One customer complaint is that it isn't always easy to do business with us. We have to follow old rules and business practices that are often seen as hinderances by customers.
Our new Postmaster General, Pat Donahoe, has a stated goal of making it easier for our customers.
So, what are your ideas? How can we make it easier?
Take an informal poll of your friends and family or trusted customers and ask them for honest feedback. How can we be more approachable and customer-friendly?
Comment here.
32 comments:
Keep the small rural post offices open for a start! Removing them will create a hardship for the elderly people in the small towns.
Allow the local post office to help customers prepare their parcels for shipment, when time allows.
Allow postal employees to assist customers will filling out postal forms, some are troublesome to fill out.
I agree with the post above. Insert a fee like other places, that charge for the taping and packaging of customers packages.
Expand our services, such as faxing, notary republic or other revenue generasting ideas.
Simplify the number of products we have to make it easier for our customers to understand. For instance, the new flat rate boxes for close zones are just going to add confusion and create more counter time while clerks explain differences from the all zone boxes.
Ever think about adding a customer checklist to our website. For instance, have a list of all the options a customer could possibly want and let them check off boxes. They click a finish button and the system recommends the box or envelop size, types of postage, extra services they need, etc.
Longer hours, including (longer) Saturday hours, so that people -- even those with lengthy commutes -- can come before or after work. Express Lines for those just buying stamps. More clerks at the windows. It's false economy to think we are helping USPS financially by operating with fewer window clerks when there are customers waiting or -- worse yet -- taking one look at the line and walking out; the sorriest clerk in the world more than pays for him/herself in revenues. People's biggest complaint about the Post Office is having to wait in line. Rewarding -- or at least, recognizing -- clerks with high revenues and/or customer satisfaction ratings.
I have always wondered why the Post Office did not have a drive-thru window. Just for quick transactions - stamps, pick up a package, etc. Is this at any other Post Office's? We do not have it where I am at.
KISS --- Customers want simple. Most say just get it there. They want it there in a resonalbe time. Putting delivery confirmation or tracking on all packages would be better than having to tell a customer after the fact that there is no way for us to tell if the receiving party ever got it.
Be more like successful private businesses worldwide and as suggested, standardization in layout of lobby and box sections, drive-thru services, earlier openings and late evening hours for convenience with most-needed services also available in big box stores including Costco & Sam's Clubs.
These are all great ideas to improve customer service. The big idea I have? Get the government to ALLOW us to be a service organization again by PAYING for us to put these good ideas into place! If they want to run us as: "business first, customer service second", then that is exactly what they will get! The postmaster general's proposition to congress to simplify the laws that govern the P.O. is a step in the right direction. 'Let us not be bogged down with red tape, but deliver us from bureaucracy!'
Smaller post offices could offer more retail services. We already have the ability and desire to help our customers and be an asset to our communities...Gift cards, greeting cards, notary services, banking, office supplies, etc.
Also, what about providing some standard comment cards so our customers can give us their suggestions?
More training for window clerks. I was recently visiting a large city and mailed a parcel home to myself at a postal station. The clerk did not know how to accept a parcel over the counter with stamps applied to it! He did not perform an acceptance scan, did not put a zero pvi label on the package, and relied on me to do the math to figure out how many stamps to apply to cover the postage and insurance. He didn't even have a calculator at his window. Overhearing the transactions at the other windows let me know that it wasn't just my clerk who was inadequately trained. Goodness. No wonder people think we're an anachronism.
Lots of great ideas! Keeping "service" in US Postal is key to encouraging customers to continue to utilize our business.
We must keep small, rural Post Offices open as the folks in these areas use the Postal Service to a far greater degree than city folks.
WTIL is the biggest complaint I hear from people using larger PO's.
The most frequent request I get is for Notary Public services. The most frequent complaint - confusing
mailing rules re: flats, packages,
non-machinable letters, etc.
A lot of great ideas... are you listening management?
Scale back on all the different rates you offer. Forget about zones, it's too hard to give prices on ebay and other auction sites in listings when you have all the different zones. Also, get congress to stand some ground and take some heet on changing rural free delivery. Have them commit to charging every house address $10.00 per year for rural mail delivery and have this charged to their tax base and then have that given back to the Postal service. Only charge the address and not the occupant. This way if someone moves they still get the same service for the same price if they rent or own something different. This would end having to close post offices and the problem with money as the amount of money goes up with the new number of delvieris. Very simple solution if congress only had the guts to do it. I suggested this years ago as I was a Postmaster, but no one ever listened and was too affraid to push it up the ladder. I am now retired and no longer have to worry about keeping my job.
