USPS Issues Clarification On Public Disclosure Policy and Lobbying Restrictions
Last week, Link published an article regarding the federal anti-lobbying statute as it relates to USPS employees. It’s important to note that the law only applies to the “use of postal resources.” The law prohibits employees — acting in their official capacity — from encouraging stakeholders to intercede with Congress. source: USPS News Link
Here is what USPS originally posted:
It’s nobody’s business
Public disclosure policy and lobbying restrictions Read more
USPS Warns Employees About Disclosing Non-Public Postal Information
USPS has rules — designed to protect both the Postal Service and employees — that prohibit the communication of confidential, proprietary, and non-public information, as well as information that would violate anti-lobbying laws. These rulers are important, in times such as these, when legislative action has dominated discussions concerning the Postal Service. USPS wants its employees to understand the parameters of anti-lobbying laws and public disclosure.
Employees should not discuss non-public aspects of their work, or any other postal work with anyone other than those directly involved. Sales or cost data, and unreleased financial statistics are examples of such information.
The “Anti-Lobbying Act,” 18 US Code 1913, prohibits the use of postal resources to influence others to speak with Congress about postal issues.
The Government Relations office manages communication to Congress on the Postal Service’s position on issues and legislation, and postal employees may respond to Congressional inquiries through authorized channels. This information may be discussed with USPS stakeholders ― including members of the public. However, employees are prohibited from urging these stakeholders to intercede with Congress.
Anti-lobbying law violations are punishable by civil penalties and are investigated by the Government Accountability Office, which refers cases to the Justice Department for possible enforcement.
via USPS News Link Story – It’s nobody’s business
USPS Launching New Initiative to Help Employees Provide Positive Customer Service
Customer service basics
Delivering a positive customer experience
Customer Experience Essentials
USPS is launching a new initiative to give employees resources and tips to help provide a positive experience for every customer in every transaction or contact with the Postal Service.
The “Delivering a Positive Customer Experience” campaign will focus on the basics of good customer service in four areas: customer telephone calls, customer retail visits, mail delivery, and Business Mail Entry.
According to Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President Megan Brennan, Operations, Consumer and Industry Affairs, Corporate Communications, and labor and management organizations joined together to organize and promote the effort. Brennan said USPS officers and managers will promote and disseminate the principles of this program during 2012. “Our expectation is a marked improvement in our customer experience,” she said. Read more
USPS adopts new sales tool
Coming soon to tech-conscious customers everywhere is a new Postal Service sales tool, designed to place the power of digital media in their hands.
USPS will be providing customers and prospects with a USB BuzzCard, an interactive media product the size of a credit card that can be plugged into any PC or MAC computer USB port. The card automatically launches a customized Web-based marketing application featuring information on Postal Service products and services.
USPS can load color brochures, videos and other USPS information on BuzzCards. It includes an RSS reader that can be used to connect to Web content. The BuzzCard also can display running banners, help update social network sites, and measure and capture user data.
Because the card is small and portable, it can be passed out and shared nearly anywhere USPS and its customers conduct business. It can be handed out to customers at trade shows and other business events, used in customer meetings and seminars and in business-to-business and business-to-customer sales campaigns, and as part of direct mail campaigns.
“The BuzzCard is a perfect example of how the Postal Service is harnessing the power of the most cutting-edge digital media tools to drive its business,” says Cliff Rucker vice president, Sales
source: USPS News Link
USPS To Test New Electric Vehicles
This month, USPS will begin testing 10 Navistar eStar electric step vans. This test, part of the America Recovery and Reinvestment Act funded through the Department of Energy, is led by Engineering Systems with support from Safety, Delivery and Vehicles Category Management Center.
The new 2-ton vehicles will be tested in three locations: Los Angeles, CA (five vehicles), Manhattan, NY (three vehicles) and Fairfax, VA (two vehicles).
During the 2-year test, USPS will collect data on fuel efficiency, energy usage, maintenance and vehicle utilization. USPS will review the results and consider whether to expand the program.
“Testing of new technologies is important as we review alternatives to keep our vehicle fleet green and efficient,” said Michael Amato, vice president, Engineering Systems. “If successful, these vehicles will allow us to deliver mail in a way that is environmentally responsible.”
The Postal Service’s FY 2010 Annual Sustainability Report reports the Postal Service is meeting or exceeding a number of its sustainability goals — including a 133-percent increase in alternative fuel use.
source: USPS News Link
USPS Ranked #1 in Performance Among the World’s Top 20 Postal Services
A review of the performance of universal postal service providers by the Oxford Strategic Consulting (OSC) firm has named USPS the best postal service within the world’s top 20 largest economies for access to services, resource efficiency and public trust.
OSC conducts advanced research and helps private and government organizations achieve key strategic objectives. The review ranks USPS, Japan Post, Australia Post, Korea Post and Deutsche Post in its top five. USPS earned the premier ranking due to its high operating efficiency and public trust in its performance.
The ranking considered factors including the average number of citizens served by the postal system in a country, the number of letters and parcels delivered by each postal employee and data on service reliability and public trust measured over three years.
Professor William Scott-Jackson, director, OSC said, “If you could live anywhere in the world, and were sending a present to someone this Christmas, you’d want to be in the U.S., Japan or Australia.”
The report found that USPS delivers nearly double the number of letters per employee as its closest competitor and more than five times more letters per employee than fifth-place Deutsche Post.
Despite increasing competition from digital communications, postal services retain a key role in societies across the globe. The expansion of e-commerce means there’s
an even greater need for fast, efficient and reliable postal services.
