In this episode of Mailin’ It!, USPS Director of Industry Engagement and Outreach, Lindsey Taylor, joins the show to shed light on the crucial role the Postal Service plays in supporting the mailing and shipping industry. USPS delivers to more than 169 million addresses, but did you know it also works closely with businesses of all sizes to optimize their mailing and shipping operations? Tune in to learn how USPS collaborates with businesses to ensure smooth operations, drive innovation, and provide valuable resources that help businesses grow.
This week on Mailin’ It!, we welcome Lindsey Taylor, USPS Director of Industry Engagement and Outreach, to explore how the Postal Service builds strong relationships with businesses across the nation. Lindsey shares insights on how USPS helps businesses navigate postal operations, optimize shipping strategies, and stay informed. Whether you're a business owner looking to streamline operations or simply curious about USPS’s broader impact, this episode showcases the Postal Service’s commitment to driving business success and innovation.
Karla Kirby:
Hello and welcome to Mailin’ It, the official podcast of the United States Postal Service. I'm Karla Kirby.
Jonathan Castillo:
And I'm Jonathan Castillo. Most people know the US Postal Service as the nation's most trusted premier delivery provider of choice. Our letter carriers show up in every neighborhood nationwide to deliver mail and packages to more than 169 million addresses, six and often seven days a week. Of those 12.6 million are businesses. What a lot of people might not know is that the Postal Service also works closely with many of those businesses, assisting them with their mailing and shipping needs. In fact, USPS is at the center of the nation's $1.6 trillion mailing and shipping industry, which employs more than 7.3 million people.
Karla Kirby:
That's right, Jonathan. And as you know, maintaining and growing that industry requires a lot of outreach and engagement, not only companies, but also with all industry groups and service providers that are part of the industry ecosystem. In this episode, we're going to learn a lot more about the scale of the mailing industry. We'll also learn how the Postal Service engages with these businesses to meet the changing needs of its biggest customers, as well as local businesses and service partners.
Jonathan Castillo:
And I, for one, can't think of anyone better to take us on a tour of this unique and interesting part of the Postal Service world than our very own Lindsey Taylor, USPS, Director of Industry Engagement and Outreach. Lindsey, welcome back to Mailin’ it.
Lindsey Taylor:
Hi. Thanks for having me again.
Karla Kirby:
So, Lindsey, what does it mean when the Postal Service talks about industry outreach and engagement?
Lindsey Taylor:
So the Postal Service is an enormous organization, and it's very difficult to navigate, and this is coming from an postal employee herself. So what we try to do is help customers make the right connections to ensure that their business is running smoothly and they're using the right products and services that the Postal Service offers so that they can maximize their return on investment. My group hosts in person industry events at the national and local level. We host webinars and workshops. We partner with customers on pilot programs and bring them into the fold when we're considering new products and services. We also play a major role in communicating postal changes to our customers.
Jonathan Castillo:
Many of our listeners are probably most familiar with USPS for our residential delivery service. The mail and packages we deliver to their homes day in and day out, they may have never even thought about the other side of what the Postal Service does are business customers. So it's probably a good idea before we get too deep here to explain what we mean when we say the mailing industry.
Lindsey Taylor:
Yes. So I call it the shipping and mailing supply chain, and it is a $1.6 trillion industry. It encompasses everything from mail service providers, printers, software providers, fulfillment companies, marketing companies, colleges and universities, insurance companies, utilities, credit card companies, and so many more. So, for example, let's take an e-commerce company that's direct to consumer. They have to get the word out to their customers about their business so that they can get business. So they could potentially leverage a marketing firm and a graphic artist to develop a mail piece. Then they could use a mail service provider or a printer to prepare the mail piece and send it out, leveraging postal discounts. The e-commerce company needs software to take in orders and fulfill orders. They need boxes to pack their orders. They need printing labels to put on the boxes, and then they need a logistics company that's going to transport their packages to the end customer. You need plants to process the packages and a carrier to deliver to the final address to track the packages of on their on time delivery. They can use data analytics. It's an ecosystem of organizations that facilitate mail delivery.
Karla Kirby:
So, Lindsey, as the director of Industry Engagement and Outreach, you and your team are the main liaison with all of those different companies and organizations. One of those organizations is the postal customer councils or PCCs. In fact, when we had you on, on an earlier episode of the podcast you did mention that. Can you recap what PCCs are and what they do?
