Polish Post launches hybrid mail service

Polish Post has launched a hybrid mail service – allowing customers to send mail electronically, to be turned into physical letters before final delivery. Poland’s designated national postal service said the first mailers have already taken advantage of the new hybrid mail service, and it is now in talks with other prospective clients.

Polish Post said electronic communications services is one of the main areas it is developing at present under its 2011-2015 Strategy.

The company faces the prospect of increased competition from January, as the market for letters under 50g in weight is opened to its rivals, under the liberalisation rules of the European Union.

The hybrid mail service is designed particularly for mailers who have a large number of customer accounts and deal with various types of documents – including public sector agencies, local authorities, banks, telecoms companies, insurance firms, utilities and housing associations.

Clients send mail electronically, for Polish Post to then print, seal in envelopes and deliver to recipients within a guaranteed time.

Polish Post said it is the first company on the Polish market that offers a hybrid service providing a registered mail service.

It said the digitised sending process means an easier contact between mailers and their customers and a guaranteed delivery date, combining the ease of electronic mail technology with the security and archiving ability of the physical letter.

“This hybrid mail service is the first of its type in our portfolio. It is mostly targeted at business clients, particularly larger customers who will send at least 5,000 items per mailing,” said Agnieszka Piaskowska, the director of Polish Post’s Service Development Division.

“Our clients send us electronic files with an order to prepare and deliver shipments. On the basis of the information included in the file, we print correspondence, put it into envelopes and deliver it in the traditional way through the postal network to addresses all over Poland.”

Polish Post said it is now aiming to take a leading position in the market providing secure electronic and hybrid communications for both Polish and foreign customers.

The company said the move was part of its response to the global decline in revenues from traditional postal services and the liberalisation of the Polish postal market, and its search for new sources of income.