In 2014 the Postal Service reported a $1.4 billion operating profit, the largest it had seen in years and attributed in part to its recent efforts to modernize its IT infrastructure.
While the Postal Service is still in the red financially because of its obligation to prepare its retiree health benefits - about $5.6 billion a year - Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said in a speech Jan. 6 that popular features such as improved tracking and date-specific deliver come from an improved technology platform.
He said the Postal Service has been able to stabilize mail revenue in some of its product lines because they can now offer a rich amount of data to its customers through its tracking software. The agency has also worked hard to promote a culture of risk-taking and innovation, he said.
A digital tool called "Every Door Direct Mail" allows small businesses to target extremely small sections of towns and receive data on their direct mailings - a service that now makes the Postal Service nearly a billion dollars a year, Donahoe said.
"We couldn't have offered those features if we hadn't taken a long-term approach to upgrading our technology and tracking systems," he said. "We've worked hard to put a strong data and technology platform in place to drive future innovation."
