Thanks, Miss Patton

Earlier this week, I had a surprising experience with the United States Post Office. If you're anything like me, the mention of the Post Office conjures up some mixed perceptions. Let's face it. The Post Office is not a brand with a consistently positive brand image - especially when it comes to its employees.

I was putting together some business correspondence, was interrupted but finally put it in the mail bin in our lobby. Not long afterward, it occurred to me that I'd forgotten to put postage on the envelopes. No problem. The Post Office is so slow in picking up our mail that I could just retrieve it.

Well, not that day. The mail was gone, and I had a problem. I certainly didn't want the intended recipients to have to pay postage on my letters. But what could I do?

When I called the Post Office, either no one answered or could help me. One employee told me, " You might as well forget it; it's like finding a needle in a haystack."

But then I got lucky. After making at least 20 calls, someone referred me to Consumer Affairs, and I reached Miss Patton, the most helpful, considerate Post Office employee I've ever met. Within a couple of hours, my business correspondence was retrieved and back on my desk. It was actually delivered by ANOTHER Postal employee who said it was his pleasure to bring it back to me!

Needless to say, I thanked Miss Patton, her supervisor and anyone else I could. The moral of the story? Next to your brand, your employees are your organization's biggest assets. Because brand value, and therefore increased company value, is created and delivered by employees. When they deliver on their brand promise, they can positively affect the perception of your organization. I know Miss Patton did.