The U.S. Postal Service says it delivered mail and packages faster this holiday season while customer satisfaction climbed across the board.
USPS reported that mail items and packages arrived in an average of 2.5 days during the peak holiday period, an improvement from 2.8 days during the same stretch last year. The data covers Nov. 15 through Jan. 9 and reflects roughly 16 billion mail pieces.
Postal officials credited investments in new technology and improved logistics planning for the gains, with on-time delivery scores rising across most parts of the network. The strongest performance came in last-mile Destination Delivery Units, or DDUs, which handle final delivery to customers.
“These results reflect the tenacity of our workforce as well as the network improvements we continue to implement,” Postmaster General and CEO David Steiner said. “We will keep improving service throughout the coming year — optimizing our network, strengthening reliability, improving delivery times, and ensuring high value products and services for residential and business customers in every community we serve.”
USPS also reported fewer customer complaints during the holiday surge. Calls to the Customer Care Center dropped 23 percent compared to last year, while package-related customer service inquiries fell 44 percent.
Customer satisfaction scores tied to service inquiries increased by 6.4 percentage points over the same period last year, according to USPS surveys.
“Customers entrusted us with billions of letters, cards, and packages, and we delivered—faster than last year and with strong consistency across the network,” said Deputy Postmaster General Doug Tulino.
The Postal Service is marking its 250th year of service as it continues a nationwide modernization effort aimed at improving reliability and long-term financial stability. USPS operates as a self-funded federal agency and does not rely on taxpayer dollars for operating expenses.
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