US Postal Service 2008 Annual Report Download - page 6

6 | 2008 Annual Report United States Postal Service
New era for shipping services
We’ve entered a new world of
competition. For the first time, as
a result of legislation, we have the
flexibility to introduce new products
and adjust prices to respond to
market conditions. Taking the first
steps in this brave new shipping
world, we’re offering online savings
and other pricing incentives for our
shipping services. When customers
use our Express Mail, Priority Mail,
ground package, or international
services, they get some of the best
value in the marketplace. And, as
always, they get the trust and reliability
we’ve been delivering to Americans
for more than two centuries.
Record-breaking
on-time performance
Our national on-time performance
scores have never been better. We
reached record levels in the third
quarter for all three categories of
First-Class Mail — overnight service
at 97 percent on-time, two-day
service at 95 percent on-time and
three-day at 94 percent on-time.
(First-Class Mail performance is
measured independently by IBM
Global Business Services.) These
outstanding results reflect the
dedication of our employees to
provide excellent service to every
family and business in the nation.
Americans trust the Postal Service
Proudly, we continue to earn and
keep the confidence and trust of
our customers. For the fourth year
in a row, the premier privacy trust
study in America named the Postal
Service the most-trusted government
agency. More than 86 percent of
those surveyed by the Ponemon
Institute ranked us first among
74 agencies for keeping information
safe and secure. And, according
to an Associated Press–Ipsos poll,
89 percent of survey participants
had a positive view of the Postal
Service, highest out of a dozen
federal agencies. We’ve always been
a welcomed and trusted part of the
communities we serve.
Adapting to an
evolving marketplace
We made changes to our
organization to strengthen our
position in an extremely competitive
marketplace. With growth as a top
priority, we brought together product
development, product management
and sales in a new Mailing and
Shipping Services division.
Additionally, the new Customer
Relations division will manage key
consumer and business customer
relationships as well as pricing.
And we continue to examine ways
to make our networks work better
for customers.
Moving forward with
new technologies
We’re enthusiastic about two new
technologies that promise to enhance
the value of the mail and increase
its effectiveness. Both the Postal
Service and the mailing industry
will benefit. Intelligent Mail services
and the wealth of information they
provide will become the foundation
of mail value: printing logistics,
verification, acceptance, payment,
processing, diagnostics, routing,
transportation and delivery. The
Flats Sequencing System is being
deployed to automate the sorting of
flat-size mail — magazines, catalogs
and large envelopes — into delivery
sequence, improving efficiency.
Providing customers with
choices online
The Post Office is always just a click
away at usps.com. A redesign of
the website makes it easier than
ever to find the right solution for any
mailing or shipping need. And the
Brookings Institution named it one of
the top five federal websites. We’re
always introducing new ways to
make it quick, easy, and convenient
to do business with us from your
home or office. Many online features
were introduced during the year —
customers now can find and pay for
a new Post Office box, arrange for
Carrier Pickup service for parcels
being returned, and apply for a
permit for Business Reply Mail. The
Post Office is wherever you want it to
be, around the clock.
Fostering an inclusive
work environment
“People are different — respect is
universal.” With that message, we
continue to honor our commitment
2008 Year in Review