The post in ‘the pearl of the Indian Ocean’

John Modd speaks to M.K.B Dissanayake, Postmaster General at Sri Lanka Post, on changes to the island’s postal services following years of civil war. For many years Sri Lanka attracted global attention because of internal conflict. As the country enters a new and more peaceful era, Mail & Express Review felt it was time to learn more about the national post’s activities on this beautiful island.

Sri Lanka is a large island to the south of India and in the vicinity of the Maldives. It is surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar, and the Palk Strait, with an area of 65,610 square kilometres. The population is in excess of 20m and GDP per capita is $2,435. The main areas of economic activity are the garment industry, tea and agriculture, plus remittances from migrant workers.

The Post has over 20,000 employees and 176 vehicles. It operates through 649 Post Offices and 3408 sub-offices.

Dissanayake explains that the particular challenge “as a result of the ending of the thirty years’ war is rebuilding new post offices, supply of infrastructure facilities and appointing necessary staff. There is a national special programme for the northern province called the ‘Vadakkin Vasantham’ project.”

Ownership, regulation and mission

The Democratic Socialist Republic Government is the sole owner of the post. The Postmaster General is directly responsible to the Secretary of the Ministry and the Minister of Postal Services. There are no plans for privatisation. The Ministry itself acts as the regulatory body.

The PMG explains: “There is a control over the department as it is functioning under the Ministry of Postal Services. All operational functions are carried out by the postal department and implementation of government policy decisions is done through the Ministry. The postal operational network, planning, controlling, implementation and decision making are the responsibility of the post.

“Sri Lanka Post has a very clear definition of its Universal Service Obligation. “8,000 postmen daily go door to door to deliver letters. We have postcodes and are in the process of developing a functional addressing and postcode system.”

Dissanayake outlines a very clear mission for Sri Lanka Post. That mission embraces the “use of modern technology for areas of postal service, adherence to productivity concepts, creating a pleasant environment and motivating staff”. The mission also talks of “winning customer trust through improvements to existing services and the introduction of new services through the identification of the latest customer needs”.

Reference is made to the efficient use of resources together with “the participation of private sector stake holders for the provision of attractive domestic and international services”.

Achievements

Dissanayake is proud of the organisation’s achievements since taking over as Postmaster General four years ago. As the PMG puts it: “I have achieved many international and national victories.”

The list of changes and improvements is impressive. From an organisational perspective Dissanayake has introduced an effective staff database which is utilised for staff transfers. The PMG has re-organised the philatelic bureau, decentralised regional administrative office functions, improved accounting and procurement practices, including “systematic accounting procedures, decentralising the procurement procedure… maintaining accurate stock management and storage management”.

Post offices have been made cost centres and now open seven days a week for transactions. An IMPC code has been obtained for Mattala International Airport, and CCTV cameras have been installed in the Office of Exchange
in Colombo. The international standard plastic bag seal for mail closing was also introduced.

The Postmaster General points to recognition from various external organisations for Sri Lanka Post’s development: “We achieved the Universal Postal Union’s bronze level certificate for Quality Management in 2010.”

There has clearly been a lot of investment in information technology, and the post “achieved a second place winner’s award for the in-house retail software development e-pay…We received a national award from the Institute of Information Communications Technology at the national competition, and this software has been nominated as the best software in the section for South Asian Information Technology.”

The post has even become involved with filming. A short film about the day to day activities of the postmen has been nominated at a film festival! Adapting to the new communications environment Inevitably the discussion turns to trends in mail volumes and the impact of new communications technologies on Sri Lankan society.

Dissanayake’s perspective is that “the decline of letter volumes is a global trend, but on the other hand bulk mail is growing. Parcels volumes are also increasing, particularly lighter weight CD packets and shipments generated through e-bay”. The PMG emphasises the point about bulk mail growth: “Business mail is increasing tremendously, which was low volume prior to the wider changes in society.”

Sri Lanka Post is using modern technology for tracking and tracing of postal items. Through its innovative e-money order the post has captured the remittance market, supplanting the traditional paper based money order.

“Bill payments are settled through the system and stake holders and customers are much happier with this process. As a result more stake holders are willing to participate in Sri Lanka Post’s e-pay system,” the Postmaster General explains to me.

The post has an active customer website, attracting over 5,000 hits daily. “Our customers use the website to track their postal items and to obtain information about our services and those of our stake holders. There are also links to other government departments.”

The post does not offer hybrid mail services. However, although not currently available, the post does plan to offer digital end-to-end services. It has contributed to the development of the Universal Postal Union’s .post initiative and will link to the .post platform in the future. The retail network The strategy is clearly to leverage the retail network and offer a wider range of services to the Sri Lankan population.

Dissanayake outlines the strategy in this area: “I have focussed on improving the community facility using information technology. This includes the development of the Post Shop concept through super grade post offices as well as existing shops…Money transaction services using e-pay software are developing fast. We are also taking steps to provide people with fax and e-mail facilities through modern communications systems… Plans include the conversion of some post offices to community centres where all community facilities are provided.”

Competitors, partners and the environment

So, what about competition I ask? There are, apparently, no major competitors in the traditional letter mail market. For parcels and express the competitors appear to be established only in the major cities.

“We have established our network inland for the promotion of parcels and EMS…100% of the parcels and EMS items in the rural areas are delivered by our department. Our rates are more comfortable for the customers, and as a government body customers have more confidence in our service,” the Postmaster General asserts.

Banks, government departments and private companies all work with the post and utilise its network. On such a green island, ‘green issues’ must be important. That seems to be the case: “I am personally interested in environmental protection and have taken action at all post offices to protect the environment.”

In support Dissanayake cites such activities as tree planting and environmental competitions involving the postal employees.

About M.K.B Dissanayake

From an education perspective “I obtained a special degree in Economics at Kelaniya University here in Sri Lanka, and also a Post Graduate Diploma in Management at Rajarata University.”

An extensive career in government service followed: twenty six years so far. “I started my career as Assistant Director Budget and continued my service as Commissioner of Agrarian Services, Divisional Secretary, Commissioner of Co-operative, Commissioner of Transport, and Secretary of the Ministry of Industries and Community Based Development.”

Final thoughts

Clearly, Sri Lanka Post is going through a great period of change. Some of that change is driven by the opportunities and challenges facing posts around the world, but I am sure the impact of thirty years of fighting and the economic prospects opening up in a new era of peace will also have a profound effect on the organisation’s development.

It is clear that M.K.B Dissanayake has instituted significant changes and improvements during four years at the top, most particularly in the ICT area. I, for one, will be interested to see what the next four years bring for Sri Lanka, ‘the pearl of the Indian Ocean’, and for its post.

This interview originally appeared in the winter edition of Mail and Express Review, the quarterly magazine and sister title of Post&Parcel. For more information, or to subscribe to the magazine, click here »