In an environment where it's becoming the norm to look at bad in government, I often see where the government is getting it right - its focused on increasing efficiency, making the most of what they have, and overall getting the job done. I often write about how telework and mobility will make the government work better.
Today, I'm branching out in a different direction and looking at the heart of operations of agencies - the core to every smart strategy is an ecosystem that works with public- and private-sectors to solve the problem at hand and just gets it done. Mobile Work Exchange itself is a public-private partnership that supports innovation and government sustainability. In this type of environment, you have to look to others for guidance and support. Who better to learn about mobility and agility from than the U.S. Postal Service? Have you heard what the Postal Service is doing in big data? Let's just say, it's beyond big.
Recently, the Postal Service, an agency that often can't telework (at least not yet), recognized those who support the agency to reduce costs, enhance performance, maintain high levels of service.
The Air is So Dewy-Sweet, You Don't Even Have to Lick the Stamps
Let's keep in mind, the Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to fund its operations. They are more innovative than you think - they are even trying Augmented Reality.
They also face significant challenges - the agency delivers mail to 11 million more homes, offices and other addresses than ten years ago, but the overall amount of mail people send has dropped sharply. Increased distribution with decreased revenue. The agency does business with more than 20,000 suppliers each year. I caught breeze recently of the agency honoring their best of the best in public-private collaboration, including the likes of American Bank Note Company, Eaton, EMC Corporation, Carolina Cabinet Company, Ecolab Pest Elimination, Sun Coast Resources, XO Communications, Foth Production Solutions, Roth, and Asset LifeCycle.
Let's face it, to get to the top of anyone's good list is certainly no easy task. Hats off to those who are helping the Postal Service reinvent itself and supporting a very complicated IT system. Trust me, just try to follow a conversation on the Postal Service and their successes in big data. Through a focus on effective management and public-private partnerships, the agency is working to deliver customer focus and satisfaction to its stakeholders throughout the U.S. It's sparked interest from many, and that might be something to write home about.
Cindy Auten is the General Manager of Mobile Work Exchange and just realized that you no longer need to lick the stamps. Kudos to those who caught the infamous Seinfeld reference.