The United States Postal Service recently announced its plans to end some door-to-door mail deliveries. These changes come as a shock to many Americans who have enjoyed and expected free mail delivery to their homes and businesses for decades. However, without some kind of adaptation to the 21st century American way of life, the postal service will not survive. The new changes are still in the approval process, and if approved, the changes will be implemented for new housing developments as well as existing homes. Ending door-to-door delivery will save the USPS approximately $4.5 billion annually. These changes present a significant opportunity for companies to improve their mailing processes and ultimately improve customer experience.
How will customers get our print mail?
The USPS is moving towards “cluster boxes,” which are communal mailboxes placed in neighborhoods and communities. Many people have expressed concerns about this new process:
- What if there is bad weather and I have to go pick up my mail?
- What if I live in an unsafe neighborhood and don’t feel comfortable walking to a shared mailbox?
- Will the community mailboxes be secure?
- Who is responsible for maintenance of the cluster boxes?
- Will the new behavior be disruptive to the elderly and disabled?
There is a solution! The majority of paper mail today can be sent electronically. As one CNN news report stated, “The Postal Service continues to struggle with mail volume, especially drops in first-class mail, its big revenue driver, as more Americans move to electronic billing and e-mailing.” Electronic billing and emailing can be received and managed in the comfort of customers’ homes. Moving toward eDelivery will cut costs for your business and significantly improve customer experience, especially now with the changes occurring in the current mailing system.
