Tuesday, September 2, 2025
Customer experience pilot concludes
Employees at four S&DCs took part in this 90-day program
The Postal Service has finished its Customer Experience Vision Activation pilot program at four sorting and delivery centers across the nation.
The S&DCs in Binghamton, NY; Kalamazoo, MI; Oxnard, CA; and Fort Lauderdale, FL, took part in the 90-day pilot.
Managers and supervisors at these facilities met with employees during daily huddles and emphasized the importance of delivering good customer service.
Leaderboards displayed relevant data for each S&DC to encourage employees there to achieve top performer status.
Throughout the 90 days, employees received recognition for their efforts.
The Postal Service developed the Customer Experience Vision Activation program after more than a year of research and conversations with more than 300 employees throughout the organization.
The program focused on providing excellent customer service, whether that means prompt package delivery, reducing the amount of time customers wait in line at Post Offices or offering knowledgeable answers when a customer calls.
“The stronger emotional connection a customer has to an organization, the more likely they are to be loyal and increase their wallet share,” said Wendy Daniels, customer experience and strategy director.
This pilot measured service requests, customer satisfaction and employee availability. The goals are based on tenets of the Delivering of America plan and focus on caring about the customers while empowering employees who are providing service.
“You have to care and have the ability to give customers the service they need. Everyone up the line must buy into this notion,” said Marc McCrery, the Postal Service’s customer experience vice president.
The pilot closed July 21 and the top performer of the program will be announced later.
“We are reviewing what we’ve seen and next steps we want to take because we don’t think this is the end of the vision activation — it’s only the beginning,” Daniels said.
The Customer Experience Blue page has more information, including the Postal Service’s customer experience vision statement.
Email us your feedback. Your comments could be included in our “Mail” column.
On the Job
She wants to be seen and known
This plant manager says ‘visibility is key’ on the night shift
My name is Jacqueline Thomas and I’m the plant manager at the Dominick V. Daniels Processing and Distribution Center in Kearny, NJ.
Most plant managers work during the day, but I love the night shift. Most of my employees work at night and they want to see the plant manager. They want to talk to the plant manager, know the plant manager and feel the plant manager cares.
I believe visibility is key — when people see you and know you care, they care.
I walk the entire work facility multiple times a day. I want to know what’s out of place, what’s in place, what has gone wrong, what issue we may have because if you catch it early, you can fix it early.
This facility is 1 million square feet over three levels with two work floors. There are 1,300 employees, 78 Executive and Administrative Schedule positions, 60 supervisors, three engineers, two senior operation specialists and almost 16 managers working here. Covering that much ground takes a few hours.
Employees love to give me feedback and information. My best training in the Postal Service is courtesy of the employees. I have learned the operations from the ground up.
I began my postal career 37 years ago.
After my mother passed away, I was responsible for raising seven brothers and sisters and I needed to find a second job to supplement my full-time job as a bank supervisor. That’s when I joined USPS part-time. I worked both jobs for 10 years to help care for my siblings, but I was burning the candle at both ends.
I had to decide between the two jobs; the Postal Service had more to offer. The benefits were better. The hours were flexible. The opportunity for upward mobility was there. I think I made the best choice of my life by staying at USPS.
I also met my husband, Richard, through the Postal Service. He worked here for 39 years and was a mail handlers’ union president. We’ve been married for 30 years. USPS helped put our daughter through college and graduate school.
Our job isn’t just to move the mail. Our job is to encourage our employees, to mentor, to let our employees know this is your future and you can be happy here, too. We spend more time here than we do at home.
When you give out good energy, you get it back.
“On the Job,” a column on individual employees and their contributions to the Postal Service, appears regularly in Link.
Heroes
She heard a faint call for help and then acted
This employee came to the aid of a woman who had been on the floor for three days
Letter Carrier Misty Hernandez was delivering mail in Hutchinson, KS, recently when she heard a woman call faintly through an apartment door.
“I knocked on the door and asked her if she was OK,” said Hernandez.
The customer asked the Postal Service employee to call 911 and gave her permission to enter the apartment.
Hernandez found the 77-year-old woman on the floor where she had fallen three days earlier.
After lifting the customer’s head and giving her some water, Hernandez stayed with her until paramedics arrived.
Employees featured in “Heroes” receive letters of commendation through the Postmaster General Heroes’ Program. The nomination form is available on Blue.
Here’s how to get ready for an emergency
USPS offers tips for National Preparedness Month
To help mark National Preparedness Month in September, the Postal Service is encouraging employees to take time to prepare for emergencies.
Here are some tips:
• Know the threats in your area. Are hurricanes or wildfires a possibility? Are you in a place that could get hit by a tornado or that is prone to floods?
