Postal Ops: We deliver for you!

***image1***With the hustle and bustle of the holidays behind us, the KMC postal team paused to reflect on the record mail volume processed during the 2007 holiday season.
Having worked 55 hours per week on average, the postal team delivered more than two million pounds of mail, including 70,000 parcels, to more than 30,000 customers in December. 

“No matter how great the volume of mail each day, the postal team did not go home until it was all delivered to the recipients’ mailboxes,” said Master Sgt. Al DiRisio, Ramstein Northside postmaster.

Postal manning has fallen in recent years while deployments have increased. American post offices in the KMC deploy Airmen in every Air Expeditionary Force cycle, yet continue to meet mission requirements at home.

“This is a significant challenge as Ramstein mail volumes have soared from 4.6 million pounds in 2002 to more than 13 million in 2007,” said Sergeant DiRisio.
“Of course, the success of the postal team could not be realized without the outstanding efforts of dedicated volunteers,” said Staff Sgt. Pamela Cianfrocca, NCOIC, Ramstein Customer Service.

Recent customer feedback suggested that parcel delivery service was needed on Mondays. Unable to meet this need with current manning, the postal team looked to the community for help.

Each Monday, the Ramstein Northside Post Office parcel pick-up window is manned primarily by volunteers. More than 500 volunteers have stepped forward since the program was implemented in November 2007, donating more than 2,000 hours.
“This critical support dramatically improved the quality of life of both the postal team and the entire KMC,” said Lt. Col. Amy Dayton,  435th Communications Squadron commander.

A major Air Force Smart Operations 21 effort was scheduled to begin Monday and will identify ways to reduce the demanding workload without sacrificing services.
One initiative currently under review uses electronic inboxes instead of physical mailboxes; customers will receive an e-mail message in lieu of a paper notification when a parcel is ready for pick up.

Ramstein APO customers can sign up for e-mail notifications in their post office or by sending an e-mail to postal.service@ramstein.af.mil.

Volunteers are still needed. For more information, stop by your post office customer service desk or e-mail postal.service@ramstein.af.mil.