US Postal Service 2005 Annual Report Download - page 12

2 | 2005 Annual Report United States Postal Service
Delivering Our Best
Outstanding service is nothing new for the Postal Service. For the
second straight year, on-time delivery of overnight-committed First-Class
Mail reached 95 percent, as independently measured by IBM Consulting
Services. In quarter 3, this score grew to 96 percent.*
Satisfying Customers
Delivering value — great service, affordable prices, and ease-of-use
— is the winning formula for pleasing customers. Independently mea-
sured customer satisfaction scores show that 94% of residential custom-
ers rated their experience with the Postal Service as excellent, very good,
or good. And we’re experiencing steady improvement in “excellent” and
“very good” ratings.
Keeping Our Promise
With the implementation of the Transformation Plan in 2002, we pledged
to remove $5 billion in costs from our system by the end of 2006. We
met that commitment a full year ahead of schedule. It’s our goal to cut
another $5 billion through 2010, continuing to make mail a better value
than ever.
Helping Others
Our Breast Cancer Research stamp — the Postal Service’s first
semipostal stamp — has raised $48.9 million to help find a cure. The
Heroes of 2001 semipostal has raised $10.6 million for the families of
emergency workers killed or injured in the 9/11 attacks. And the Stop
Family Violence semipostal has raised $1.8 million for the victims of this
form of abuse.
Extending Hours
Our customers are busy with work, school, family and, of course, all the
chores that go with that. Their time is limited. So we’re making it easy for
them to get to the Post Office by extending hours — in the evening and
on weekends — at thousands of Post Offices from coast to coast.
Protecting Consumers
The Postal Inspection Service worked to protect American consum-
ers from fraud. In partnership with other agencies, Postal Inspectors
launched “Operation Dialing for Dollars,” to shut down fraudulent tele-
marketers, particularly those who target older Americans. Investigations
resulted in 64 arrests and 64 convictions. Postal Inspectors also contin-
ued their successful efforts to combat child pornography.
Closing the Sale
Direct mail is the fastest growing segment of the advertising market,
increasing at twice the rate of any other media. That’s because direct
mail stands out in a crowded selling environment, with the ability to offer
a personalized message to just the audience you want to reach.
Bringing the Post Office to Your Home
or Office
We continue to add new features to our online Post Office, usps.com,
making it more valuable than ever — features like insurance, return re-
ceipts, change-of-address, and mail-hold requests. That’s in addition to
usps.com’s powerful combination of Click-N-Ship, for address labels and
postage, and Carrier Pickup online notification, to alert your letter carrier
to pick up your prepaid Priority or Express Mail package from your home
or office with the next day’s delivery — at no extra charge!
Keeping People Connected
Following the unprecedented devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita, the Postal Service worked to keep evacuees connected with
friends and loved ones — through the mail. Temporary Post Offices
were set up in shelters throughout the nation. Where normal delivery
was impossible, special arrangements were made for the distribution of
Social Security checks. And mail was forwarded for more than 600,000
households in the affected areas of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi,
Louisiana, and Texas.
Increasing Efficiency
Postal efficiency continued its upward swing, with an unprecedented
sixth consecutive year of growth in total-factor productivity — the
equivalent of more than $700 million in cost savings.
Building a Safer Workplace
Innovative new partnerships with postal employees, their unions and
the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have resulted in a
safer workplace. Through OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program and
Ergonomics Risk Reduction Program, accidents have been dramatically
reduced at participating sites. Overall, injuries and illnesses declined
by an impressive 11.9 percent, supported by the development a strong
culture of safety throughout the entire organization.
Caring for Others
Postal employees from coast to coast collected a record 71.3 million
pounds of food, almost a half-million pounds more than last year, during
the 13th annual Postal Service/National Association of Letter Carriers
“Stamp Out Hunger” Food Drive — the nation’s largest one-day effort to
combat hunger. The food was distributed to local food banks, pantries,
and shelters to help needy families.
* The External First-Class Mail measurement system (EXFC) measures collection box to mailbox
delivery performance. EXFC continually tests a panel of 463 ZIP Code areas selected on the basis
of geographic and volume density from which 90% of First-Class Mail volume originates and 80%
destinates. EXFC is not a system-wide measurement of all First-Class Mail performance.
Year in review
Your time is valuable. That’s why we created Automated Postal Centers.
Just about anything you can do at the counter, you can do from an APC.
They’re in hundreds of Post Offices nationwide, with many available 24/7! >