Russian Post adopts standards for post office customer service
Russian Post is now adopting a new system of quality standards to improve the customer service in its post offices. Staff will be expected to follow the standards closely, with requirements ranging from obligatory greetings to post office visitors, to dealing with customers courteously in all transactions, to the early provision of information to customers when opening hours change.
Russian Post is also reinforcing specific uniform requirements and organisational issues within its branches.
Any customer entering a post office should be provided with professional service and a comfortable atmosphere, with staff showing courtesy and a positive attitude as well as helpful manners, Russian Post.
The efforts are the next step in improving the efficiency of the postal service and substantially increasing the profitability of post offices, the company explained.
Hopes are that better customer service could see the financial performance of branches increase 30% to 60% following adoption of the new quality standards.
Deputy director general Igor Mandrykin said: “In the radical transformation of the federal postal service, it’s not just the widespread introduction of new technologies that’s important, but also a range of modern marketing tools aimed at bringing quality of service in line with consumer expectations.”
Mystery shopper
The new system of quality standards come just ahead of plans to significantly expand Russian Post’s “mystery shopper” programme of monitoring service within its post offices. This year has seen a quarter of post offices visited by anonymous customers to check up on their performances.
In 2012, Russian Post said almost all its retail outlets would be tested – around 40,000 of 42,000 locations.
Russian Post is also looking to put more resources into improving the customer experience within post offices, promising “substantial funds” to go alongside the new quality standards, particularly for post offices in the Moscow, St Petersburg and Leningrad areas.
