It’s hard to imagine a single part of our daily lives that hasn’t been changed by the seemingly unrelenting advances in technology. At the same time, it’s vitally important that businesses strive to keep up with the latest and most promising innovations to remain competitive and meet the demands of their customers. The U.S. Postal Service is no different.
Technological innovations have had a key role in helping the Postal Service improve the quality of service it provides customers. And, the OIG has been very busy looking into technological innovations that hold promise for the Postal Service. Over the past 10 years, we have written more than 30 white papers on technology-related topics. A new white paper looks back at this body of work to assess which technologies remain relevant today, which the Postal Service has implemented, and which may be candidates for future consideration.
We found that, over the past decade, the Postal Service has focused its technology development efforts on two areas — mail innovations and data analytics. Postal experts agreed that advancements in these areas will continue to lead transformation in the postal industry.
Other emerging technologies that haven’t yet had a major impact on the Postal Service are blockchain, the Internet of Things, and autonomous vehicles. While the Postal Service’s engagement with these technologies has been limited to research and testing so far, industry experts told us they anticipate these innovations will become increasingly impactful in the coming years.
The Postal Service’s recently released 10-year plan makes it clear that implementing new technologies will continue to be a priority going into the future. Which technologies do you think will grow in importance for the Postal Service and its customers? Have you used any of the Postal Service’s new innovations, such as Informed Delivery?
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