A customer’s signature — required for a change-of-address request — must be complete and legible. Review the request with the customer to make sure it’s been properly completed. This step is essential to delivering a positive customer experience. […]
A postal customer in Manchester, NH, recently used his mailbox to deliver an urgent message to his letter carrier: “HELP CALL 911.” John Bourassa discovered the note while delivering mail, peered through a window, saw the man hunched over a chair and called for assistance. Emergency responders credited Bourassa with saving the customer, who did […]
More than 170,000 technology enthusiasts received a glimpse into the future of mailing and shipping at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES). USPS touted several new products and services at the Las Vegas event, including Precious Cargo Boxes, which have strategically placed foam cushions affixed to box walls to keep phones, laptops and other devices […]
The Postal Service’s deployment of cellular scanners to postal vehicle service (PVS) drivers has improved tracking of the transportation fleet, new data shows. The scanner initiative is part of the Surface Visibility (SV) program. The PVS scanners are similar SV mobile scanners, except they have GPS capability and operate on cellular networks. More than 5,000 […]
Every stamp tells a story, and so does every stamp designer. USPS Art Director Antonio Alcalá, who previously designed multi-page books and museum installations, approaches stamp design a little differently. “You have to figure out on that tiny, tiny canvas what are the essential elements to tell the story that needs to be communicated,” Alcalá […]
Customers who want to donate items to charity need only head to their local Post Office. More than a dozen online retailers have partnered with Give Back Box, a national program that allows individuals to donate gently used items to Goodwill. Here’s how the program works: Customers receive their orders from a participating online retailer […]
Scanning snapshot. The Postal Service’s national scanning rating was 97.35 percent during the week ending Jan. 6, up from one week earlier. Dakotas (98.55 percent) topped the districts, while Western (97.74 percent) led the areas. Scanning allows customers to track their packages and mail. It also helps the Postal Service improve efficiency and network management. […]
A postal customer in Fuquay-Varina, NC, recently sought out help in a moment of crisis and found it when she went outside and saw Rural Carrier James Sutton approaching her door with a package. The woman told Sutton that her 86-year-old mother was inside and had suddenly become weak and unable to talk or move. […]
“It’s always great for the employees to know that we are all in this together. It reiterates how important service is to all of us. With the holiday season wrapped up, we can start the new year with the goal of making the next peak season even more successful.” […]
Read More… from Annandale, VA, Post Office Customer Services Supervisor Woody Simmons
I loved the “Christmas past” story about the Santa letters being returned to the writers 50 years after they wrote them. […]
If you encounter an angry customer, try to defuse the situation with a pleasant demeanor. Be courteous, calm and avoid getting into arguments. If necessary, refer the customer to a supervisor. […]
The Postal Service marked the start of the Lunar New Year Jan. 5 by dedicating its Year of the Rooster stamp in Seattle. The Lunar New Year, the most important holiday of the year for many Asian communities, is observed primarily by people of Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tibetan and Mongolian heritage. The event is often […]
The Postal Service has improved the way it processes customer claims by using a new, cost-effective electronic system. In 2011, the domestic claims office processed more than 165,000 consumer claims for missing and damaged mailpieces. Forty percent arrived by mail. Each claim was manually processed and adjudicated, then sent to an outside contractor for data […]
It’s not every day USPS honors a retiring employee with a flag presentation, but Arizona District “service czar” Clyde Jones received such an honor last week. During a ceremony in front of the Phoenix Main Post Office and Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC), Jones lowered the flag, which Western Area VP Greg Graves helped him […]
Making a new year’s resolution is easy — but keeping it may be more difficult. Whether your goal is to lose weight, quit smoking or achieve something else, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) can help you stay on track. Through EAP’s life coaching service, you can receive feedback and develop strategies and action steps for […]
“I enjoy taking customers on the tour. They have no idea of the technology required to process this much mail so quickly. No one who tours our facility ever looks at mail the same way again.” […]
Read More… from Richmond, VA, Processing and Distribution Center Sr. Plant Manager Sherry Harper
Employees must complete and submit PS Form 2856, Damage Report of Insured Parcel and Contents, for any damaged article claim. If an employee fails to properly complete and submit this form, the customer’s claim will be denied. The Accounting site has additional guidelines. […]
Letter Carrier Andrea O’Hearon was delivering mail recently in Albion, MI, when she heard a shout from a man on the porch next door. She rushed to his side and found him sprawled out and rigid, apparently suffering a seizure. O’Hearon called 911 and comforted the man until emergency responders arrived. “Andrea is a hard […]
Way to go, Bethlehem., PA, Post Office. Your giant blue holiday mailbox was definitely thinking outside the box. […]
Postal Bulletin. The Postal Bulletin’s latest edition features winter safety tips for employees who work outside. The story details how prolonged exposure to cold temperatures can contribute to ailments and offers tips for walking on icy surfaces. The Jan. 5 edition also previews the forthcoming Dorothy Height stamp. Saving Christmas. St. Louis Postal Support Employee […]
The Postal Inspection Service has a message for the nation’s letter carriers and rural carriers: We’re here to help. Postal inspectors regularly meet with carriers to remind them to be aware of unsafe situations and to report suspicious activities, such as vehicles that follow them or parcels that go missing along their routes. These meetings […]
Postal Service employees are sharing their hopes for the new year with USPS colleagues across the nation. Throughout the holidays, employees wrote best wishes on postcards and mailed them to USPS headquarters. Highlights were shared in Link and other internal communication channels. “Special wishes for a healthy, prosperous and happy new year,” wrote Dallas Sr. […]
It’s a bird, it’s a plane … it’s an aerial electric mail car? More than 100 years ago, an inventor named Byron Osborn imagined a device that might have revolutionized mail transportation, if it had ever been built. The Washington Post recently recalled the Volucere, Osborn’s imagined aerial mail vehicle that was described in newspapers […]
While delivering mail recently in Centereach, NY, Letter Carrier Gary Sulz came across a collapsed man on a street who appeared to be an overdose victim struggling to breathe. The postal employee asked a passerby to call 911 while he started mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Sulz continued to assist the man when emergency responders arrived and prepared […]
I appreciate reading Link. It helps me stay on top of what’s going on. It’s a timesaver. […]
The Customer Experience Essentials site has tips on sharpening your customer service skills. […]
“You have to do more than just show up to work every day. You have to take pride in the job that you are assigned.” […]
Read More… from Dulles, VA, Processing and Distribution Center Mail Handler Desmond Baptiste
The start of 2017 marks the beginning of what promises to be another busy year for the Postal Service. Throughout the year, the organization will continue its focus on its four core business strategies: delivering world-class customer experiences; engaging, equipping and empowering employees; innovating; and investing in the future. It also will be another year […]
USPS has reopened the Denham Springs Post Office nearly four months after historic flooding in southeastern Louisiana forced it to suspend operations. Southern Area VP Shaun Mossman and Louisiana District Manager Stephen Hardin welcomed employees and customers back into the facility during a recent reopening celebration. “When these kinds of crises occur, the Postal Service […]
USPS has expanded its Surface Visibility (SV) program to an additional 114 sites, bringing the total number to 437 across the nation. The program is part of the Postal Service’s broader efforts to better use technology and promote the SV application, which improves scanning and makes it easier for business customers to know the whereabouts […]