Has The Pony Left The Station? Is The USPS Relevant Today?

I have always thought that the USPS has a world-class brand, is visible in our everyday world (on trucks, post boxes, buildings, etc.) and it has limited itself to the world of physical mailing or using the web to print stamps.

After reading Do We Really Want to Live Without the Post Office? http://www.esquire.com/features/post-office-business-trouble-0213 I think even more so, USPS is a bridge from person to person, town to town, nation to nation.

Not sure why the USPS hasn’t looked at the idea of re-directing their thinking and what they truly mean to:

1. Finding a way to bring us virus free, secured email that we would be willing to pay a bit to only get the email we want, the way we want and virus free. Be a gateway for cleaning and clearing.
2. Build a kid friendly, family focused web platform that is secured and that only businesses, and other organizations, allowed on it are pg-13 and free of the wrong things.
3. Find a way to bridge the physical world of marketing and the virtual. Things like being able to say catalogs we want sent to our homes and which ones we don’t (think of the impact on print production costs and targeting only those that want hard copy).
4. Even the idea of being a place that non-profits can manage who gets what solicitations in the mail and other, if they donate, can turn that cost and annoyance off.
5. Even the creation of a virtual Postal Money Order – or instead a card – that allows to get up to $1,000 stored value card to send to whomever like a Postal Money Order.
6. What about being the gateway for US citizens to the stuff we need from the government – make it easy to get your Tax Forms sent to you, or you need to get a form filled out and sent to the VA – why not via a USPS phone app that lets you do it securely, electronically and gives you a tracking number and reference of proof sent.
7. Confirmation of important documents emailed? Or even a service allowing for the sending of larger sized electronic documents.
8. Could they be like Constant Contact or other email communications providers?

What the USPS has meant in times past, the delivery of messages from one person to another, or from a business to many either clients or prospects. It has connected loved ones with those in service on the war front to getting word that you have been accepted to college of your choice. The thoughts go on and on of what could be.

In the world of electronic communications there is still a need to bring some level of standards, some level of security in delivery, some level control and management. Might the USPS have a place in that?

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USPS could be so much more in our daily lives as people and businesses, but it requires looking at the core values and what it could be vs. what it is today.