Lindsey Taylor:
Sure. So postal customer councils, they're a postal sponsored grassroots organization at the local level within our country. And it's a combination of customers and Postal Service employees that work together to grow the shipping and mailing industry. And for those members to learn how to do business with the Postal Service. We help customers grow their business, whether they start small, medium or large. We can be with them every step of the way. We can also put our customers in touch with their local postal leadership team. So if an issue arises, they know exactly who to contact for a quick resolution.
Jonathan Castillo:
You mentioned that PCCs are just one of the national programs that you oversee. What are the others?
Lindsey Taylor:
Yeah, so we manage the commercial mailers communication channel called Industry Alerts. We have the Postmaster General's Mailers Technical Advisory Committee, and then we have the National Postal Forum.
Karla Kirby:
Okay. So let's start with industry alerts. What are they, how does the Postal Service use them?
Lindsey Taylor:
So the information we communicate to residential customers is different than what we communicate to commercial customers. My team manages the communication channel with commercial mailers through an email distribution list called Industry Alerts. We notify customers when facilities are closed due to emergencies, weather related impacts to facilities and where customers can take their mail and packages. As an alternative location, we communicate personnel changes, retirements and promotions for our leadership team. We share information on webinars, promotions, products. We share updates on our systems and our software. Anything we need to tell our commercial customers goes through industry alerts. And
Jonathan Castillo:
These are free, right? You don't have to pay for a subscription or, or anything like that to get these alerts. Right?
Lindsey Taylor:
They're free. I don't know if I can do a plug, but if there's any commercial mailers that are listening to this podcast and you're not getting industry alerts, all you have to do is send an email to industry alert@usps.gov and get added to our list.
Jonathan Castillo:
That's fantastic. So tell us a little bit about the Postmaster General's Mailers Technical Advisory Committee, or MTAC, like you said. What do they do?
Lindsey Taylor:
So, as part of the shipping and mailing supply chain, we have associations that advocate on behalf of their members, and these associations are a part of our Postmaster General's Mailers Technical Advisory Committee, we'll call it MTAC for short. This is a membership only organization that the Postal Service leads, and we bring together our largest customers to in-person meetings at postal headquarters to hear about the latest postal news, and to work with our postal subject matter experts on technical issues to support the industry. We leverage this group to run pilot tests and socialize new products or services.
Jonathan Castillo:
Lindsey, you mentioned that one of the byproducts, if you will, of the PCCs and MTAC is that they really help inspire innovations that ultimately impact all postal customers. Can you give us some examples you know, maybe some of these new products or services that resulted from your collaboration with the PCCs and MTAC that an everyday customer might recognize?
Lindsey Taylor:
I think a great example is the Postal Services promotions. Commercial mailers can receive discounts on their mail pieces if they design their mail piece to drive specific behavior that better engages audiences. The Postal Service works with the industry to brainstorm the promotions that will be offered, and then we go through our approval process to implement. The goal is to encourage our customers to use proven mail techniques to increase open rates, click-through rates, and ultimately have the recipient take action. This helps grow the industry as a whole because it proves the value of mail and demonstrates the return on investment.
Karla Kirby:
So Lindsey, this last program is a big one, the National Postal Forum. It's a massive event that gathers thousands of companies and industry organizations every year. Why is the postal forum so important?
Lindsey Taylor:
I don't think most people know that the Postal Service hosts an annual trade show conference for commercial mailers and shippers. We bring together over 4,400 industry professionals to learn about the latest postal products and services. Attendees are able to meet with postal leadership and discuss issues and concerns. We also have a state-of-the-art exhibit hall with over 130 exhibitors, showcasing the latest innovations in the industry and tons of networking opportunities, chances to meet with postal leadership and meet with their local leadership team as well. There are endless education opportunities at the National Postal Forum. Attendees have over 120 workshops to choose from, led by a combination of postal and industry leaders covering topics from informed visibility, informed delivery promotions, incentives, how to do business with us through our business service network, through our various programs. Our Postal One system, business customer gateway, you name it, it's going to be featured at the postal forum. In addition to that, we have leadership insight sessions, approximately nine sessions that are led by members of our leadership team that are sharing with you the direction of the Postal Service and how we're achieving the measurements of our Delivering for America plan. It's all about the networking. Your colleagues will be there, postal subject matter experts, postal leadership, and the Postmaster General. He lays out his vision for the future of the Postal Service. You can't be a part of the shipping and mailing industry and not attend NPF.
