Systems and methods for testing a delivery system

• US 20030208370A1
• Filed: 02/21/2003
• Published: 11/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Estes, Jacquelynn, Wilson, James D
• Granted Patent: US 7,827,048 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A survey is placed into an envelope containing an address label and a tracking indicia. The address label indicates an old address of a recipient. The envelope containing the survey is routed through a delivery system. The delivery system is configured to sense the tracking indicia as it passes through the elements of the delivery system thus tracking the movement of the envelope through the delivery system. The envelope containing the survey is sent through the delivery system to the plant supporting the old address. The recipient, however, no longer resides at the old address and now resides at a new address. The envelope containing the survey is forwarded through the delivery system to the plant supporting the new address. Once the recipient receives and completes the survey, survey is sent to the system operator for analysis.

Claims

1. A method for testing a delivery system, comprising the steps of:

receiving a first data set corresponding to the results of a survey and a second data set containing process indicators corresponding to the survey'"'"'s movement through the delivery system; and

analyzing the first data set and the second data set.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the survey comprises questions associated with a forwarding service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivery system is configured to deliver a mailpiece.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

sending the survey through the delivery system, the survey bearing an old address of a recipient; and

forwarding the survey to a new address of the recipient.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second data set is based upon tracking an indicia as the survey passes through the delivery system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second data set comprises a plurality of time and location values.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the indicia comprises at least one of the following:

a bar code and a PLANET code.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data set indicates a recipient'"'"'s level of satisfaction with the delivery system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing step further comprises the substep of correlating a level of satisfaction of a recipient with the delivery system'"'"'s performance.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing step further comprises utilizing the second data set to calculate an elapsed time between when the survey was placed in the delivery system and when the survey was received by a recipient.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of adjusting the delivery system based upon the analyzing step.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of generating the customer survey.

13. A system for testing a delivery system, comprising:

a first data set comprising results of a survey;

a second data set comprising process indicators corresponding to movement of the survey through the delivery system; and

a controller configured to analyze the first data set and the second data set.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the survey relates to a forwarding service.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the delivery system is configured to deliver a mailpiece.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the survey is sent bearing an old address of a recipient and forwarded to a new address of the recipient.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the second data set is based upon tracking an indicia as the survey passes through the delivery system.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the indicia comprises at least one of the following:

a bar code and a PLANET code.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the second data set comprises a plurality of time and location values.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the first data set indicates a recipient'"'"'s level of satisfaction with the delivery system.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to correlate, a level of satisfaction of a recipient with the delivery system'"'"'s performance.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to utilize the second data set to calculate an elapsed time between when the survey was placed in the delivery system and when the survey was received by a recipient.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein the delivery system is adjusted based upon the comparison of the first data set and the second data set.

24. A method for testing a delivery system, comprising the steps of:

generating a survey comprising questions related to a delivery system;

placing on the survey an address corresponding to the old address of a recipient who has filed a change-of-address order with the operator of the delivery system, the change-of-address order including an old address and a new address;

placing a tracking indicia on the survey;

placing the survey into the delivery system;

transporting the survey through a plurality of processing plants of the delivery system toward the location of the old address;

receiving the survey at a processing plant closest to the location of the old address;

recognizing the survey as an item to be forwarded according to the change-of-address order;

transporting the survey through a plurality of processing plants of the delivery system toward the location of the new address;

delivering the survey to the recipient at the new address;

generating process indicators for the survey at each of the processing plants;

receiving a first data set corresponding to the results of the survey provided by the recipient;

receiving a second data set comprising the process indicators; and

analyzing the first data set and the second data set.