NAPUS – Postmaster General Megan Brennan thanked NAPUS members for the opportunity to address them at their 111th National Convention in Mobile, AL, Aug. 31. She affirmed that “change” is the only constant in the postal world. She also thanked Postmasters for their leadership role in the Postal Service and their communities. “The title of Postmaster matters,” she said. 
Brennan stressed that everyone in the agency has an investment in ensuring its viability. “We’re the stewards of a 240-year-old institution,” she declared. “Our mission remains unchanged: Bind the nation together.”
She reminded Postmasters they are part of a large infrastructure that delivers to 133 million addresses and 20 million post office boxes every day. The agency is the second largest civilian employer in the country and the largest civilian employer of veterans. “We take great pride in that,” she proclaimed.
“Service is foundational and key to growth,” she stressed. “Service is our brand; it’s in our name and every American is our customer.”
She pointed out the delivery arena is increasingly competitive. The challenge for the agency is its high-cost structure associated with the infrastructure. Operations and facilities have been consolidated due to the reality of delivering less mail to more addresses. The country continues to grow, but there continues to be a decline in overall volume and a change in the mail mix, which puts tremendous pressure on the organization.
Brennan told Postmasters the opportunity lies in looking at stimulating growth and slowing the diversion of First-Class Mail. Double-digit growth in packages is good news, but not sufficient to offset that decline.
Part of the challenge is the agency’s limited pricing flexibility; 78 percent of its revenue-generating products are capped. There also is the onerous retiree health prefunding requirement. “That puts pressure on the organization,” she explained, “and is why we need to look at every opportunity to become more efficient and grow the business.”
She explained that, at its core, the Postal Service is a delivery company; it also is in the communications business and a conduit for eCommerce. “We’re going to position ourselves as a deliverer of physical goods; our competitive advantage is the last mile,” she stressed. Brennan commended Postmasters for their tremendous job of service and visibility.
In looking ahead, Brennan said the Postal Service must maintain its customer base, look to grow with it and find new revenue streams and opportunities to leverage the network: Fill the trucks; fill the mailbox.
She said most important is to make the agency more customer-centric; continue to serve and improve its service to the American people; ensure postal employees have the resources, training and knowledge to do their jobs effectively; increase the speed of innovation; invest in the future; and ensure it is competitive.
Brennan also stressed the importance of investing in the employees. New training is available for Postmasters that provides pertinent content; it’s organized in modules so it can be tailored specifically to a Postmaster’s needs. It all works to provide the knowledge, skills and ability to serve customers efficiently and professionally.
The PMG reminded NAPUS members they all are part of the sales force—promoting Postal Service products. Despite the agency’s financial challenges, it continues to innovate and make smart investment decisions to expand products within its infrastructure.
“Thanks again for what you do,” she reiterated. “Recognize we have to compete for business every day. For us to ensure the long-term viability of this organization, we need to focus on how we’re going to grow this business.”