Jonathan Castillo:
You know, to Lindsey's point, being at the National Postal Forum is really an incredible experience. It… There's really nothing like it, right? As a former business owner, I believe in continuous improvement, lifelong learning. So for me it's the workshops that you mentioned and the certification courses that really take it to the next level. You know, you mentioned that they're packed with these skills tools, these practical insights that you could take back to your business and use right away. I remember a little bit earlier in my career, I was sitting in on one of these sessions about mailpiece design, and I just thought to myself, this alone is worth the trip. So, you know, as Lindsey said, for anyone that's in the mailing or a shipping industry, NPF really offers that unique chance to learn directly from USPS experts sharpen your skills and even get certified right there on the spot. So in these areas that really make a difference.
Lindsey Taylor:
Yeah, NPF, it is the premier shipping and mailing conference. It's the largest one in the United States. So if you're not there, you're definitely missing out.
Jonathan Castillo:
Talking about NPF in these in-person events, how do you think these live events, you know, help our different Postal Service partners and, and business customers?
Lindsey Taylor:
So it's really a place where you can get real-time answers to your questions, make connections to help solve your issues, putting a face with a name. Our programs help provide a sense of community. We meet frequently with our customers. We learn about their business. We learn how to work collaboratively together to grow this industry.
Karla Kirby:
So, Lindsey, based on your participation with the postal forum, do you have any stories that you can share with us and our listeners about industry gatherings that you've been to? Specifically stories that give our listeners a feel for what it's like to be part of that postal community?
Lindsey Taylor:
Yeah, so what I really wanted to touch on is I wanted to share the feeling that you get from being at an industry meeting. It's really like a family. There's a comradery, a sense of belonging. We're all in this together trying to do our jobs and grow the industry that has been a large part of our lives. We're all fully invested in the industry and the great people who make up the industry. We wanna see the Postal Service around for the next 250 years. And we want the industry that supports it to thrive. I think we can all agree to that.
Karla Kirby:
I know that we want businesses to view the Postal Service like a partner that can help them grow. How has the Postal Service adapted as the mail industry has grown and become more competitive?
Lindsey Taylor:
Well, we have become more competitive as well. We understand people have a choice in how they communicate, whether it be by mail, email, social media, radio, television or text. And we are adapting to make mail more impactful and showing how to cut through the clutter with a physical mail piece that gets a customer's full attention. And when most people think of shipping companies, our competitors are what come to mind. But we have an entire sales force out there going after packaged business. We have negotiated contracts with large scale shippers and competitive published rates. We can support small business all the way up to major enterprises. We have local teams that can help small businesses grow through affordable products like every door direct mail. This is an affordable mail option that targets specific zip codes. And being a part of our outreach programs, the National Postal Forum, Postal Customer Councils, and the Postmaster General's Mailers Technical Advisory Committee, we share all this information with you.
Jonathan Castillo:
You make a lot of great points here, Lindsey. And you mentioned something that I thought was really interesting here. As the Postal Service increases its share of packages delivered, one of the things that people may not realize is that, you know, we're the only delivery service provider that delivers to every address in the United States. Think about that. As we enhance our processing capabilities and optimize our transportation and delivery networks, we're also expanding our geographic reach beyond what we're already covering. Improving the speed and reliability of delivery and reducing costs not only for the Postal Service, but by extension our customers as well.
Lindsey Taylor:
So when you're home in the evenings, you see multiple trucks running up and down your street delivering package packages. Well, we're already coming to your house every day, so we wanna be the only delivery provider that you're seeing on your street. We're already in your neighborhoods and we are your neighbor.
Karla Kirby:
So Lindsey, before we wrap up, one question we always like to ask our guests, from your lens of industry engagement and outreach, looking at Delivery for America, what keeps you up at night?
Lindsey Taylor:
I just want our industry partners to truly understand what we're trying to accomplish with our Delivering for America plan, and get on board with us because we are trying to secure the future of the Postal Service and the mailing industry. So the changes we're trying to make, it's to benefit everybody.
Jonathan Castillo:
Great stuff, Lindsey. One last thing. Where can our listeners go if they wanna find out more information about their local PCC or MTAC or NPF?
