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Experience matters

On the job: Columbus, OH, Retail Specialist Jim Hammar

Ohio Valley District Retail Specialist Jim Hammar
Ohio Valley District Retail Specialist Jim Hammar helps USPS ensure customers have excellent experiences.

I’m a retail specialist for Eastern Area’s Ohio Valley District. My job is to help retail associates do the best job they can to both bring in revenue and keep our customers coming back.

An important part of my day is reviewing customer feedback and following up with Post Offices that need to make improvements. I also help maintain our self-service kiosks, and I coordinate retail sales at events like the recent Dragons stamp dedication ceremony in Columbus, OH.

My role is important because I’m helping to improve customer service. I’m focused on ensuring that customers have the best experiences possible.

I want retail associates to feel valued, too, and celebrate their successes. In my district, we give gold stars to retail associates who receive perfect scores on their Retail Customer Experience “shops.”

My favorite part of the job is the training aspect. I help conduct weekly webinars with district retail associates to update them on changes in retail software, new stamp releases and other topics. I also provide one-on-one training.

My goal is to always be there in a supportive role. If an employee makes a mistake, I want to help them make it right.

I’ve held a variety of roles in my 32 years with USPS. I started as a part-time flexible clerk and then worked my way up to become a lead retail associate responsible for training others. I’ve also worked in accounting at the district level.

My job changes when the technology changes. There was only delivery confirmation notification when I started. Now we track every package. The one thing that has been steady, though, is the focus on providing great customer service.

This is a really cool job and I’m very fortunate I get to do it.

I’m married with two adult sons. In my spare time, I referee volleyball for high school, college and national teams. I’ve been involved with volleyball for 13 years. I also enjoy riding my motorcycle.

“On the job,” a series on individual employees and their contributions to the Postal Service, appears regularly in Link.

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