How would an idea hacker fix the USPS?
Let's face it...mail is an antiquated form of communication. The USPS needs help badly. They are a colossal failure and getting worse by the day. Between being built on an ancient system, managed by bureaucrats and over sought by a slow government they can't find two ideas to rub together. The system may have been genius at the time of creation, but it's highly antiquated in the digital age. I want to help by throwing out some ideas to grease the wheels of creativity on how a libertarian hacker would turn the USPS around. I stand by my ideas, but by no means do I think they are the only ones out there. If you have any of your own, feel free to chime in and add to the list.
1. Change the address system: Right now the delivery method first looks at the address and not the user. It should be the other way around. Find the user first and then send it to the address where that user is located. Think about it...when you send a piece of mail, are you sending it to an individual or are you sending it to a location? I send all my mail to an individual. I don't care where they are located. Just get it to the person or business. Skip the address, I don't need it.
2. Usernames and online account management: This is a no brainer. There needs to be a way for everyone to manage their mail online. Give me a username along with the ability to edit my current residence. Once you have this, there are so many opportunities for advancement. Notifications of new mail, scanned images of the outside of your package/letter, billing management...whatever. Once you have the people using the system, you open the door to so many more opportunities.
3. Build an open API: This is standard in the web world, but try talking to the postmaster general about this one and they'll be glossy eyed in no time. If the USPS built an API onto a user database and opened it up to anyone willing to build onto the USPS system, the world would be a better place. The API would pay dividends, create innovation and drive efficiencies we can't even imagine today. They would have to allow for profitability though. Having fun and making a difference is a good reason to help...but profit is way more powerful.
4. Change home delivery frequency: The mail I usually read is either a bill or a package. The rest is junk and doesn't need to be delivered at all, let alone daily. I rarely check my mail and find it pointless when I do. Home delivery should only be done once a week, just like the garbage man. Your bills, letters and packages can wait. If not, get a PO Box and check it as often as you like.
5. PO Boxes: What if PO Boxes were more like RedBox? Punch in your PO Box number and a passcode and out shoots all your mail and packages. You could dramatically increase the number of PO Boxes a post office has on hand. Hell, you could even have a drive through like a bank if you wanted to. Fully automated and systemized. Robots galore! I love it.
6. Real Estate: Get rid of it!. The USPS should run more like an Amazon warehouse and less like McDonalds. The USPS does not need to be a store. That's what UPS and Fedex are for. Focus on your core competency and forget about all the other non-sense.
7. Change the pricing structure: Drive people to use all electrical means possible to communicate. Actually, let's tax the shit out it and force people to do everything online. Just like we do with gasoline so no one wants to drive anymore. Then we can blame Big Mail instead of our tax code. </LibertarianRant>
h/t to Danielle Morrill for bringing this up in Facebook. http://www.daniellemorrill.com/
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