Unrivalled connectivity
Emirates Post is hosting the World Mail & Express EMEA conference 2022 from 10-12 May in Dubai. We speak to CEO of Emirates Post, Peter Somers, to find out more why Emirates Post is in an excellent position to compete in the e-commerce global market.
What does Emirates Post hope to gain from the World Mail Express Conference?
Emirates Post is proud to be the host sponsor of the WMX Conference being held in Dubai, UAE. We will be sharing how Emirates Post is transforming from a traditional Domestic and International Post Office, into the region’s leading international post, parcel, and e-commerce delivery company, with the UAE’s most comprehensive final mile, pick-up, and delivery services. Today we haveover 1,000 touchpoints, modern branches and seamless digital service options giving customers even more choice.
We will also be highlighting the UAE’s geographic significance: the UAE is perfectly situated and is a leading global hub with over 160 airlines operating through its Dubai International Airport, which has unrivalled connectivity options, as well as Abu Dhabi International Airport.
What are you trying to change at Emirates Post?
Our goal, for the last two and a half years, has been to transform Emirates Post from a mail oriented traditional postal operator into the region’s leading parcel and e-commerce delivery company.
You have been CEO for two and a half years now – what would you say are your key achievements?
Firstly, and almost immediately, my priority and initial focus was to lead Emirates Post through the onset of a global pandemic, keeping our employees and customers as safe as possible, whilst continuing to operate a sustainable global postal organisation.
Secondly, with the support of the Board of Directors, a structural change was undertaken to help prepare and equip Emirates Post for the new journey ahead.
This has resulted in the deployment of a more focused customer centric culture, which has been much more fluid and continues to get better over time. This has delivered many tangible positive outcomes.
Emirates Post can now boast an overall Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 31; this score demonstrates the commitment of our team to delivering a seamless journey to our customers.. I am incredibly proud of all our employees, from our Executive Leadership and throughout the entire organisation in their commitment to delivering such results.
Strengthening the comprehensive coverage of Emirates Post’s domestic delivery network has also been a real foundation builder. Emirates Post delivers to every region within the country. With more accessible branch locations, additional mail kiosks, PUDO network and parcel lockers being deployed, customer choice and preference is a game changer.
Being named by Amazon as the “Carrier of the Year 2021,” in the MENA region, is an achievement that truly exhibits Emirates Post’s journey of transformation. This further demonstrates the strength of the Emirates Post comprehensive domestic network.
Notwithstanding the Covid-19 pandemic, we launched customer-centric, high quality digital products and services.
Now the world is getting a better handle on the pandemic, what do you hope Emirates Post will achieve?
With several early challenges, the whole team handled the pandemic very well and it never stopped Emirates Post’s strategic focus.
We upgraded our operations, improved customer experience, expanded our operational capabilities, increased our touchpoint network in the UAE, and accelerated the domestic and international growth for e-commerce. These investments are the foundation of our mission to connect businesses globally and locally with smart and reliable solutions.
Delivering happiness seems to be a key message on the Emirates Post website – how important is this to the Post and what can other Posts learn from your customer-centric approach?
We are committed to ensuring people stay connected through seamless customer experiences. Our 360-degree customer approach is our promise to deliver happiness. I believe three things are imperative. Firstly, that we all keep a pulse on the shift in customer buying behaviors and preferences. Secondly, we, as leaders, need to empower our teams and adopt agile decision making. Lastly, we must listen to the customer! I believe NPS is a very good barometer and the score bares a testament to our efforts.
What are the key innovations which have come into place since you became CEO?
Emirates Post aims to be the region’s leading international post, parcel and e-commerce delivery company and investing in our digital journey is paramount to achieving this.
For instance, minimising physical contact was a real outcome of the Covid-19 pandemic; thus, we had to rapidly adapt to using technology as the enabler. We did so by being one of the first companies in the UAE to move to contactless transactions, developing and implementing systems and technologies to allow contactless payments, and using scanners instead of physical signatures. Furthermore, we upgraded our website, launched our mobile app, and introduced a range of digital services including e-registered mail, SMS and document delivery, customised parcel and delivery options, all under the umbrella of the ‘epbox.ae’ service.
International connectivity has been a key priority. With the introduction of multimodal transport options, air, road and seafreight services that link world trade through Dubai and Abu Dhabi hubs, Emirates Post is now a leading player in connecting cross-border e-commerce through the UAE.
At Emirates Post, our efforts now are focused on network expansion, continuous service improvement and growth.
Why is Emirates Post in a good position to compete in the global e-commerce market?
We constantly review the current global and GCC e-commerce trends. I firmly believe Emirates Post is in an excellent position to compete in the e-commerce global market.
The UAE is blessed geographically. By being so centrally positioned globally, the UAE becomes pivotal in creating access into the UAE itself, the Middle East and to global markets. As the UAE is home to the busiest airport in the world, Dubai International Airport, with over 160 airline operators, Emirates Post is therefore, fortunate to have a huge global connectivity link, perfect for providing e-commerce access to global markets.
Whether it is access to Emirates Post’s comprehensive UAE platform, the Middle East or a global partner network, we are connecting the world’s e-commerce seamlessly, by investing in the right systems, tools, fleet and of course, people.
How would you like Emirates Post to be seen globally?
Through our International Business Unit, we want to be recognised as the Regional Leader in cross-border e-commerce and parcel delivery and a niche player globally. The foundations have been put in place.
Emirates Post has created access to the UAE and the Middle East countries for e-commerce operators, e-tailers and retailers, by leveraging Dubai International Airport and Abu Dhabi International Airport gateways and offering distribution services to the rest of the world.
Dubai is an incredibly ambitious country with huge expansion plans – how do Emirates Post’s ambitions fit into this?
You are right. I have lived in the UAE for the last two and a half years, and the UAE’s leaders should be applauded for their vision. The UAE is an ambitious country where the leadership drives exploration, innovation, and tolerance for all. These values give individuals, such as myself, and our committed employees, the inspiration to transform by putting our customers at the centre of all our decisions, creating quality products and services, whilst connecting with our communities.
About Peter
Peter Somers is CEO of Emirates Post, the UAE postal provider and has been appointed in October 2019 to transform the company from Government to Private focusing on the fastgrowing e-commerce parcel delivery in the country and internationally. He is a strategic executive and entrepreneur in the Postal & Logistics industry. He is the founder of the e-Commerce logistics company SprintPack and co-founder of SKS & Partners, a network of E-Commerce Logistics consultants. He was member of the Executive Committee of bpost, the Belgian Postal Operator, till July 2014 and was CEO of bpost Parcels & International, a rapidly growing business unit with over Euro 475 Mio revenues and employing close to 1.000 people, covering bpost domestic parcels, international parcels and mail activities in Europe, the Americas and Asia and the innovation project ‘Shop & Deliver’. He possesses more than 25 years of experience resulting from executive positions in leading distribution, E-commerce logistics and postal companies and in-depth expertise in designing and implementing distribution systems, new market entry, M&A, business development and innovation.
