22-05-2017
A new feature that lets customers see emailed images of their incoming physical mail has attracted more than 2 million users, U.S. Postal Service Postmaster General and CEO Megan J. Brennan announced today, during the opening session of the National Postal Forum, the country’s premier mailing and shipping conference. Brennan added that with the offering available in nearly every ZIP Code in the United States, more than 10,000 new people are signing up every day.
“As promised at last year’s Forum, Informed Delivery is now available in virtually every community in America,” said Brennan. “Informed Delivery makes mail even more dynamic, adding a whole new layer to the evolution of the mail experience.”
Informed Delivery is a free feature that provides emailed images of incoming mail to registered residential customers. Brennan said that Informed Delivery brings mail into the daily digital and mobile lives of consumers, builds anticipation of the physical mail piece, and provides mail senders with a new mobile platform from which to attach digital messages. It rolled out nationwide in April, but had been available in different pilot areas prior to then.
Delivering the Forum keynote address, Brennan also discussed Postal Service strategies and innovations designed to enhance customer experience and add value to mail, and better position the mailing and shipping industry to compete for customers in an increasingly dynamic economy.
“Together, as an industry, we are investing in new capabilities to strengthen the value of mail in the digital world,” Brennan said. “Most importantly, we’re collaborating to deliver better experiences for our customers.”
Addressing a crowd of more than 3,000, Brennan outlined key Postal Service investments and initiatives that are benefitting the mailing and shipping industry — emphasizing the important role that data and digital integration are playing. “The growth of the mailing and shipping industry relies on our unrivaled network and rich data platform,” she said. “We are at the convergence of physical and digital, there has never been a bigger opportunity for mail.”
Brennan also showcased the power of Informed Visibility — the Postal Service’s advanced data platform and analytics capability — to enable coordinated marketing campaigns. By providing real-time delivery data to senders, Informed Visibility allows businesses to weave together and tailor powerful integrated marketing programs based on the moment mail reaches the mailbox.
“We are provisioning Informed Visibility data to the industry and developing new technology solutions to support coordinated marketing campaigns,” Brennan said. “With these technologies, marketers can ensure they are delivering the right message at the right time.”
The Postmaster General committed to a strategy of reinventing and investing in technology, infrastructure and innovation. She also encouraged the mailing and shipping industry to speed the pace of best practice and new technology adoption.
The National Postal Forum is an annual national gathering of the mailing industry’s most influential thought leaders, innovators and visionaries. The 2017 Forum is taking place May 21-24 in Baltimore, MD, and features four days of postal and industry leadership addresses, instructional workshops and networking events designed to help the mailing industry and associated businesses achieve greater successes.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
Source: USPS