Austrian Post responds to the growing customer demand for more 24/7 pick-up options
Austrian Post is examining the expansion of its branch network and the consolidation of its self-service (SB) solutions. Austrian Post is thus responding to the growing customer demand for more 24/7 pick-up options.
In coordination with the province of Lower Austria, the district of Gänserndorf was selected to significantly increase the number of self-service locations as part of a pilot operation and at the same time to test new models.Today, there are 24 post offices in the district – 5 post offices, 17 post office partners and 2 self-service pick-up stations – and the number will soon almost double to a total of 40 locations. To this end, 16 new self-service locations will be built: pick-up stations, HOFER post offices, self-service only branches and, for the first time, new locker solutions. The latter can be individually adapted to the catchment area, are slightly smaller, require less space and are therefore easier to install. Austrian Post is also opening its self-service stations to regional providers for the first time.“With this new, innovative service extension, Austrian Post is creating an even more customer-friendly service for the people of this region in the Gänserndorf district. This will allow our compatriots to use Austrian Post’s services even more flexibly without being dependent on opening hours. As a reliable partner, Austrian Post is thus getting even closer to its people. I am sure that this additional service will be well received and that Lower Austria can thus become a role model for many other regions,” says Johanna Mikl-Leitner, Governor of the Province of Lower Austria.“Our customers value short distances and round-the-clock availability, and with the pilot operation in Lower Austria, we are following exactly these wishes. If the test of our new self-service solutions is successful, a further roll-out is planned. Additional self-service locations will significantly increase Austrian Post’s supply network,” explains Georg Pölzl, CEO of Austrian Post.The first new self-service locations in the Gänserndorf district are scheduled to go into operation as early as this summer. In the future, 95 percent of all residents of the district will live in the coverage area of Austrian Post’s 24/7 locations. Currently, the post offices in the district of Gänserndorf are open an average of 65 hours per week, in the future it will be almost twice as many with 117 hours.GRÄTZEL FUNCTION OPENS SELF-SERVICE DEVICES FOR REGIONAL ECONOMYWith the pilot operation, Austrian Post also wants to establish itself with its 24/7 service as a strong support for the regional economy and as a pillar for private customer business. For the first time, Austrian Post will also open up its self-service devices to third-party providers with the so-called Grätzel function. Regional retailers, service providers and producers can use it to insert their products directly into the self-service station, where they can later be picked up by their customers at an individual time.The significant increase in the number of self-service locations will not only expand services for customers, but also shorten distances and save CO2 emissions at the same time. The latest generation of self-service devices can already offer more than 80 percent of all postal services. Recipients can have parcels delivered there or combine purchases and other everyday journeys with the pick-up or dispatch of parcels.
