Daily printout: March 21

The Postal Service is implementing refinements to service standards and has launched new online tools and a fact sheet to help customers prepare for the changes.

These adjustments will affect First-Class Mail, Periodicals, Marketing Mail, Package Services (including Bound Printed Matter, Media Mail and Library Mail), USPS Ground Advantage, Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express.

The enhancements are estimated to save the Postal Service at least $36 billion during the next decade through reductions in transportation, mail and package processing, and real estate costs.

The service standards refinement will occur in two phases to ensure effective operational implementation: the first phase will begin April 1 and the second will start July 1.

As part of the ongoing Delivering for America 10-year plan, USPS has already achieved $2.2 billion in annual transportation cost reductions by streamlining networks and optimizing air and surface options.

The organization has also decreased work hours by 50 million — translating to $2.5 billion in annual savings — by enhancing plant productivity and closing unnecessary facilities. Additionally, USPS has increased revenue by $3.5 billion annually by adapting product offerings amid significant declines in First-Class Mail volume.

The newly enhanced service standards align with the Postal Service’s operational goals and enable the organization to realize the projected savings while also:

• Preserving the current service standard day ranges for First-Class Mail and USPS Ground Advantage, thus ensuring the standard First-Class Mail delivery time will not exceed five days;

• Enhancing service predictability and reliability;

• Offering 2-3-day turnaround service within regions and specific local areas; and

• Allowing flexibility in regional transportation schedules, which may extend service expectations by one day for mail collected at certain Post Offices while overall improving delivery speeds for mail and packages between regions.

In preparation for these upcoming changes, USPS has developed user-friendly tools to assist customers in understanding expected delivery times for their mail.

Starting March 24, customers can look up service standards on usps.com for mailings from one ZIP Code to another on a particular mailing date. The search results will display the available mail classes along with the expected delivery dates for each.

Also starting March 24, a new interactive map will be available that will display service standards. Customers will be able to enter the ZIP Code they are mailing from along with the mail class to view the expected delivery time.

The usps.com Delivering for America section has more information.