The number one problem: What good is a Tracking System when most employees do not scan the item?
Express Mail: It should be one time "before 3", so it can be later than noon (lose a lot of money in that area) and before businesses close for the day.
Confirmation Delivery: Tell the customers 7-10 days because that is the timeframe that most are delivered...this way, IF the item is delivered before, the USPS looks good. Telling them 3 days, no...it doesn't happen.
Priority Mail: Customers want their item delivered within the 2 days "just like the commercial promised"...it is more like 3-7 days to deliver the majority of out of state PM.
The most important: POSTAL EMPLOYEES...TREAT YOUR CUSTOMERS WITH RESPECT AND DIGNITY. ASSIST THEM IN EVERY ASPECT OF THEIR BUSINESS. Customer Service has gone down hill with window clerks and station managers being the worst to do business with!
I heard an outrageous story from a window clerk the other day... she said that she had a customer come to her window and ask for the Breast Cancer stamp, but she didn't have any, then the customer asked for another stamp, but she didn't have that one either. The reason was her Unit was not allowed to have more than a certain amount of stamps. It made for a very poor customer experience. That "rule" defies common sense. How can we increase revenue and make the customer happy if we don't have what they want?
This weekend I tried to go into USPS.COM to compliment the carrier who delivers my mail. It was near impossible. Easy enough to complain though! That would be enough for most to stop trying to compliment an employee. We need to know when our customers are happy too! I agree to raise the restriction on the amount of stamps an office can carry also. Now with the rates increasing and not being able to return the old stamps until a month later, I guess I will not be ordering the new rate stamps. Like the "All Forever" idea though and would like a sheet of occation stamps to sell (i.e. some Happy Birthday, Anniversary, Congratualtions etc). Since they will be good forever, the idea should go over well.
IN our office we are a PO BOX delivery station "ONLY".. means that w/most ltrs.pkgs.etc...IF they are NOT addressed to a PO BOX, we are to treat them as UDAA & RTS.. ANY & ALL..NO EXCEPTIONS, what we do for one we have to do for ALL in order to dodge that bullet called "setting presidence" ON top of that we are told & we tell our local customers that we don't have enough "budgeted" time to look up everybody's physical address and deliver their mailings to the proper PO BOX.. SO, I say let us start taking the time to look up a few physical addresses or whatever is necessary to get the mail delivered... IT COST us $$$$$ to RTS anyway.. WHY encur that additional expense just to prove a point OR stand on the side of Regulations?? In THAT process we loose the Trust of our customers. We should try every effort that we have @ our disposal to deliver the mail... AND I agree w/ the top (2) comments.. we should get back to "helping" our customers @ the window.. I do it anyway so please don't tell my BOSS!!!
What district are you in that tells you to RTS all mail that doesn't show a PO Box number? That's not customer service. In my district, we were told just the opposite, that we are to get it to the intended recipient if we know where the person is (the term is "local knowledge"). I have about 350 PO Boxes in my office, and I know what names go into what boxes, even without a box number. For those I don't remember, I have a "cheat sheet" that shows the street addresses, names, and box numbers. It would actually take me longer to pull out all the mail without box numbers and RTS it than it does to sort it to my customers in the first place!
C'mon, people! Customer service is what we're built on!!
TO "PO BOX ONLY". I agree! If management would allow a clerk/employee to compile the information on computer so that when an item is delivered and we don't know the POB....we can enter the customer info and find the POB.
We would save money AND keep our customers happy. I maintained a computerized tracking for over 14,000 postal employees, so I know it works! RTS costs, losing that mail piece, damaged, etc. we are asking for trouble. I really like the idea of creating a certain order of FOREVER stamps with Happy Birthday, etc. USPS: when you make price hikes...go for it...charge a nickel instead of pennying customers to death!
To the comments on P.O. Boxes, we have all our info stored in WebBATS, you can print out a sheet of all the boxes in order of Box # or alphabetically. It saves so much time! When you enter the info, always add the street address if you know it so you can find the right box easier. Most offices now use WebBATS..I thought they did anyhow.
