US Postal Service holding strong in overnight delivery
Postmaster General John E. Potter told to Postal Service Board of Governors today that the agency continues to deliver record service and customer satisfaction across the nation.
"Nationally, we achieved an on-time score of 95 percent for overnight First-Class Mail service for the 9th consecutive quarter. We also achieved a customer satisfaction measurement score of 93 percent marking the 14th consecutive quarter at that mark or better.
U.S. Postal Service
The board also heard from Chief Financial Officer Richard J. Strasser, Jr., that mail volume in the 2nd Quarter showed a gain of 600 million pieces, to 52.1 billion, and a $17 million increase in revenue.
"There was a dip in revenue and volume in January, with slight increases in February and March. Increased expenses — due to cost inflation, additional volumes and deliveries — were contained by productivity gains through workhour savings," Strasser said.
IBM Consulting Services provided the assessment on service performance. For more than two straight years, the U.S. Postal has maintained a 95 percent on-time performance score for overnight delivery of First-Class Mail.
Six of the Postal Service's districts, all in the Western United States, reached 97 percent on-time scores during this reporting period. They are Big Sky (Montana); Spokane (eastern Washington state and Idaho); Central Plains (Nebraska, southwest Iowa and most of Kansas); Dakotas (North and South Dakota and northeast Minnesota); Colorado / Wyoming (all portions of these two states); and Northland (most of Minnesota and part of Wisconsin.)
This second quarter measurement for fiscal year 2005 also cites two-day on-time service performance of 90 percent and three-day, which is carried by air, of 83 percent.
This report provides an independent assessment of the time it takes a piece of First-Class Mail, once it's deposited into a collection box, to be delivered to one of more than 142 million American homes, businesses and Post Office boxes.
During the same period, customer satisfaction was also independently measured. Twelve districts achieved scores of 96 or 97; and, for fourteen continuous quarters, the national customer satisfaction measurement score has been 93 percent or higher.
Strasser also noted that total revenue of $17.3 billion exceeded total expenses of $17.0 billion, producing a net income of $275 million, down from $741 million in Quarter 2 of last year.
In addition, he said the number of delivery addresses continues to increase, up 400,000 in Quarter 2, bringing total delivery points to 143.2 million, 1.8 million over the number of addresses a year ago.
In other board activity, Vice President, Strategic Planning Linda A. Kingsley outlined the actions being taken by senior leadership to build additional strategies that will extend the benefits realized from the agency's original Transformation Plan, it's blueprint for the future, to guide the organization through 2010. She said these strategies, which will include information solicited from all Postal Service stakeholders, will be published September 30 after they have been reviewed and approved by the Board of Governors.
Since 1775, the Postal Service has connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses by mail. It is an independent federal agency that visits more than 142 million homes and businesses every day and is the only service provider delivering to every address in the nation. The Postal Service receives no taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, products and services. With annual revenues of more than $69 billion, it is the world's leading provider of mailing and delivery services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the world. The Postal Service delivers more than 46 percent of the world's mail volume — some 206 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a year-and serves seven million customers each day at its 37,000 retail locations nationwide.
