In 1775, when Benjamin Franklin was appointed our first Postmaster General, “snail mail” was the primary means of communication across distance – your only connection to far-flung friends, relations, businesses or services.
Things change. First came the telegraph (~1836), then the telephone (~1876), radio (~1896), and television (~1927). Through competing means of communication, individuals gained the ability to choose how to send and receive information. No longer was mail the only communication medium. One person might choose to send a letter, while another might choose to call. You can see ads on television or hear them on the radio.
Then came the Internet, which not only offers information and ecommerce, it has recreated the forms of communication. Email is basically a re-imagined telegraph. The telephone, radio and TV are re-imagined in the forms of Skype, Pandora, and Hulu. So what does this mean? Endless choices. And with choice comes power, putting consumers in the driver’s seat. Companies that cede control to the consumer gain trust and respect. In his seminal book What Would Google Do, Jeff Jarvis states “businesses need to trust their customers and give them control, otherwise people will walk away.”
In response — admittedly slow — the U.S. Postal Service is embarking on one of the largest, most complicated organizational changes of all time. Facing dire economic challenges and rapid changes in communication trends that have reduced mail volume, the USPS recently announced a workforce reduction of 120,000, and 3,700 post office closures.
The U.S. Postal Service is getting acquainted with “disruptive innovation.” With mobile and digital communications channels competing for consumers, USPS must innovate at the same time that it right-sizes. The Postal Service will move beyond its traditional role of delivering paper to facilitate communications and commerce or it will become irrelevant. It has the opportunity to innovate in a historically significant way, transforming communication in America — let’s call it “Mail 2.0″.
Being relevant in the future, particularly to our nation’s wired youth, who have never used a corded phone, record player, or map, will require innovation. USPS will have to launch itself boldly into digital communication, landing squarely between consumers and the postal service’s existing big customers, advertisers and transaction mailers (those who send bills and statements). USPS has the resources and brand value to succeed as an intermediary. “But this is the postal service!” you may exclaim, as you experience cognitive dissonance at the pairing of the terms “U.S. Postal Service” and “innovation.”
You might be surprised to learn that a recent study from the USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) lays out a new strategy – the eMailbox – that recognizes the new expectation of control by the consumer. The eMailbox would serve as your official U.S. Mail branded e-mail box at a secure website, and would allow mail recipients to “choose to receive mail from individual senders by either physical or electronic delivery.” The combination of a physical mailbox and the eMailbox for every address in the United States would provide a compelling communication platform for the USPS.
But will the USPS eMailbox give the consumer control when the vast majority of USPS revenue comes from the businesses? Simply going digital will not be enough. First, the USPS needs to spur innovation by making it easy for entrepreneurs to extend the USPS platform. Second, the USPS must seek out and partner with private companies that are developing products aimed at making mail more convenient, relevant and digital, adding value for both businesses and consumers. Companies are already offering services like reverse hybrid mail (paper to digital), digital postal mail, household and financial account management, secure digital delivery and mail preference management. Third, the USPS should consider models in which the receiver pays for some services. Consumers are accustomed to paying for consumer-centric media experiences like premium TV (HBO, TiVo) and premium radio (SiriusXM, Pandora). Venturing into digital communication, cooperating with private ventures, listening to its customers, and offering innovative premium services, is what the USPS owes to its customer. Stuffing their mailboxes with more advertising is not the solution
