How did Appalachian District become a national leader in on-time Standard Mail deliveries?
By being proactive, district leaders say.
Standard Mail includes catalogs, circulars and direct mailpieces.
The district’s Standard Mail composite score during fiscal 2016’s third quarter (April 1-June 30) was 98.33 percent, almost two points higher than the Postal Service’s record-breaking national performance.
This means the district delivered virtually all Standard Mail on-time.
“We know how much our business customers are relying on us to deliver their Standard Mail, so we try to be proactive in everything we do,” said District Manager Wendy English.
For example, managers continually monitor Standard Mail that is dropped at facilities for processing and delivery, English said. This helps them stay on top of volumes.
Managers also use “Mail Fails Here,” a process developed by Eastern Area. Under this approach, supervisors walk floors inside plants and use data diagnostics to identify potential problems before they occur.
Additionally, the district uses low-cost tray sortation equipment to minimize “misthrows” during processing.
Getting employees involved is key. Managers encourage employees to alert them before issues arise.
“Our employees are engaged. They own the process,” English said.