I see many GREAT idea's on this Blog. My question is to the person(s) who run this Blog - will Management ever see these idea's??? Do you share the idea's that are expressed on this Blog with USPS Management??? I have asked this before, but never received an answer.
Anonymous
If you have a question for the the publisher of this blog, send an email to bennyblogger at gmail.com
Perhaps part of our customer service problems lies in the fact that we do have different rules in each PO. Just like some that deliver street address and some that dont. People move around and talk. It doesnt take long for them to be saying I could or couldnt at the last PO I was at. Now that is frustrating. As my area has changed MPOOs over the years our rules also change, for instance..."deliver as addressed, deliver if you know where it belongs or RTS all UAA mail. Put a letter in their PO box telling them they HAVE to have their PO box # on it. And we all know that companies/hospitals/utility companies never do change their address data base.
We are all doing a ton of different things in our offices! And that is very poor customer service across the board.
That is why the different MPOO's or DM's need to cease issuing policies about things already in the regulation. It's impossible for everyone to know every policy letter on file...but easy to find the regulation. They should also cease issuing policy letters that conflict with the regulation. The DMM clearly states that improperly addressed mail should be returned to sender. A policy that states "If you know it...throw it" is in direct contradiction with the regulation.
It may be a direct contradiction, but it make more sense to get the mail to its intended recipient...after all, we are the POSTAL SERVICE!!!
On the other hand we could "regulate" ourselves out of business. My community is small and rural and I believe in providing excellent customer service. If I know it I throw it, regardless what the "regulation" says. We're fighting to keep customers - not drive them away.
I also work in a small rural office where we we receive a lot of mail that simply has name, city, state, and ZIP....no street or POB. The customers assume that we know everyone and where they live. We are not a locater service, we are charged with delivering the mail. It's important to remember that although we are charged with delivering the mail...we must also do so efficiently. If we are spending hours "looking" for people, that is not efficient. In the small towns, that is usually the PM working to find the people. This does not happen in offices 20 or hirer...who have clerks to do this work. Do you think they walk down the line of 20-30 carries asking...is this your customer? Doesn't happen. When was the last time you went to a gas station and had someone fill your tank, check our oil and wash your windows? That service fell to the side, did you stop buying gas? How about going to a grocery store where someone bagged your groceries, carried them to your car, and loaded them for you? Did you stop buying groceries? No you didn't. These are just changes that had to be made in order for these companies to stay in business. We too must change and perhaps some service must be sacrificed. We are NOT a bottomless pit of funds.
It's not usually the customer's fault that the sender doesn't use the PO Box.
Yes, in a small office, the PM usually can put a box number with a name without having to look it up, and this is not something that can be done in a large office. However, like a previous poster mentioned, all box customers can be found by name in WebBats. Yes, it might take some time to process this mail, and maybe you can't determine where that letter is intended to go. In that case, RTS it. If the customer is listed in WebBats, put a sticker on it telling them that they need to use the box number, and get it to them.
Yes there is a way to tie street addresses to PO Boxes. I have done it in my office and believe me it has save me alot of headaches and time sorting. I to am a small rural office and know my cutomers but I also realize I have a PMR that doesn't work unless I am off and she doesn't know the box section as well as I do so this saves here mega time. I do agree it isn't usually the customers fault they are addressed right. I wished all pieces of mail had to have some kind of endorsement on them. My biggest beef with addresses is that we converted to E911 address well over 5 years ago and we still get quite a bit of business mail addressed to customers using the old RR system. Since we have our mail DPS'd it goes sorted to the carrier. I do believe this should be returned at the expense of the send since it would help clean up old addresses.
You will continue recieving the RR mail until you remove that data from your edit sheets. When companies request addessess...the old RR still shows as a valid address. I removed mine 4 years ago and this mail is now returned to sender as "No such street." At first we received a lot of this mail, but as time passed it decreased. Now I only see 1-2 a day, versus 60-70 a day 3 years ago. If we don't correct this problem and we continue delivering it, regardless how it's addressed, the customers will not take the necessary action to notify the sender of the proper address.
Thanks for the tip on the Edit sheets!! I called and mine are being changed!! I have decided I really need to use spell check!!!
I run a small office in a rural area.You cannot close small offices. Customers need us. They should let us offer notary,office supplies, greeting cards,gift cards, etc.I hope the Postmaster General is reading all of our comments.
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