“People tend to think the Internet has made the postman redundant,” said Scott-Jackson. “But postal services provide the backbone for e-commerce deliveries.”
source: USPS News Link
PMG Thanks Employees For Maintaining Focus On The Business
HOLIDAY MESSAGE FROM THE PMG
‘THANKS FOR MAINTAINING FOCUS ON THE BUSINESS’
With the close of a very challenging year, PMG Pat Donahoe is assuring employees that he will remain focused on issues around postal legislation, operations and health care reform so that they can continue to focus on the business.
In his annual holiday message, the PMG thanks employees for their hard work and dedication in 2011 ― a year filled with much attention from Congress, the media and the mailing industry.
With so much public interest, Donahoe acknowledged that there were many distractions, as well as mixed messages from different sources. However, he said he doesn’t want that to sidetrack employees or prevent them from concentrating on what’s really important to the organization — serving customers and delivering the mail.
“Many of you have asked how you can help,” said Donahoe. “The best way is to do your job to the best of your ability — over the holiday season and beyond — to meet and exceed our customer’s expectations. They’re depending on you.”
Donahoe concludes with wishes to everyone in the organization for a wonderful, safe holiday season and a happy, healthy New Year.
Click here to view the PMG’s message.
source: USPS News Link
USPS: Village Post Office Numbers Growing
From USPS News Link:
The number of Village Post Offices has grown to eight with six more poised to open soon.
Missouri’s Doe Run Village Post Office (VPO), located in Sherry’s Quick Mart, is the latest to join the Postal Service’s list of eight fully-functional VPOs.
As of last Monday, USPS had received 505 VPO inquiries from interested vendors nationwide. Six additional VPOs with contracts are poised to open this month, and 55 applicants are currently in negotiations or awaiting evaluations.
Customers can purchase booklets of Forever stamps and Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes and Envelopes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at many of these privately-owned retail units. PO Box service and a USPS mail collection box also are available at Doe Run and other VPOs.
The Postal Service introduced the VPO as a potential replacement option for communities without a postal retail office and for communities affected by recent retail optimization efforts (Link, 7/27).
VPOs will be established in communities in a variety of locations, such as businesses, libraries, town halls or government centers, and will offer a range of popular products and services most used by customers.
Click here for more information on the Doe Run VPO.
Customers warned about email scammers using USPS name
Postal Service customers take note — usps.com recently posted a warning about email scammers using the Postal Service’s name to access valuable personal information.
Customers being targeted receive bogus emails with subject lines containing the text: “USPS Delivery Failure Notification.” The emails claim to be from the Postal Service and contain fraudulent information about an attempted or intercepted package delivery. The emails instruct customers to click on a link to find out when they can expect delivery.
Clicking on the link activates a virus, which can steal personal information — such as user names, passwords or financial account information — stored on the computer.
Customers should simply delete the message and take no further action unless they choose to report the email as spam by contacting abuse@usps.gov.
The email scam is similar to a telemarketing scam uncovered by the Postal Inspection Service in which fraudsters masquerading as USPS employees were phoning residents and requesting birth dates and Social Security numbers as requirements for package delivery (Link, 10/31).
Corporate Information Security Officer Chuck McGann offers these tips on spotting bogus emails:
- The text contains poor grammar or spelling errors.
- The text states immediate action must be taken or customer could face dire consequences.
- The email requests personal information under the guise of re-confirming information.
- The text from an “automated message system” states “Click on this link for details.”
Customers with questions about a delivery by the Postal Service should call 800-ASK-USPS.
source: USPS News Link – Nov. 18, 2011.
USPS Drive Initiative In High Gear To Study Closing 250 Mail Processing Plants
Filed under: consolidations, postal, postal news, usps, USPS News Link
DRIVE INITIATIVE ON NETWORK OPTIMIZATION MOVES AHEAD
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| Members of the Network Optimization team — including employees whose expertise spans most USPS functions — discuss the plant consolidation/closure study. Vice President, Operations, David Williams, the team leader, is second from right. |
The Postal Service’s Network Optimization Initiative — a study to determine whether more than 250 processing plants should be closed or consolidated — is well underway.
The goal of the network optimization initiative is to create a smaller, simpler and more flexible processing system scaled to mee t projected mail volume, which has declined by more than 43 billion pieces in the past 5 years. First-Class Mail has dropped 25 percent and single piece First-Class Mail has declined 36 percent in the same timeframe. The decline has created substantial excess capacity within the postal processing network.
The study — one of 36 initiatives that make up the Delivering Results, Innovation, Value and Efficiency (DRIVE) program — is being conducted by an integrated team of employees that span nearly all functions within the USPS. The cross-functional team is headed by Dave Williams, vice president, Network Operations.
Team members are coordinating the steps necessary to meet DRIVE goals. Operations representatives, for example, are designing the new network, while representatives from Government Relations and the Law Department are coordinating with Capitol Hill and the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC). Additionally, members from Corporate Communications, Supply Management, Consumer and Industry Affairs, and other departments are managing the planning, communications, and implementation activities.
The team expects to submit its proposal to the PRC for review next month. If the PRC approves the proposal, the Network Optimization activities could begin early in calendar year 2012.
Administered by the Postal Service’s Strategic Planning department, the DRIVE program management process is based on a well-established methodology used by many corporations to improve the development and execution of major business strategies. The ambitious initiatives include revenue generation, cost reduction, and capability enhancement necessary for the Postal Service’s long-term success.
Click here to learn more about DRIVE.
source: USPS News Link