Sales leads submitted by USPS customer care employees have brought in more than $137 million in new revenue for the current fiscal year.
The Postal Service has four care centers staffed by 1,600 agents. They assist customers who call 1-800-ASK-USPS and handle about 30 topics, such as requests for postage, package supplies and PO Boxes.
“Our agents are always listening for a customer’s needs and are trained to guide the conversation to help the customer,” said Sonja Twombly, enterprise customer care director at USPS headquarters in Washington, DC.
If an agent learns that a customer is looking for shipping or marketing help, the agent will submit a sales lead through the Clerks Care employee lead program. A business development specialist or sales team member follows up with the customer.
One recent lead submitted by an agent at the Los Angeles care center resulted in a $20.5 million shipping deal.
“The agents really enjoy it when they submit a lead,” Twombly said. “They want to provide the best service to our customers as possible and sometimes that can go beyond the call. Our sales team can provide the assurance a customer needs to begin using USPS services. It’s definitely a team effort.”
Since Oct. 1, customer care employees have submitted 3,447 leads, which have brought in $137.6 million in new revenue for Clerks Care.
The Clerks Care revenue total for the year so far is at $276 million, which has been added to the Postal Service’s Race for a $Billion campaign.
The initiative — which is at $917.3 million, according to a July 16 ranking of all district contributions — aims to raise $1 billion through employee-provided sales leads before the fiscal year ends Sept. 30.
“We need every employee to participate for us to maximize our revenue potential and reach as many customers as possible,” said Mary Anderson, small-business engagement director at USPS headquarters. “The call centers are a valuable asset for our customers and they can also be a valuable lead source for our sales team. I encourage all employees to participate in their designated employee lead program.”
The Sales Blue page has more information about Clerks Care and the Postal Service’s other lead-sharing programs, which include Business Connect, Customer Connect, Mail Handlers, Rural Reach and Submit a Lead.
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