2010 Comprehensive Statement on Postal Operations - USPS.com

Chapter 4: Customer Programs
carriers under the Customer Connect program, and for rural carriers
under the Rural Reach program.
Customer Development
The Postal Service continues to achieve success with employee
lead-generation programs. Employees participating in the Business
Connect, Customer Connect, Rural Reach, and Submit-a-Lead
programs have brought many new customers to the Postal Service.
Business Connect helps postmasters and local managers market
postal services to local businesses. Postmasters have always been
a vital part of the communities they serve. Business Connect builds
on this role by providing tools and training to identify new revenue
prospects, make professional product presentations, and establish
themselves as a key local business resource.
Customer Connect engages city carriers to help identify small
businesses that could benefit by increasing their use of postal
services. Carrier referrals are provided to sales representatives,
who then meet with customers to better understand their needs
and recommend the right solutions. Customer Connect continues to
increase revenue and participation.
Rural Reach is a lead-generation program for rural carriers, and
follows the same approach as Customer Connect. Rural carriers
identify potential businesses on their routes that can benefit from
learning more about postal products.
The Submit-a-Lead program is for employees, including clerks,
mail handlers, and administrative staff not participating in Customer
Connect, Rural Reach, or Business Connect.
Sales Programs
The sales organization had a productive year, continuing its
successful employee engagement programs and helping product
development teams introduce new services to business customers.
For example, Sales personnel engaged customers interested
in participating in this year’s Standard Mail Incentive Program
(“Summer Sale”) and the year-long Saturation Mail Incentive
Program. Sales also helped service bureaus and campaign support
organizations expand and enhance their use of mail in connection
with this year’s elections.
The national sales organization consists of support functions and
sales personnel located throughout the country who work with
all businesses, from the largest corporations to the newest eBay
seller. There are sales personnel, for example, in every state and
each major metropolitan area who specifically handle small and
mid-size businesses interested in expanding their use of mail.
There are sales personnel who develop customized solutions for
commercial customers, regardless of the size of shipping or logistical
operations. And there are sales personnel who concentrate on
helping customers of all sizes incorporate effective advertising mail
campaigns into marketing and sales plans.
The Postal Service also participated in 48 regional and national
tradeshows for various industry segments. Tradeshow participation
brought in nearly 3,000 sales leads, which yielded $18 million in
new revenue.
Several teams also work primarily with the largest commercial
customers. The Strategic Account Managers focus on mail owners.
Business Alliances Managers focus on service providers. A third
team assists civilian agencies and military commands in the federal
sector. Finally, a dedicated group at headquarters provides sales
support services to ensure that sales tools are available, processes
are in place, and strategies are will coordinated among postal
functions, and between customers and the Postal Service.
Mailing Industry Dialog
The Postal Service engages in multiple customer outreach efforts,
including industry events, such as the annual National Postal Forum,
and ongoing discussion venues, such as the Mailers’ Technical
Advisory Committee and Postal Customer Councils.
Innovation Outreach
An Innovation Symposium in October was the culmination of a series
of idea-gathering initiatives during the year, including postmaster
general meetings with industry CEOs, a symposium with MTAC
members, and a national outreach to local PCCs. Four themes
emerged from this effort: The Postal Service should strengthen
its innovation process to include development of digital offerings,
new payment services, improved use of information to benefit
customers, and enhanced customer experiences. The Postal Service
has established a process to evaluate the specific suggestions and
will report on progress through MTAC communications and at the
National Postal Forum.
National Postal Forum
The National Postal Forum (NPF) is the largest mailing industry
tradeshow. NPF offers an opportunity to build relationships and
showcase products in an ever-changing marketplace. Over
4,200 customers and exhibitors attended the April event in
Nashville, which included 120 workshops, 16 business tracks, and
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