Jamaican Postal service now offers international Express Mail Service
Jamaica Post (the Post & Telecommunications Department and the PostalCorporation of Jamaica) has introduced Express Mail Service (EMS), a totally new international courier service in collaboration with postal administrations in other countries. This service is the answer to the need for individuals and organisations to send packages overseas via a cost-effective, safe, reliable delivery service.
COUNTRIES AVAILABLE
The initial service will be confined to the Caribbean (Antigua, Barbados, Grand Cayman, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia), Canada, thes United States (Miami, New York) and the United Kingdom. Successful negotiations with these postal administrations have resulted in specific arrangements for all Express Mail Service items to be expeditiously processed, as the Jamaican postal administration has established bilateral contracts that ensure the speedy processing of all items that enter the designated countries.
The targeted delivery time is set at three to five working days after arriving in the country of the addressee. Although ahirline schedules may vary, the time-bound structure of this communication service ensures that customers' expectations will be satisfied.
Based on a review of the pilot operations under way, the process has been consistently achieving desired results. Exceptions to this have been very few and the circumstances surrounding the extension of the delivery time were understandably outside of the control of either local or overseas postal administrations. Despite this, adjustments to operational plansare now being made to allow for a greater number of contingencies, as the primary objective remains to ensure that the item is delivered within three to five days once it arrives in the designated country.
MARKETING RESEARCH
The marketing research in preparation for this product indicated that there exists a significant number of persons who send international expedited mail who do not need to have their items reach the very next day. Marketing and product development strategies are basped on providing customers with significant cost savings from shifting to a three to five-day service.
This is easily quantifiable and customers are expected to appreciate the positive impact on the proverbial 'bottom line' immediately. Accrued savings will, therefore, be generated with each use, a fact that will urge business leaders to consistently utilise EMS. The number of persons using this new expedited service has been steadily increasing, as first time users spread the word and encourageothers to try this secure, efficient, cost-effective method of international mail delivery.
TRACKING FEATURES
Tracking is undertaken via a bar-coding system, thereby ensuring that each item has a unique registration number. The significance of bar coding is that each item's location will be constantly monitored. The bar code accelerates processing and allows for instant recognition of the item (regardless of language differences) and eliminates the 'human error' factor inherent in havinfg to decipher handwriting.
Customers familiar with the Internet can use the specified websites to track their items. Internet tracking via a link on the Jamaica Post website will be available on the home page at www.jamaicapost.gov.jm in a few days. This facility will be available for the following countries:
* Canada: (Canada Post) www.canadapost.com
* USA: (USPS) www.usps.com
* UK: (Royal Mail) www.parcelforce.com
Customers can track their items via thesae websites by using the 'Track and Confirm EMS' feature, but for those persons who choose not to use the Internet themselves, the status of their packages can be established by calling the customer service unit at the Central Sorting Office at Tel: 922-9448 in order to ascertain the delivery status of their items. In order to assist you when you call, our pleasant, helpful customer service representatives will need to know the tracking ('registration') number, so please have this information on hand.h
Express Mail Service is offered at the following post offices across Jamaica:
Corporate Area post offices Rural post offices Central Sorting Office; Vineyard Town, Kingston 3, Cross Roads, Kingston 5 Liguanea, Kingston 6 Mona, Kingston 7 Constant Spring, Kingston 8 Half-Way Tree, Kingston 10 Hagley Park, Kingston 11 Whitfield Town, Kingston 13 Denham Town, Kingston 14 Meadowbridge, Kingston 19 Western District, Kingston 20 Bridgeport Waterford Gregory Park Greater Portmore Spanish Towne Old Harbour May Pen St. Ann's Bay Mandeville Santa Cruz Montego Bay Falmouth Port Antonio Annotto Bay Morant Bay Yallahs Black River Highgate Port Maria Ocho Rios
HOW IT WORKS
On presentation of the item, our customer service representative will advise customers of the despatch times for items according to airline flight schedules. Customers will be notified of the cut-off times for EMS items, as these are be based on the mail despatch times. This enables our customers to know the apprsoximate delivery time to the addressee.
The mail item will be checked for compliance with international security regulations and, therefore, must not be sealed prior to being submitted at the customer service desk. It is then weighed to establish the cost.
The postmaster general and the entire post office team are working towards advancing the postal service's capacity to provide modern, efficient, yet very cost-effective services in a friendly manner. We are committed to facilitatingcommunication for development. The customer service unit at the Central Sorting Office in Kingston will be happy to provide more details on this new entry into the international courier service arena. Tel: 922-9448, 922-9430-8, Fax: 922-9439, email: [email protected], website: www.jamaicapost.gov.jm.
