Of course, you listen to traffic reports on the radio. You can’t do anything about how much traffic there is, but you can alter your plans to mitigate its impact on you. You can choose another route or leave earlier. If nothing else, you can at least know that everyone else is stuck too.
Mail delivery isn’t so great these days. If you follow us on Linked In, or just read our articles about USPS service performance, you know First-Class Mail has been continuing to slow down since 2021. There are many possible reasons. Our best guesses:
- Transportation issues – almost nothing flies anymore.
- A network realignment is creating confusion and slowing mail down in some places.
- We’re not sure how important USPS considers service these days.
So, what should you do with this information? We’re glad you asked! Here’s our advice:
- First, calm down. Service has gotten worse – but the wheels are not falling off the bus – at least not yet. A First-Class letter does indeed take an extra day or so on average – so try to mail a little earlier.
- Transport your own mail where practical. Marketing Mail performance is hardly impacted by service slowdowns because mailers tend to transport Marketing Mail and induct it close to its delivery point.
- Pay attention to service issues. Problems tend to be local. You can use SnailWorks delivery analytics to see how long mail is taking to deliver point to point currently. Industry associations and publications share valuable information on problem areas as well. Where you see problems, you can mail earlier or lean more on other channels.
- Track your mail. Did I really need to say that? In these times of service uncertainty, the only way to know how your mail is performing is to track it. Seriously. It has never been more important.
- Keep your customers informed. You may not be able to make mail move faster, but you can at least set expectations appropriately.
As mail volume grows with political mail, and the USPS network redesign continues, it will be essential to stay informed on how mail is moving, and where problems exist. We often have political clients ask when they should drop their mail to have it delivered next Monday. It’s always hard to say for sure, but now you have the tools to make a good, educated guess.