The reports include instances of suspended passport applications due to Postal Service agent error, occasions where transmittals of applications to the State Department may not have been prepared correctly, and two reports related to customer complaints. We identified at least four pertinent reports that could provide management with additional insight in identifying areas of improvement. Coordination with State Department Stakeholders: The Postal Service could benefit from insights contained in additional State Department reports.However, until this is in place, there is reduced assurance that data is accurate. Management stated they plan to implement a system interface in FY 2022. This occurred because supervisors did not correctly record the completion of appointments in the Scheduler and the two systems do not interface. From October 2020 to March 2021, there were 491,248 discrepancies between appointments marked “complete” in the Scheduler compared to the number of transactions recorded in the Retail System, a difference of 19.8 percent. Reconciliation and Appointment Data Accuracy: OIG analysis noted that completed appointments in the Scheduler did not reconcile with passport data recorded in the Retail Systems Software (Retail System).While these instances represent less than 1 percent of total passport appointments, unavailability of appointments could negatively impact customer satisfaction and perception of the Postal Service’s brand. These issues occurred because the Postal Service did not have mechanisms in place to prevent and detect these practices. In other instances, we noted Postal Service employees improperly blocked appointment times or used an incorrect email format when reserving appointments on behalf of customers. The customer cancelled 613 of those appointments, on average, two days before the appointment dates and did not cancel the remaining 15. For example, a customer used the same email address to reserve 629 appointments at a passport site and utilized just one of the appointments. Appointment Scheduling Irregularities: We identified several instances where large numbers of passport appointments were unused, altered, or improperly scheduled by employees.However, the Postal Service has opportunities to improve program quality and effectiveness related to appointment scheduling, data accuracy, coordination with State Department stakeholders, and performance goals. Passport application acceptance operations nationwide were generally compliant with State Department standards. Appointments are also monitored by Postal Service Headquarters staff using the “Passport Dashboard.” Prior to the implementation of the Scheduler in 2017, a customer had to call or visit a post office to schedule an appointment. Postal Service retail employees and supervisors view and manage upcoming appointments through the internal My Post Office application. Scheduled appointments are recorded in the Retail Customer Appointment Scheduler (Scheduler). Management began to allow walk-in appointments again in May 2021, at the discretion of local facility management.Ĭustomers can schedule appointments through four channels: website, customer care phone line, self-service kiosks, or in-person at a post office. Compared to FY 2019, this was a 34 percent decline in volume and $101.4 million decline in revenue, both of which were likely attributed to a decrease in international travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.ĭue to the pandemic and following safety guidelines, in March 2020, the Postal Service no longer allowed walk-in appointments and began conducting passport transactions by appointment only. During fiscal year (FY) 2020, the Postal Service processed approximately 4.4 million first-time passport applications, generating $197.3 million in acceptance and photo fee revenue. The Postal Service and State Department have an interagency agreement that governs passport acceptance.Īs of December 2020, the Postal Service had over 31,000 retail offices, of which 4,834 processed passport applications. The Postal Service’s role is to accept passport applications at designated facilities, ensure all application documents are correct, and submit documents to the State Department. passports, and ensuring program integrity. This includes designating entities to accept passport applications, providing passport information to the public, issuing U.S. The State Department is primarily responsible for nationwide passport services. Since 1975, the Postal Service has leveraged its expansive retail network to accept passport applications on behalf of the U.S. Our objective was to assess the Postal Service’s passport application acceptance operations and identify opportunities for improvement.
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