Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Primers
Here’s how to better respond to customer inquiries
The Consumer Advocate team offers tools and other help to get the best answers
The Postal Service’s Consumer Advocate team acts as the “voice of the customer” throughout the organization and provides resources to help employees maintain positive customer relationships.
April Callens, customer policy and engagement strategy program manager, works on the Consumer Advocate team’s goal of ensuring a good customer experience at every encounter.
She wants employees to know they can better respond to customer inquiries by reviewing the team’s tools and resources, attending webinars and using its “communicating organizational responses effectively” language, or CORE.
“We have the resources, but I have found employees just don’t know where to find them or that they exist, but they’re there. Our resources are valuable to anyone who responds to an inquiry in any part of the Postal Service — and that doesn’t have to be your main job description or job function,” Callens said.
The CORE language resource is part of the Consumer Advocate Blue page, which can be found under Featured Topics. It offers responses to frequent customer inquiries about delivery of mail and packages, Election and Political Mail, facilities, pricing, products, retail and more.
“A lot of the responses are policy-related, so you’re providing customers with correct information,” she said.
CORE language responses are also embedded throughout the Customer 360 platform. The C360’s complaint handling system also offers employee guidance and templates for email and letter responses.
The Consumer Affairs staff, Customer Relations teams, local Post Office employees who handle C360 cases, and the Consumer Advocate team at USPS headquarters in Washington, DC, are the primary users of the CORE language.
But “any employee who might need guidance on how to respond to a customer” can benefit from using the CORE language tool, Callens said.
The team also provides research-based responses to consumer and residential customers’ appeals claims as well as inquiries sent to the Office of the Postmaster General, Postal Regulatory Commission and other leadership teams.
“Primers,” a Postal Service explanatory column, appears occasionally in Link.
Floral stamps are a USPS tradition
The Sunflowers release is the latest in the postal bouquet
With the release of the new Sunflowers stamp, the Postal Service is highlighting its history of floral-themed stamps.
An enduring favorite among customers and collectors alike, stamps featuring flowers and botanical beauty have appeared for decades — and new ones are issued regularly.
Many floral stamps feature striking photography or illustration.
Illustrator Nancy Stahl, who created the new Sunflowers stamp artwork, said she was inspired by the flower’s natural geometry.
“I was fascinated by the underside of the sunflower’s bloom — how the stem is topped with an almost petal-like ring of small green leaves,” she said. “The Fibonacci pattern formed by the seeds at the center was mesmerizing.”
Past releases include the American Wildflowers pane in 1992, Imperforate Winter Flowers in 2014, Flowers from the Garden in 2017, Wild Orchids in 2020 and Mountain Flora in 2022.
More recent designs include Celebration Blooms and Garden Delights, both in 2024; Dahlias in 2025, and the Low Denomination Flowers series in 2025 and this year.
Sunflowers have appeared on stamps before, including in 2008 and 2012.
And because flowers symbolize everything from love and celebration to sympathy and care, a flower stamp can subtly match the tone of any message.
Floral stamps are especially fitting for spring mailings — including Mother’s Day cards, wedding invitations, baby shower and graduation announcements, thank-you notes or just a handwritten hello.
Because they are often used for oversized mailings, such as wedding invitations, several denominations are available.
The Stamps Forever website has more information about floral stamps.
A full list of currently available floral stamps can be found on usps.com.
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Milestones
Appointments, awards and retirements
Here’s a look at recent USPS leadership announcements
The Postal Service recently made the following managerial and supervisory announcements:
• Christina M. Balliro, Delaware-Pennsylvania 2 District’s Post Office operations manager, was named the Philadelphia Post Office’s acting officer in charge.
• Pamela J. Gabriel, human resources generalist, and James A. Martin, human resources support manager, were recognized for 40 years of service.
• Michelle M. Sherbert, regional sales director, will retire March 31 after 31 years with the Postal Service.
• Thomas E. Singer II, San Francisco District sales manager, was named Central Region’s acting sales director.
• Julie H. Weiser, national performance initiatives executive manager, was named retail and delivery continuous improvement acting executive manager. Austin W. Garber, business transformation specialist, was named national performance initiatives acting executive manager.
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April 1, 2026
Datebook
‘Finding More Margin in Your Day’
Postal Service employees may participate in an upcoming webinar to learn tips to lessen time stress, create healthy boundaries and build self-care and downtime into the day.
The session, “Finding More Margin in Your Day,” will be held Wednesday, April 1, from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern.
Representatives from Kaiser Permanante, a provider of health plans for federal employees, will lead the discussion.
Participants must register before the event on the webinar website.
Participation is voluntary. Nonexempt employees must participate off the clock or during authorized breaks.
Employees with questions can email the USPS Benefits and Wellness team.
April 1, 2026
Datebook
‘Rest Assured: Sleep & Stress Solutions That Work’
Postal Service employees may participate in an upcoming webinar to learn simple, science-backed techniques to restore balance, boost resilience and wake up feeling refreshed.
The session, “Rest Assured: Sleep & Stress Solutions That Work,” will be held Wednesday, April 1, from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern.
Representatives from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, a provider of health plans for federal employees, will lead the discussion.
Participants must register before the event on the webinar website.
Participation is voluntary. Nonexempt employees must participate off the clock or during authorized breaks.
Employees with questions can email the USPS Benefits and Wellness team.
View past printouts
Printout details
What's included
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Primers
Here’s how to better respond to customer inquiries
-
Floral stamps are a USPS tradition
The Sunflowers release is the latest in the postal bouquet
-
Milestones
Appointments, awards and retirements
Here’s a look at recent USPS leadership announcements
-
April1Datebook
‘Finding More Margin in Your Day’
-
April1Datebook
‘Rest Assured: Sleep & Stress Solutions That Work’