How the USPS Tackles Unreadable Addresses

Despite the Postal Service's motto of braving all weather conditions, poor handwriting remains a formidable obstacle.

The Journey of Illegible Addresses

When postal facilities across the nation encounter addresses that are difficult to read, they capture the images and relay them electronically to the USPS Remote Encoding Center (REC) in Salt Lake City.

"Our systems process approximately three million letters daily," explained Steve Hilton, a senior manager at the USPS distribution hub in Utah.

The Volume of Verification

On an ordinary day, Hilton notes that roughly 75,000 of these letters require extra scrutiny at the center because the addresses are too challenging to read before they can be forwarded to the REC.

"In the past year alone, our center handled about a billion mail items," stated Ryan Bullock, who manages operations at the REC.

Meet the Decoders

Bullock supervises a team of data conversion specialists, also known as keyers, who expertly decipher unreadable text. These professionals work tirelessly, without pause for holidays.

"Our operators each manage around 900 address images every hour," Bullock mentioned.

Amy Heugly, a seasoned keyer with over two decades of experience, humorously credits her work with enhancing her ability to read her doctor's prescriptions.

If All Else Fails

When a keyer cannot resolve an address from an image, the final resort involves manual inspection.

"This means a postal employee must physically examine the mail piece for a last chance at deciphering its destination," Bullock explained.

Such efforts aim to ensure the mail isn't sent back undelivered, marked as 'address unknown.'