U.S. Postal Service: Never(more) on Saturdays

“Neither snow, nor rain, nor gloom of night, stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” These words, ascribed to Herodotus in 530 B.C., are the official motto of the U.S. Postal Service. Herodotus could not have imagined that over 2500 years later, a failing economy, rising costs and digital communications like email and texting would finally stop postal workers in their tracks. At least on Saturdays. 

Some may say it was inevitable. The U.S. Postal Service has long been used as a model for poor customer service—slow, inefficient and costly. Now that the service is being cut, one new study claims that it is the most efficient postal service in the world. Yes, the most efficient. A new study by economists tested the efficiency by mailing letters to 10 false addresses in 159 countries from a post office in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They then tracked them to see how many were returned and how long it took for them to return.  Not surprisingly, all 10 letters mailed to an address in the United States were returned the quickest. El Salvador was next in line with Luxembourg the slowest.

Of course, mail sent from the U.S. to a fake address in the U.S. would be returned the fastest! Still, the study was cited to show the U.S. postal service was the most efficient in the world at delivering mail.Studies and statistics can be used to make all kinds of claims. The article, “Is the U.S.Postal Service The World’s Most Efficient,” points out some weaknesses in the study.

The study was one-sided. All letters were mailed from the United States. The author asks if the results could have been different if the letters were mailed from, say, Mongolia. Before making the statement that the U.S. is the best, the study could have tested delivery from other countries as well. Often companies look at one aspect of a delivery system or process and declare it “the best” without examining it from all angles. Incomplete testing can give a false sense of customer service.

Foreign countries may not be as concerned about rerouting mail halfway across the world. Rerouting mail within the U.S. is relatively easier than returning a letter from New Zealand. How many customer service decisions are based on how easy it is for the company to respond instead of the inconvenience of the customer? A misdirected letter may have important information, documents or a check which is of major importance to the recipient. The customer is more important than the inconvenience of fixing an error or the effort to make things right.

Another possible reason for the delay from foreign countries is distance from the customer. Not many customers are going to make an International call to talk to a customer service rep. If the call is free, as it is within most countries, customers don’t think twice about calling customer service. How many digital phone services have the capability to make international calls? How do you make one from your Smartphone? The foreign countries in the study may not have hustled to get the letters returned because they didn’t fear calls from angry customers. 

One positive review online doesn’t mean your service is four-star. In the same way, a few irate customers in one day don’t mean that a customer service rep is incompetent. Companies have to gather large amounts of data over a period of time to get a clear picture of customer satisfaction. They can’t manufacture studies or manipulate data to prove excellent customer service. Your service is only as good as your next happy customer. Consistency, efficiency and friendliness every day for each customer will keep the company open for business and employees on the job.

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