POSTAL SERVICE RAISES THE BAR IN OVERNIGHT DELIVERY

POSTAL SERVICE RAISES THE BAR IN OVERNIGHT DELIVERY

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Postal Service once again reached its all-time high-score of 96 percent on-time performance for overnight delivery of First-Class Mail. The assessment, measured independently by IBM Consulting Services, was announced today during the agency's Board of Governors meeting in California.

This achievement marks ten consecutive measurement periods that the organization reached a 95 percent or better score for on-time overnight delivery of First-Class Mail.

This third quarter measurement for fiscal year 2005 also cites increases in two- and three-day service performance scores from the previous reporting. Two-day is 92 percent, up from 90 percent; and three-day - which is carried by air - is at 90 percent, up from 83 percent.

This report provides an independent assessment of the time it takes a piece of First-Class Mail, once it's deposited into a collection box, to be delivered to one of more than 143.7 million American homes, businesses and Post Office boxes.

During the same period, customer satisfaction was also measured. At 93 percent, this rating marks the fifteenth continuous quarter the Postal Service has earned a 93 percent or better customer satisfaction measurement score.