The revolution will be digitised
Speaking at the World Mail and Express Europe conference in Warsaw, Stephen Agar, Managing Director, Consumer & Network Access, with Royal Mail said that, for the postal industry: “The game has moved on, from fearing the digital revolution to adapting to it.” In sessions which focused on postal operators have faced up to the challenges of digitalisation, declining mail volumes and increased competition, Agar told delegates how Royal Mail has repositioned its mail business so it can complement its digital services – and also prove its value to customers, with initiatives like Mailmark.
“Mail is not obsolete,” proclaimed Agar. “Mail can survive all the disruptions, provided it adapts. We have to demonstrate that mail and digital can work together.”
The first morning session of the Warsaw conference, which aimed to give a “big picture” view of the national posts, opened with a welcome address from host sponsor Poctza Polska’s Deputy CEO Wielslaw Wlodek.
Lukasz Golebiowsi then outlined how Poctza Polska has adapted to the challenges of a liberalised postal sector, by diversifying its services, restructuring its operations and focusing on e-commerce opportunities.
“Poctza Polska is becoming an integrated supplier of bundled services, aiming to support the entire value chain of e-commerce clients,” said Golebiowsi.
The session also included presentations from Francisco de Lacerda, CEO of CTT Correios de Portugal; Aavo Karmas, CEO of Omniva; and Andreas Gregoriou, Director of the Department of Postal Services, Cyprus Post. All three speakers looked at how their companies – like Royal Mail – have worked to create synergies between post and parcels, and the digital and the physical.
One of the most interesting aspects of the session was how the presentations highlighted that there is no “one size fits all” solution. In Portugal, CTT has recently launched a new postal bank, and the company’s CEO reports that its performance so far has already “exceeded expectations”. Omniva’s Karmas, however, said that this would probably not be a strategy that would be appropriate for Baltics, where online banking has quickly become the norm.
Botund Szebeny, the Secretary General of PostEurop, applauded the sheer diversity of the Posts’ diversification strategies in his presentation. Posts, said Szebeny, have shown their ability to cope with both global and local demands.
“The disruptive character of the posts and our capability to successfully adapt gives us confidence in the future,” said Szebeny. The PostEurop Secretary General referenced industry initiatives such as the Interconnect Programme. He also emphasised the importance of the European Commission’s Digital Single Market Strategy, but added that PostEurop would not want to see “unnecessary bureaucracy or interventions”.
The morning programme also included a presentation from Andrew Ford, VP – Marketing & Communication – EMEA at Pitney Bowes, on how the industry can use technology “to deliver the best customer experience”. Misko Kancko wrapped up the session with a look at the changing nature of the e-commerce market in Canada.
