2018 Passport Agent of the Year, April Burger.
USPS® Clerk Wins Passport Agent of the Year for Outstanding Services
For Jefferson City, MO Clerk April Burger, providing customers with great service is just part of the job. “April takes a lot of pride in everything she does,” said Jefferson City Postmaster Krystal Drone. “She enjoys helping customers prepare for their vacations. She helps take the stress out of the Passport application process.”
Recently, April was chosen by the U.S. Department of State as the Passport Acceptance Agent of the Year. There are 25 Passport agencies and each agency is responsible for overseeing one or two states. Each agency submitted their pick for “Passport Agent of the Year” to a panel of people representing the Department of State, Customs and Homeland Security. With 45,000 passport agents in the country, she was up against some tough competition. The panel voted unanimously to award April this prestigious title.
The award included a January trip to Washington, DC for a presentation ceremony where she received a plaque from the Department of State acknowledging her superior customer service and commitment to the American public. While in DC, April also met with members of the Missouri congressional delegation who congratulated her for the accomplishment.
April is now back to work and has begun planning an off-site event to assist customers in applying for passports. Her goal is to help 50 people apply for passports in one day! “If there is anyone deserving of this award it is April,” commented Gateway District Marketing Manager Kim Caldwell-Harvey. “She has always been engaged, committed and exceptional in everything she does.
Applying for a passport is convenient with USPS Passport Services
USPS’ Passport Services can help make your application easier and more streamlined. The Postal Service™ has 4,800 passport acceptance facilities around the country that can accept first-time passport applications on behalf of the U.S. Department of State. It’s easy to find one by using the USPS Locator for a list of Post Office™ locations near you that process passports.
Of these, more than 3,100 offer appointments via telephone and many select offices now offer the ability to schedule appointments through the online USPS Retail Customer Appointment Scheduler™ (RCAS™) tool.
Post Office facilities nationwide also regularly hosts passport fairs to make applying easier. During the fairs, appointments are not required and applicants will be served on a first-come, first-served basis until the maximum capacity has been reached. Fairs are listed on the Passport Tips blog post or can be located at the newsroom of the appropriate state.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
Article by Mike Cooke.