Customer Connect
The time has come to shift gears and move onto another mission. Think about it. If we didn’t have the friendly Letter Carrier coming to our doors, would it seem like the same world to you? This is something we have grown up with and have come to expect as the norm. It is actually something we take for granted that will always be there and couldn’t possibly go away. Or can it?
Customer Connect: Letter carriers use Customer Connect to take advantage of their special relationship with businesses, encouraging business patrons to ship with the U.S. Postal Service instead of with a private delivery service. To date, carriers have generated more than $1.9 billion in new annual revenue for USPS since Customer Connect was started in mid-2003.
When I watch the changing habits of the generation that is growing up now, I see that maybe they might not care so much about maintaining the 600,000 jobs in the Postal Service. Everyone seems to email, fax, text, and send pics over their phone more and more these days. Even the IRS isn’t sending out paper tax forms to everyone anymore. Paper is what we deal in, and it is being used less and less – instant is the way of the future. Instant is good, I love texting, sending pics over my cell, and the Internet has opened up a whole new shopping world for many.
A carrier used to only have to deal with the last mile of delivery. Now the carrier has become an even more valuable asset and is an important part in the first mile of the trek of a piece of mail. We need to get competitive, we need to snatch the business back and put it in our red, white and blue trucks and our mailbags. We need to show people how important we are and how much we believe in our company. We do this and they will continue to use the Postal Service for their shipping and mailing needs and we will maintain a decent livable wage with benefits for generations to come.
If you see an opportunity for a business, simply get a name and number. Pass the information on to your Station Customer Connect Coordinator and we will take it from there. Fiscal year 2010, Northland District generated $3,442,111 in lead driven revenue. Impressive!! Richard Langsdorf (Richfield Station) and Richard Schulze (Burnsville) submitted leads. Their “Eagle Eye” to their customers needs resulted in a combined $110,000 annual revenue for the USPS.
In addition, their customers benefit from the competitive rates and trusted service of the USPS and its employees. Ten new Customer Connect leads came in last week, who will be pictured in Branch 9 News Customer Connect next month?
Since 2003, letter carriers have used Customer Connect to take advantage of their special relationship with businesses, encouraging business patrons to ship with the U.S. Postal Service instead of with a private delivery service.
Customer Connect is one of several sales outreach programs available to employees. We all have a role to play in our organization’s success. As the Postal Service is not tax supported, finding new customers and expanding our relationships with current customers are vital. Congratulations to Burnsville/Savage Customer Connect Coordinator Connie Beissel, District Coordinator Kelly Wiberg and all the employees for seizing this opportunity. Let’s all follow their lead and build on what they’ve accomplished.
Find A Way to Say YES
Brooklyn Center, MN, City Carrier Assistant Vang Thao says customer service is key to the Postal Service’s success.
Vang Thao always finds a way to say yes. “Never tell a customer ‘no,’” says Thao, a Brooklyn Center, MN, city carrier assistant. “I’ve had people chase me down on my route to hand me packages, and I always take them — even if my bag is full.”
Postal Service leaders say employees like Thao help the organization strengthen customer service, one of its core business strategies.
Thao has three tips for his fellow carriers:
• Make it easy. Customers have a lot of shipping options, so you want to make it as easy as possible for them to choose USPS.
• Keep a positive attitude. “Always have a smile on your face when you talk to a customer,” he says.
• Stop and listen. Thao says listening to your customers is important. He’ll sometimes spend a few minutes just having conversations with people on his route.
Although Thao has been with the Postal Service for only two years, he knows customer service is key to the entire operation.
“Customer service is important because that’s how we’re able to keep our jobs,” Thao says. “It’s the most important thing as a letter carrier, because without customers we wouldn’t have jobs at all.”