Chapter 2: Our Customers
Corporate Customer Contact
Corporate Customer Contact (CCC) provides convenient customer access to a wide array of services through a network of toll-free telephone numbers. CCC handles queries on ZIP Codes, prices, passports, and Post Office hours and locations. It helps customers submit change of address notices and provides support to customers tracking domestic and international packages. CCC accepts orders for stamp products through 800-STAMP-24 and coordinates responses to the Contact Us page on usps.com. CCC also supports My Post Office, an intranet application that enables Post Offices to manage daily processes. It communicates corporate alerts, customer service issues, and customer requests for pickups, holds, and redeliveries.
In a pilot project conducted at the Detroit District since March 2007, employees who have been injured on duty help staff the Postal Service’s call center, handling customer inquires on ZIP Codes, domestic postage prices, passports, and hold mail and redelivery requests. The project provides productive work to employees who are unable to perform their regular duty assignment and who have reached maximum medical improvement.
Customer Satisfaction Measurement
Customer Satisfaction Measurement (CSM) is conducted independently through surveys performed by the Gallup Organization on behalf of the Postal Service. Survey question ratings and feedback provide an ongoing assessment of customer experience with the Postal Service across a range of interactions. CSM reports customers’ perception of the quality of their mail delivery, the service they received at Post Offices and other postal outlets, and their experiences with other postal contacts, including phone or online assistance. The Postal Act of 2006 required measurement of customer satisfaction with selected mailing services. During 2008, measures of residential and business customer satisfaction with mailing services were developed and implemented through the CSM survey process.
Because customer needs and expectations vary depending on the type of business they conduct with the Postal Service, CSM reports satisfaction by customer category. CSM-Business surveys three business customer segments: National Accounts (largest business mailers), Premier Accounts (medium-size business mailers), and Preferred Accounts (small business mailers). CSM-Residential surveys household customers.
A total of about 987,000 residential and 371,000 business responses to the CSM surveys were received during 2008. Responses to all CSM surveys are voluntary and confidential, with survey response rates for residential customers of 21 percent, and for small businesses about 13 percent. Survey results are verified by and compared to other measurements. The data help area, district, and local managers determine how well they are doing and where improvements will most benefit customers.
Residential customer satisfaction ratings of 92 percent were maintained during the first three quarters and increased to 93 percent in the fourth quarter. The Postal Service continues to focus on key drivers of customer satisfaction to identify opportunities for improvement.
Outreach
Advertising and Promotion
The Postal Service used multiple advertising tools to boost consumer and business awareness of its products and services. Direct mailings, broadcast commercials, print advertising in trade journals, and mailing industry publications showed why companies should include direct mail in any integrated marketing program. The message emphasized the unique value of mail and how it complements other media.
Promotions launched in 2008 focused on how to develop targeted mailings that lead to higher returns on investment. Variable data printing was the theme of a large business personalization campaign called “DM Deli.” The campaign showed ways to make advertising mailings successful by tailoring them to specific customer needs and interests.
"The inside story of the Flat Rate Box" is one of the ads that appeared in Forbes, small business magazinzes such as Entreprenuer and in major daily newspapers, including USA Today.