Postal Service Maintains Exceptional Service Record

WASHINGTON — Today marked Postmaster General John E. Potter’s last appearance before the Postal Service Board of Governors in open session. Potter recently announced his plan to retire in December. In tribute to his distinguished career, the Board today honored Potter with the prestigious Benjamin Franklin Award.

In his remarks, Louis Giuliano, chairman of the Board of Governors, praised Potter, characterizing his tenure as “the presence of a strong, steady hand at the wheel.”

“The Board is enormously pleased to have had a leader like Postmaster General Potter at the helm during this critical time,” said Giuliano. “He led the Postal Service through some of the most consequential moments since its founding. From the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and anthrax incidents to numerous natural disasters, and from deep recession to unprecedented technological change, Jack steered the ship through uncharted waters with remarkable dedication and skill.”

The Board has selected Deputy Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe to become the next Postmaster General.

Other Board Matters

The Board welcomed Governor Dennis Toner to his first open session of the Board. Toner, of Rehoboth Beach, DE, was appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate Sept. 16. And the Board bid farewell to Carolyn Gallagher who has been a member of the Board for the past 7 years. During her tenure, Gallagher served as both vice chairman and chairman of the Board.

Also at today’s board meeting, Lou Guiliano was re-elected chairman and Thurgood Marshall Jr. was re-elected vice chairman.

Consumer Advocate Report

In other news, Vice President and Consumer Advocate Delores Killette presented Service Performance and Customer Experience Measurement (CEM) reports for the fourth quarter of 2010.

* 96.7 percent of single-piece First-Class Mail in overnight service areas arrived on-time, an improvement of 0.4 compared to the same time a year ago.
* 94.8 percent of two-day service area single-piece First-Class Mail arrived on time, and
* 93.7 percent of three-day service area single-piece First-Class Mail arrived on time.

The Postal Service implemented the Customer Experience Measurement (CEM) program at the start of fiscal year 2010, replacing the Customer Satisfaction Measurement (CSM) program that has been in place since 1991. CEM scores reflect end-to-end customer experience across all channels.

From the CEM ratings:

* 86.8 percent of residential customers rated their experience as “very satisfied” or “mostly satisfied,” and
* 82.0 percent of small/medium businesses rated their experience as “very satisfied” or “mostly satisfied.”

Separately, Killette noted that the Ponemon Institute ranking of U.S. Brands Americans Like Best showed that the U.S. Postal Service is ranked 15 on the list of the 20 most liked-brands, the only delivery service ranked in the top 20.

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