• Be in the know. Sign up to receive local emergency alerts and warnings by email and text.
• Have supplies. Create an emergency supply kit for you and your family that includes water, nonperishable food, medicines and other necessities.
• Have a family communication plan. Make sure your family knows who to contact.
• Have an evacuation plan. Conduct an evacuation drill with your family.
• Have a plan for sheltering in place. Practice staying put with your family.
• Be ready to move. Know the emergency evacuation routes near home and work and keep your vehicle fueled.
• Keep cash on hand. You might need it if a power outage affects ATMs.
The Postal Service’s Personal Preparedness Blue page and the Ready.gov website have more information.
Week in Review
Here’s what Link covered Aug. 24-30
A colorful celebration of 250 years and postcard collectors made news
As Link reported last week, USPS and Pantone, a consulting service that tracks global color trends, are working together to showcase seven shades celebrating the Postal Service’s 250th anniversary.
The colors will not appear on stamps, paint or apparel but will instead be used to market the organization’s postal history in a visual way.
“This way of storytelling is an unexpected and authentic way to get our brand story out to a wider audience,” said Amity Kirby, the Postal Service’s licensing and creative manager.
We also ran a roundup of local anniversary celebrations around the country, noting that some included special dedication ceremonies for the 250 Years of Delivering stamps and even bespoke postmarks.
A sadder anniversary was marked, too. It has been 20 years since Hurricane Katrina violently cleaved the history of New Orleans into “before” and “after.”
We shared news of Linda Malone and Amit Cholkar being named vice president of applied engineering and vice president of engineering systems, respectively, after serving in these roles in an acting capacity; told you about the rules for handling records with personally identifiable information; and reminded you about the roles of the Postal Inspection Service and the USPS Office of Inspector General.
“On the Job” profiled Lou DiRienzo, deputy chief inspector for the Postal Inspection Service; and “Heroes” told the story of Misty Hernandez, a Hutchinson, KS, letter carrier who rescued an incapacitated woman who had been lying on her floor for three days.
And there were features on Benjamin Franklin, an employee in Las Vegas who focuses “on being great in my own way,” and postcard collecting, a hobby that is gaining momentum.
Finally, the “People” column told you about a special USPS mural in Philadelphia City Hall created by teen summer students.
“We’re focusing on the Philly aspect of it but it’s so much larger than that,” said teacher Tim Haigh. “The Postal Service is like the connective tissue for the fabric of society.”
Email us your feedback. Your comments could be included in our “Mail” column.
September 7, 2025
Datebook
Virtual supervisory job fair
The Postal Service will offer a virtual job fair for supervisory positions on Sunday, Sept. 7, from 1 to 3 p.m. Eastern.
The fair will address the supervisory role, including responsibilities, potential career paths and how to find and apply for positions.
Sign language interpreters and closed captioning will be available, and after the fair, participants will be able to access a recording of it and the slides shown.
To participate, employees must complete an online registration form on MyHR, part of LiteBlue.
All participants must be a current career or noncareer Postal Service employee and attend while off the clock. Participation is voluntary.
September 8, 2025
Datebook
‘PSHB and Medicare in Retirement’
USPS employees may participate in a webinar that will help explain how the new Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program and Medicare work in retirement.
The session, “PSHB and Medicare in Retirement,” will be held Monday, Sept. 8, from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern.
Representatives from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, a provider of health plans for federal employees, will lead the webinar.
Participants must register on the webinar website.
Participation is voluntary. Nonexempt employees must participate off the clock or during authorized breaks.
Employees who have questions can email the USPS Benefits and Wellness team.
September 9, 2025
Datebook
William F. Buckley Jr. stamp ceremony
The Postal Service will dedicate its William F. Buckley Jr. stamp on Tuesday, Sept. 9, in New Haven, CT.
The event will be held at 4:30 p.m. Eastern in Beinecke Plaza, part of Yale University, at 121 Wall St.
Attendees are encouraged to RSVP online.
View past printouts
Printout details
What's included
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Customer experience pilot concludes
Employees at four S&DCs took part in this 90-day program
-
On the Job
She wants to be seen and known
This plant manager says ‘visibility is key’ on the night shift
-
Heroes
She heard a faint call for help and then acted
-
Here’s how to get ready for an emergency
USPS offers tips for National Preparedness Month
-
Week in Review
Here’s what Link covered Aug. 24-30
A colorful celebration of 250 years and postcard collectors made news
-
September7Datebook
Virtual supervisory job fair
-
September8Datebook
‘PSHB and Medicare in Retirement’
-
September9Datebook
William F. Buckley Jr. stamp ceremony