Lindsey Taylor:
Yeah, so Postal Service has a website, postal pro.usps.gov. We have a dropdown menu for industry engagement. You can learn all about the programs we talked about today, and feel free to contact any of the names that you see on the website. We're happy to help.
Jonathan Castillo:
Thank you so much for joining us today, Lindsey, it's always a pleasure speaking with you. I always feel like I learned so much just having you in the studio with us.
Karla Kirby:
Yep. Lindsey, thank you so much for coming back and talking to us. A lot of great information and I hope our listeners also got a great bunch of information and they'll be at next year's National Postal Forum.
Lindsey Taylor:
Thanks so much. I love talking about the industry that we work with.
Karla Kirby:
So, Jonathan, it's time for another round of Did You Know, where we share interesting facts or anecdotes about the US Postal Service? Jonathan, do you wanna kick us off?
Jonathan Castillo:
You know it! Did you know the penalty for stealing mail was once death?
Karla Kirby:
Yikes. I did not know that.
Jonathan Castillo:
It's true. When George Washington established the Postal Service in February, 1792 by signing into law a broad piece of legislation, one of the original punishments for stealing mail was death. Section 17 of the act stated that anyone found guilty of stealing mail shall on conviction thereof suffer death.
Karla Kirby:
So exactly how long was this law in place?
Jonathan Castillo:
The penalty stood for 80 years until 1872 when Congress revised the law. When it introduced the first legislation criminalizing mail fraud, the new penalty was less harsh but still strict up to a $500 fine and or up to one year of hard labor.
Karla Kirby:
So what is the punishment for mail theft today? Although I think if it was still death, we wouldn't have as many packages walk off of our porches.
Jonathan Castillo:
I think you're onto something Karla
Karla Kirby:
So the moral of that story don't commit mail theft.
Jonathan Castillo:
Correct.
Karla Kirby:
Well, Jonathan, our next did you know, is about doing hard work instead of doing hard time.
Jonathan Castillo:
Oh?
Karla Kirby:
Yes. Did you know that the longest serving postmaster in American history was on the job for 74 years?
Jonathan Castillo:
Wow. I can't imagine doing anything for that long.
Karla Kirby:
I know, but it's true. Roswell Beardsley was appointed postmaster of the North Lansing, New York post office on June 28th, 1828, and just at the age of 18, and he served until his death in 1902.
Jonathan Castillo:
He was appointed at just 18. Talk about an overachiever.
Karla Kirby:
Absolutely. Beardsley attributed his position to William H. Stewart, who would go on to become Abraham Lincoln's secretary of state, but at the time was practicing law with beard's lease brother Nelson, affectionately known as Uncle Roswell. His tenure as postmaster spanned 20 presidents and 35 postmaster generals. In fact, when he became Postmaster, mail was still folded and sealed by wax and government issued stamps didn't go on sale in the US until 1847.
Jonathan Castillo:
Were people aware of his accomplishments at the time?
Karla Kirby:
They were. The New York Times wrote an article about him in 1901 while another piece about him ran in the South San Francisco Enterprise in 1902. Reportedly his notoriety earned him an invite to William McKinley's second inauguration in 1901.
Jonathan Castillo:
Well, I'm not sure we'll ever see someone eclipse Uncle Roswell's tenure.
Karla Kirby:
Definitely unlikely. And that wraps up this segment of Did You Know. So Jonathan, another great podcast. Definitely the industry and engagement. Lindsey shared some great information for our postal customers, those that are in the shipping industry, and we are definitely gonna have to get to that National Postal Forum.
Jonathan Castillo:
You know, Karla, I always get excited when Lindsey joins us on the podcast because I know that that means that the National Postal Forum is right around the corner. In fact, this year, NPF runs from April 27th through the 30th, and it's in Nashville, Tennessee. So real close already. If you haven't signed up make sure you go to npf.org and get your tickets while they're still available. And you heard Lindsey, if you're in the mailing and shipping industry, you do not wanna miss out.
Karla Kirby:
Definitely a must do on the list.
Jonathan Castillo:
One last time, I wanna thank our guest, Lindsey Taylor, USPS, director of Industry Engagement and Outreach. And that wraps up this episode of Mailin’ It. Don't forget to subscribe to Mailin’ It wherever you get your podcasts to make sure you don't miss out on the next episode. And follow along with us on Instagram @USPostal Service, X, formerly known as Twitter @usps and on Facebook.