Postal News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 5, 2002
Contact: (202) 268-2155
Release No. 02-084
High-Tech Cash Register Speeds Service
WASHINGTON - The Postal Service will soon complete the national roll out of a state-of-the-art cash register expected to reduce by about 10 percent on average the amount of time customers spend waiting at the counter. The new register is a plus for the Postal Service's systems as well since it is a fully integrated network that provides an accounting, marketing, payroll and sales office all rolled up on a small counter space.
This news follows funding approval from the Postal Service's Board of Governors this week to complete installation of POS ONE (Point of Sale) retail terminals among post offices that bring in more than 90 percent of retail revenue. Once deployment is completed in mid-2005, there will be 63,588 POS ONE terminals at 15,015 post offices.
"POS ONE plays a major role in reaching our goals of improving customer service and ensuring that our employees have the tools they need to efficiently and easily provide postal services to our customers," explained Vice President, Delivery and Retail, Henry Pankey.
POS ONE replaces current integrated retail terminals with state-of-the-art hardware and software with a fully networked system that extends many of the benefits of information technology to post office counters. POS ONE began replacing outdated integrated retail terminals in 1998. Today, more than 10,000 post offices utilize this technology to account for 74% of walk-in revenue.
POS ONE cuts transaction time by nearly ten percent by enabling retail associates to instantaneously access options and costs to help customers make quick, informed decisions. It also serves as an effective communications vehicle.
"Retail associates receive consistent information on a daily basis to keep them up-to-date on corporate direction, promotions, and new product and service offerings," Pankey added, "as well as keeping them abreast of immediate changes in policies. POS One eliminates the need for a separate machine to process credit and debit card authorizations."
Beyond serving as the primary source for retail accounting, POS ONE will offer the ability to offer customers value-added services to provide new revenue opportunities.
Pankey said the remaining 19,000 post offices will use inexpensive hand held data collection devices now used for Express and Priority Mail scanning. These enhanced scanners, now under development, will incorporate and transmit daily financial summary data.
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Since 1775, the U.S. Postal Service has connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses by mail. It is an independent federal agency that makes deliveries to 137 million addresses every day and is the only service provider to deliver to every address in the nation. The Postal Service receives no taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, products and services. With annual revenues of more than $65 billion, it is the world's leading provider of mail and delivery services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the world. The U.S. Postal Service delivers more than 43 percent of the world's mail volume - some 207 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a year - and serves 7 million customers each day at its 38,000 retail locations nationwide.
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