Postal Service focuses on innovation to create growth opportunities

In his annual state of the business address to the mailing industry, Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe today emphasized that the Postal Service has a solid business plan to return to long-term financial stability and that nothing will have a bigger impact on the health and future of the mailing industry than resolving legislative issues.

"The Postal Service is moving forward with the parts of our business plan that we can control, and securing comprehensive legislation will allow us to implement the rest of the plan," said Donahoe. "Our industry is fundamentally strong and has a bright future. Mail remains an incredibly effective and important part of marketing America's products and services."

Donahoe spoke during the National Postal Customer Council (PCC) Day, an annual event that brings together thousands of mailers, industry partners and customers nationwide to recognize their contributions to the Postal Service and outline future plans and goals. PCCs are a network of community-based business mailers and representatives of the Postal Service, who meet regularly to share ideas and resources to create a closer working relationship.

Despite concerns about obtaining legislation, Donahoe said the Postal Service is focused on innovating to create new opportunities for growth in the mailing industry. "That means that in an increasingly digital world, we need to continue to find ways of increasing the value of mail for both senders and receivers," he said.

Donahoe underscored one of the most important aspects of innovation at the Postal Service: the way technology is used through Intelligent Mail barcodes to harness data in the Postal Service network. He urged mailers to adopt the new barcode technology as it will provide them with greater visibility into the effectiveness of mail. Donahoe also pointed out that tracking data is only going to become a more powerful marketing tool for mailers in the future.

The Postmaster General also reminded PCC members to speak with one voice to and stop the misconceptions that many in the business community have about the mailing industry. "One of the biggest misperceptions is the idea that mail is somehow losing is value," he said. "According to our research, two-thirds of consumers polled said they value what they receive in the mail." Another misconception is that the Postal Service is going out of business. Donahoe assured the audience that the Postal Service is not going out of business and remains a strong vital engine of the nearly $800 billion dollar mailing industry.

Even as the Postal Service focuses on finding new ways to add value to the mail, it continues to forge ahead with plans to realign its network of mail processing facilities to become a leaner, more efficient logistical model. These streamlining efforts will keep mail affordable and support the needs of the mailing industry in American commerce for decades to come.

National PCC Day also showcases the work of PCCs across the country and includes a series of awards recognizing outstanding service and individual achievement. The following award winners were announced:

• PCC of the Year Award (Large Market) - Twin Cities PCC
• PCC of the Year Award (Small Market) - Central Missouri PCC
• PCC Industry Member of the Year Award - Tracey Dunlap, Greater Portland PCC
• PCC Postal Member of the Year Award - Raschelle Parker, Greater New York PCC
• Business Partner of the Year Award - The Oklahoman Direct, Greater Oklahoma PCC
• District Manager of the Year Award - Lorraine Castellano, Long Island District, Long Island PCC
• PCC Innovation of the Year Award (New) - Greater Oklahoma PCC
• Communication Excellence Award - Tampa Bay PCC (Gold), Greater New York PCC (Silver), Greater Portland PCC (Bronze)
• Education Excellence Award - Central Ohio PCC (Gold), Tampa Bay (Silver), San Diego and Fort Worth (tied for Bronze)

More information on Postal Customer Councils and National PCC Day can be found at www.usps.com/pcc. To view the Postmaster General's PCC Day video, or read a transcript, go to http://about.usps.com/news/facility-studies/welcome.htm

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.