Deutsche Post offering digital identification process for carsharing

Deutsche Post has teamed up with DriveNow to provide a digital identification solution that will enable German drivers signing up for DriveNow’s carsharing services to complete the entire registration process online. The introduction of this new pilot service – which uses Deutsche Post’s POSTIDENT by Photo technology – means that the drivers will not have to search for a DriveNow registration station.

In a statement issued today (27 July), Deutsche Post explained how the service works: “After completing their registration via the desktop version of the DriveNow website, potential customers are directed to the Deutsche Post portal. There they can make copies of their driver’s license and personal ID, and complete their application by recording a short video clip. The process takes just minutes from start to end. Deutsche Post Staff check and validate the documents which are then deleted from the server. The new DriveNow member receives their DriveNow customer card by post within days.”

During the pilot phase, customers can access POSTIDENT by Photo via the desktop version of the DriveNow website using either Firefox or Google Chrome. The process is currently being optimized for use with other browsers as well as for mobile devices.

Currently, POSTIDENT can be used for all driving licences issued in Germany. However, DriveNow and Deutsche Post plan to expand the service so it can handle drivers’ licences from other EU member states and, ultimately, those from other countries in Europe as well.

While this is not strictly a post or a parcel story, it is a rather neat example of how a post can take a competency built up for its core business – in the case, digital identification – and then apply to new business areas.

When asked about the range of industry in which POSTIDENT is being used, a Deutsche Post DHL spokesperson told Post&Parcel: “With our identification solutions we provide services for a broad range of industries and business needs. Especially financial service providers already use our products. However, we notice additional needs coming from insurance companies, mobility and telecommunication providers.

“In general, companies providing additional value to their users by showing trustworthiness through identified individuals demand our services. Since we have online and offline solutions and multiple channels (web, app, retail stores) we can serve any customer need.”