A Q & A with with Ms. Janet Webster, Manager of Retail Service Network & Access Management for the United States Postal Service (USPS) Retail Services!
When we think about good leaders we quickly find that the truly unique people that are successful have qualities that draw people to them. Some have charisma. You know what we mean. They instill faith, respect and trust in their team but, more than that they transmit a sense of mission and generate enthusiasm and that creates energy.
Good Leaders, and by that we mean really effective people maximize the efforts of individuals they work with everyday. When we first met Janet Webster we immediately knew that we had found a true Leader. We ask that you take a few minutes to enjoy this Interview of a Woman with a unique perspective.
EKN: “Ms. Webster we are pleased that you have taken time out of your schedule to speak to our readers. Tell us a little about your position at The United States Postal Service?”
Janet: “Thanks for the opportunity to speak with you, Robert! Right now I’m the Manager of Retail Service Network & Access Management. Long title – basically it means I have responsibility for retail optimization and access management initiatives, retail service equipment programs, and alternative access policies and programs. Lucky for me that includes the Automated Postal Center (APC) program!”
EKN: “Explain briefly how you identified the self service opportunity, and began planning for such a massive undertaking?”
Janet: “The Postal Service has a goal of being Quick, Easy, and Convenient for our customers – and, a self-service kiosk solution contributes to that goal. Plans for our APC included providing easy access to our products and services at 2,500 of our busiest post offices and offering 7/24 access in most locations.
Based on our Point of Service (POS ONE) data, customer feedback, and marketplace initiatives, it was apparent that the APC would be a good addition to our post offices. We started with a Market Test of 30-kiosks in selected geographic locations. And the results were excellent – customer acceptance was fairly quick, and the usage grew at better than projected rates.
The positive customer acceptance and overall success of the Market Test enabled us to move forward with a plan to purchase and implement the current 2,500 APCs in a production mode. This procurement process was completed over multiple years, and we were able to begin implementation in April, 2004.”
EKN: “Selling this idea internally must have been tough. How did this come about and what steps did you take in forming the team?”
Janet: “Actually, our postal leadership was very much in favor of the APCs – the program supports our goal of Quick, Easy, and Convenient! Our Deputy Postmaster General was our strongest advocate – he was actively involved in all aspects of the program.
We also had a terrific cross-functional team consisting of representatives from various organizations such as Operations, Marketing, Engineering, Finance, Information Technology, Corporate Treasury, Labor, Legal, Supply Management – to name a few. Installing 2,500 APCs over 7 months was a phenomenal accomplishment – it worked because of our extraordinary team.”
This year was the first KioskCom Expo Self Service Street in Las Vegas. This was a very cool event that allowed the Expo Attendees to vote as they previewed each location on the street. Contestants included IBM, Pay By Touch, Source Technologies, US Postal Service and E Cast. The electronic voting was completed real time using Tablet PC’s and was provided by Motion Computing and InTouch Survey Systems.
EKN: “As the Winner of the People’s Choice Awards 2007 it is clearly another indication of how your team is able to perform. This is the most recent of many Awards that your group as received. While we are sure that it is great to seize the moment and the joy of being recognized for your hard work, may we ask what this means to you and you Team?”
Janet: “We are thrilled – this was quite an accomplishment for us! This award makes four years in a row that the
