MADISON, Wis., Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The value of the mail and the
future of the United States Postal Service remain strong, Postmaster General
John E. Potter told thousands of business customers gathered at more than 200
venues throughout the country today.
"I can assure you that we'll continue to work hard and to stay the course.
Our employees are on board when it comes to keeping service performance high
and helping us keep our costs down," Potter said to a national audience
gathered to celebrate "America's Partners" -- Postal Customer Councils (PCCs).
Postal Customer Councils are a national network with more than 120,000
members that help the Postal Service add value to and make the mail work
better for customers. Memberships range in size from less than 100 members to
several thousand businesses and nonprofit organizations. But even a one-
person, home office business can find value in participating with a local PCC.
National PCC Day showcases the work of PCCs and includes a series of
awards recognizing outstanding service and individual achievement. Potter
delivered a coast-to-coast satellite broadcast live from the Lakeland Mailing
Expo here, addressing topics directly affecting business customers and
identifying a number of products and services designed to streamline mail
service processes.
A single, 4-State barcode soon will replace the more than 30 barcodes and
labels mailers now use to sort and track mail, Potter said. And PCC members
will be the first to learn about new products for mailing to improve the cost
effectiveness of direct mail.
The Postmaster General shared information about the second phase of the
Strategic Transformation Plan, the blueprint for the Postal Service through
2010. It builds on the successes achieved with the plan implemented in 2002,
Potter said, and focuses the entire organization on a single objective:
transforming the Postal Service into a more customer-focused, service-oriented
and technologically advanced delivery service. In the process, the Postal
Service will reduce costs by an additional $1 billion a year for the next five
years.
"It's simply the next step as we continue to transform, to modernize. For
the industry to be successful in the future, we must change. We cannot stand
still," he said.
Potter also reflected on the impact Hurricane Katrina has had on the lives
of countless individuals, as well as the Postal Service and its employees,
acknowledging their commitment to their work.
"Many came to work even though their own properties were destroyed or
severely damaged," he said. "They did so because they understood the
importance of putting in place methods to deliver Social Security, retirement
checks and public assistance checks wherever Gulf residents had been
relocated."
Potter also thanked PCC members for sending donations and contributions to
the Postal Employees Relief Fund and other relief organizations providing aid
and shelter to survivors along the Gulf Coast.
He was joined in Madison by Cliff Vogel, a displaced letter carrier from
New Orleans who has been relocated temporarily to deliver mail in Milwaukee.
Full service has been returned to 82 percent of Post Offices in the area
affected by Hurricane Katrina. More than 30,000 Social Security checks have
been distributed and more than 100,000 displaced customers have filed Change
of Address forms.
The following award recipients were announced:
* Membership: Dallas PCC
* Meetings: Greater Boston, Central Mass, Northeastern Mass, Western
Mass, Southeastern Mass and Providence PCCs
* Planning: New York City PCC
* Education: Cincinnati PCC
* Financial Management: Fort Worth PCC
* PCC Member of the Year/ Industry: Kim Waltz, Fred Waltz Company,
Providence, RI
* PCC of the Year: Miami-Dade County
* PCC Member of the Year/ Postal Service: Gale Sprouse-Hudson, Customer
Relations Coordinator, Ft. Worth
Since 1775, the Postal Service and its predecessor, the Post Office
Department, have connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses by
mail. It is an independent federal agency that visits 142 million homes and
businesses every day, six days a week and is the only service provider
delivering to every address in the nation. The Postal Service receives no
taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues
solely from the sale of postage, products and services. With annual revenues
of more than $69 billion, it is the world's leading provider of mailing and
delivery services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the
world. The Postal Service delivers more than 46 percent of the world's mail
volume -- some 206 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a
year -- and serves seven and a half million customers each day at its 37,000
retail locations nationwide. Its website, usps.com, attracts more than 21
million visitors each month.
SOURCE U.S. Postal Service
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Related links:
http://www.usps.com
CONTACT:
U.S. Postal Service, Media Relations,
+1-202-268-2155
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