was assigned to Barr’s regular route that day. The colleague had noticed unusual noises coming from a residence, and Barr — knowing that an older customer lived there alone — rushed to the scene to check on […]
The Postal Service will mark the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing with new stamps. The 1969: First Moon Landing stamps will feature two designs that commemorate the historic milestone. One stamp features a photograph of Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin in his spacesuit on the surface of the moon. The photo was taken […]
Scanning snapshot. The Postal Service’s national scanning rating was 97.73 percent during the week ending March 15, up from one week earlier. The top three areas were Western (97.95 percent), Eastern (97.94 percent) and Pacific (97.76 percent). The top three districts were Dakotas (99.18 percent), Western Pennsylvania (98.56 percent) and Central Plains (98.46 percent). Scanning […]
The Postal Service has improved the messaging that customers see when they go online to track packages moving through the USPS network. Previously, customers who use usps.com to track packages saw the following message when a package was in transit: “In-transit to the next facility.” Customers now see this message when a package is in […]
The Postal Service wants employees to remember that individually billed travel cards are exempt from hotel taxes in some states and territories. You can go to the U.S. General Service Administration site’s SmartPay section to find out if you’re traveling to a location that allows a hotel tax exemption. If you’re going to stay in […]
Rural Carrier Associate Thomas Kelly was making deliveries last November in Fairfield, IA, when he spotted a customer in trouble. Connie Singer had parked her truck at the end of her driveway and gotten out to retrieve her mail when she tumbled into a five-foot-deep ditch obscured by a snowdrift. Later describing her ordeal in […]
Tax season is here, and that means cyberattacks and scams are in full force. Because vast amounts of valuable personal and financial information are shared online during tax season, this time of year is a cybercriminal’s dream come true. To protect yourself, here are five easy-to-follow tips to avoid scams and file securely this year: […]
Thomas Elias knows where to turn when he encounters a workplace ethical dilemma. Elias, the human resources manager for Dakotas District, contacts the Ethics Helpline, a service offered by the USPS Ethics Office. “I have contacted the helpline hundreds of times for everything from dealing with the use of government vehicles to gifts for supervisors, […]
The Postal Service is testing delivery vehicles in California that produce no emissions, part of a statewide program to cut pollution and strengthen the environment. USPS will use 15 zero-emissions delivery step vans and charging stations in Fresno and Stockton. The electric vans will cover routes of up to 75 miles per day during a […]
Rural Carrier Associate John Bondy was delivering mail on a wet November day last year in Clark, MO, when he spotted a pregnant customer collapsed on muddy ground near her front porch. Bondy rushed to aid the woman, who was unconscious but breathing. He immediately called 911, carried her inside, covered her with a blanket […]
“Dynamic duo,” the “Heroes’ Corner” article about the overturned tractor-trailer, stopped me in my tracks. I am so grateful that Belgrade, ME, Rural Carrier Joseph Arsenault Jr. and Rural Carrier Associate Nicholas Claudel were able to save the driver before the vehicle exploded. […]