Speak Up

U.S. Postal Service making big improvements

 

Re Josephine Kenna’s Feb. 22 Speakup Online letter, Post office too unreliable: I apologize to Ms. Kenna for her unpleasant experience at her post office and assure her that we aim to provide a level of service that makes our customers want to do business with us.

We appreciate the kind words Ms. Kenna had for her carrier. Our carriers are great Postal Service ambassadors delivering more than 165 billion pieces of mail a year to more than 150 million addresses nationwide. Still, we recognize that we are only as good as our last transaction.

No one likes waiting in line and, because of Ms. Kenna’s letter, we are addressing that concern immediately. Long lines at the post office can cost us your business.

Customers in South Florida will continue to see the deployment of a new generation of self-service kiosks. The kiosks feature a larger, brighter touch screen and also have scanners for pricing greeting cards and ReadyPost products, along with scales. The U.S. Postal Service has also expanded the use of “lobby assistants” to introduce customers to the new kiosks and show them how they work. The lobby assistants will greet and prepare customers waiting in line to make their transactions with retail associates quicker and easier, improving customers’ experience.

Customers can skip the trip to the post office altogether with Click-N-Ship, our online shipping-service tool that allows them to print mailing labels with postage right from the convenience of their homes or offices with a postage discount and automatic end-to-end tracking at no added charge.

We’re excited about the massive growth in package volume at USPS — $3.5 billion in 2012, up 14 percent since 2010 — and we’re projecting continued strong growth. That growth combined with America’s changing habits with mail prompted our decision to end Saturday delivery of mail but maintain package deliveries — including prescription medicines — six days a week. The transition to five-day delivery will save the Postal Service approximately $2 billion annually while allowing us to capitalize on the rise of e-commerce to play an increasingly vital role as a delivery provider of choice.

The U.S. Postal Service assures Ms. Kenna, South Floridians and the nation that it will continue to develop and implement innovative products and services to provide the delivery platform that all of us can all rely on for generations to come.

Enrique M. Suarez, Miami officer-in-charge, U.S. Postal Service, Miami

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