Smarter Systems, Better Service

Smarter Systems, Better Service

The U.S. Postal Service’s modernization goes much deeper than installing massive state-of-the-art automated sorters and the latest delivery vehicles. Our modernization is about enabling every step of our operating environment to be smarter with information we generate.

For our customers, this means much greater visibility into the processing of their mail and packages. Thanks to our investments in technology and machinery, we now follow mail and packages from drop-off to delivery with unmatched accuracy. Through tools like our free Informed Delivery® service, we can share that visibility with you.

As I noted in my recent conversation with the hosts of Mailin’ It!, the USPS podcast, this isn’t the result of a single technological leap. Instead, it’s incremental growth using upgrades across our entire operation. And while the AI-powered cameras on our newest Matrix Regional Sorters are fun to talk about, we use many different technologies throughout our network that make a real difference in our ability to deliver consistent, reliable service to our customers. Our Intelligent Mail matrix barcode, or IMmb, is a perfect example.

Almost everything delivered by the Postal Service is stamped with a barcode. Until recently, you would find a linear barcode on your mail or packages, but these could warp, crinkle or be distorted — especially on certain types of packaging. This made it difficult to capture accurate information from these barcodes, which then affected the tracking visibility these barcodes were intended to support.

Working with the mailing and shipping community, we’ve created the IMmb. It’s a two-dimensional code that can be read just about anywhere it is stamped. That means that, regardless of the packaging, USPS will have a much higher rate of capturing data, preserving the tracking visibility our customers demand.

This greater tracking visibility enhances USPS features like Informed Delivery. Launched in 2017 and now reaching more than 82 million users daily, Informed Delivery is no longer a passive tool. Thanks to our modernization, we’ve upgraded the service with a dedicated app that lets our customers receive notifications throughout the entire postal journey and tells them within a two-hour window when a package will be delivered. That gives our customers real control and clearer ownership and possession of their deliveries.

And our operating environment modernization efforts are letting us add new features to Informed Delivery all the time.

Reliable and traceable movement of mail and packages in the mailstream works best when there are minimal bottlenecks in our network. This is another critical part of our ongoing upgrades. Investments in sensors, monitoring tools and artificial intelligence provide USPS with unparalleled insight into the condition and readiness of our equipment.

Modernization also means using millions of data points on variables like vibrations, temperatures and sounds to give our maintenance technicians the critical information they need to spot issues before they become failures, helping us prevent downtime to keep mail and packages flowing at the most efficient rates.

These investments, and many more, are making our employees’ skills and experience increasingly important to our success. Not only does technology allow postal employees to focus on higher-level work that improves the customer experience by removing much of the routine, labor-intensive aspects of their jobs, but the data this new technology generates needs to be translated into dependable daily performance. That requires institutional knowledge and expertise that can only come from our well-trained career employees, who prove every day that the Postal Service is so much more than simply a delivery service.

The Postal Service’s modernization continues unabated, with investments big and small reshaping how USPS operates to meet the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s customers.

Machinery literally may do the heavy lifting, but data drives the customer experience. That information flow is what makes tracking more reliable, provides consumers with more control over their deliveries, makes equipment more dependable and allows Postal Service employees to better focus on service.

That is the destination of our modernization journey: to make mail and package delivery more visible, more resilient and more responsive to customer demands and expectations.

 

Linda Malone

 

Vice President Applied Engineering