U.S. Postal Service to Display Service Standards

The U.S. Postal Service should display standards in Post Office lobbies.

As part of its participation in the National Performance Review, the
U.S. Postal Service should expand its plans to display the following
standards in Post Office lobbies. 

--You can expect First-Class mail delivered anywhere in the U.S. in
three days, your local mail overnight.

--You will receive counter service within five minutes.

--You can get postal information 24 hours a day by calling the following
local number:  (appropriate local numbers will be used).

The standards above are ones that the Postal Service itself has
developed and that are included in the Postal Service's plans. The
National Performance Review believes that publishing and posting these
standards even more broadly will highlight and reinforce the Postal
Service's growing program of customer service.

The First-Class mail standard was revised in 1989; it is not well known.
Posting it in at least all post offices in the largest 95 metropolitan
areas, beginning in the spring of 1994, will enhance the public's
awareness of this commitment.

The commitment to service within five minutes is a new standard; the
Postal Service began a comprehensive program to introduce it this past
summer. It will be posted in retail lobbies nationwide as staff are
trained and demonstrate that they can meet this performance standard
consistently.

Information on the 24-hour postal information line is currently posted
in some post offices. NPR's recommendation will mean that this sign will
be placed in all other retail lobbies in the 80 metropolitan areas where
this service is offered.

These standards and their public display are part of the Postal
Service's plans to reach 100 percent customer satisfaction. As its
service levels improve and as it gets additional customer feedback, the
Postal Service plans to set additional customer service standards.
Currently it is working on two additional areas, complaint handling and
improved service to business customers.

The Postal Service is seeking ways to improve its complaint handling
processes. It now handles consumer complaints via telephone and written
complaint forms that are available in retail lobbies. It is completing
what appears to be a highly successful test of a 1-800 number for
complaints in two metropolitan areas and has expanded the test to three
more cities. The Postal Service hopes to begin nationwide expansion
during the latter part of 1994.

Increasing its responsiveness to business customers is also a priority
for the Postal Service. Although this program is earlier in its
development than the residential program, efforts are under way to
develop an index and a survey instrument to measure the satisfaction of
business customers. Within the past year, the Postal Service has opened
95 Business Centers nationwide to assist small and mid-size business
customers.

The National Performance Review supports the efforts of the Postal
Service in making customer service a core part of its strategic
planning; using focus groups and customer surveys to assess customer
issues and concerns; developing innovative customer service programs;
and commissioning and publishing external assessments of customer
satisfaction.