2010 Comprehensive Statement on Postal Operations - USPS.com

Chapter 4: Customer Programs
Customer Experience Measurement
The Postal Service implemented a new Customer Experience
Measurement (CEM) system in <strong>2010</strong>, providing an expanded view
of customers’ experiences sending and receiving mail, visiting
Post Offices, requesting information, and reporting problems. CEM
replaced the Customer Satisfaction Measurement (CSM) system,
which had been in place since 1991.
Data on customer experiences is obtained independently through
surveys conducted by Maritz Research. Survey questions are based
on customer-defined aspects of their postal experience and results
are used to improve and adapts service to changing customer needs.
To meet requirements of the Postal Act, customers are also surveyed
about their satisfaction with specific postal products.
About 359,000 residential and 345,000 business customers
responded to the surveys in <strong>2010</strong>. Of the residential customers who
received a survey, 14.7 percent responded, while the response rate
for businesses was 9.1 percent.
The Postal Service made a significant change with the transition
to CEM: Instead of basing scores on the top three customer rating
options, as it had with CSM, it bases CEM scores on the top two
customer response ratings. 7 This more challenging approach aligns
the Postal Service with the way that leaders in the private sector
assess customer satisfaction.
Comparing the first and fourth quarters of <strong>2010</strong>, Residential ratings
improved for overall satisfaction, sending mail, receiving mail, and
most recent Post Office visit, while the score for contact (requesting
information or reporting problems) was down 1.7 percent.
Customer Experience Measurement Results
Residential Experience Q1, <strong>2010</strong> Q4, <strong>2010</strong>
(percent) (percent)
Overall Satisfaction 86.2 86.8
Sending Mail 88.8 89.4
Receiving Mail 89.7 90.0
Post Office Visit 81.8 82.3
Contact 61.7 60.0
All categories showed improvement for business customers.
7 The top three ratings that customer could give in CSM were “excellent,” “very
good,” or “good,” and scores combined the total of those three ratings. CEM
uses different terminology. The top two CEM ratings are “very satisfied” and
“mostly satisfied,” and scores are based on the total of those two ratings.
Small/Medium Business
Q1, <strong>2010</strong> Q4, <strong>2010</strong>
Experience
(percent) (percent)
Overall Satisfaction 81.3 82.0
Sending Mail 84.7 85.4
Receiving Mail 86.1 86.7
Post Office Visit 76.6 76.9
Contact 51.4 51.7
Customer Support
Business Service Network
The Business Service Network (BSN) provides customer support
to the Postal Service’s largest commercial customers, helping
maintain a $50 billion revenue base by resolving service issues,
maintaining account relationships, communicating new postal rules
and regulations, and identifying sales opportunities. The BSN links
mailers with postal operations at all levels in the organization. For
example, specialized BSN sales professionals, known as strategic
account managers, work directly with top business mailers to
understand their needs and technical issues in order to help them
overcome barriers with responsive solutions.
Business Customer Intelligence
Business Customer Intelligence (BCI), part of the sales organization,
furnishes postal sales personnel with information about business
mailers and their interactions with the Postal Service. BCI helps
identify revenue opportunities and provides sales performance
reports and other tools. BCI also develops customer specific data
used to improve the design of product initiatives and advertising
campaigns, and to ensure compliance with SOX requirements.
The BCI function also manages the Customer Registration process,
an enterprise-wide effort to standardize customer data across
multiple postal systems. Accurate and consistent customer
information helps the Postal Service respond more quickly and
appropriately to specific customer needs.
Corporate Customer Contact
Corporate Customer Contact (CCC) plays a key role in the customer
experience responding to inquiries and resolving issues by
telephone, email, online chat, and the customer service area on
usps.com. In <strong>2010</strong>, CCC handled 49 million contacts about delivery,
hold mail and address change requests, package tracking, pricing,
ZIP Codes, and orders for stamps and supplies. Internal systems
ensure that agents provide accurate and consistent information,
and if needed, document the issue and forward it to the appropriate
Post Office for resolution. Over 60 percent of customer contacts
are handled via self-service, which contributes to greater customer
satisfaction while reducing postal costs.
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