Q-Post to tie up with firms in tele-money order system
The General Postal Corporation (Q-Post) is to introduce a tele-money order system “which will be more economical and easier to the consumer than the prevailing services in the market”.
George Scott-Campbell, director of IT Services at Q-Post, told Gulf Times that the system, when introduced, would make sending money home very easy and time-saving for people.
The service is likely to be introduced in the “third quarter of the year”.
Q-Post will tie up with companies whose employees can place a standing request with their HR department to remit money regularly. “Q-Post will provide the necessary software to the companies which subscribe to the system”.
The system could be run from the offices of all subscribers.
Once instructed, the HR department could remit a certain amount of money to home, banks or wherever one wanted, the official said. One could also make a one-off transfer through the HR department, he added.
The money would be electronically transferred to the nearest post office or branch of the bank of the recipient. Whether it would be delivered to the door-step would depend on the services offered by the local post office, the official said.
Scott-Campbell stressed that the service would have several advantages over the existing services. For one, it would save a lot of time of the employees who otherwise would have to go and stand in queues at exchange houses or banks. Currently, it often takes two hours or more for a person to remit money.
The General Postal Corporation (Q-Post) is to introduce a tele-money order system “which will be more economical and easier to the consumer than the prevailing services in the market”.
George Scott-Campbell, director of IT Services at Q-Post, told Gulf Times that the system, when introduced, would make sending money home very easy and time-saving for people.
The service is likely to be introduced in the “third quarter of the year, mostly after Eid”.
Q-Post will tie up with companies whose employees can place a standing request with their HR department to remit money regularly. “Q-Post will provide the necessary software to the companies which subscribe to the system”.
The system could be run from the offices of all subscribers.
Once instructed, the HR department could remit a certain amount of money to home, banks or wherever one wanted, the official said. One could also make a one-off transfer through the HR department, he added.
The money would be electronically transferred to the nearest post office or branch of the bank of the recipient. Whether it would be delivered to the door-step would depend on the services offered by the local post office, the official said.
Scott-Campbell stressed that the service would have several advantages over the existing services. For one, it would save a lot of time of the employees who otherwise would have to go and stand in queues at exchange houses or banks. Currently, it often takes two hours or more for a person to remit money.
The collective man-hours saved from thousands of people would be awesome and would benefit the employer and the country’s economy.
For those working at remote sites, this is very difficult and sometimes almost impossible, he said.
Once an employee gives an instruction to his/her HR department, then he/she need not remember the dates and remittances. The system makes a direct debit from the salary and remits the money regularly at the pre-determined date. “You would no more forget a payment, be it an installment, a mortgage or contribution to parents”.
Of course, the service will be available to walk-in customers at the Q-Post offices as well.
The cost of the service is still being decided, Scott-Campbell said. “We are looking at the market where the rates are QR20 or QR25. Our service will definitely be less than the current rates. We want to make people smile”.
The only hurdle, if at all, is that companies have to co-operate with Q-Post and have a tie-up. Otherwise, the employees cannot benefit from the service, Scott-Campbell clarified.
He is currently holding talks with various companies, who he said, might want a percentage of the service fee. This is being negotiated, he added. “I am requesting companies to co-operate”.
The service is offered as part of the Postal Financial Services of Universal Postal Union (UPU). As part of ongoing efforts to develop its network, the UPU works in partnership with the suppliers of other types of solutions. There are now 32 countries connected to the IFS network. The UPU has big ambitions: between now and 2015, it wishes to get all its 191 member-countries connected, through a series of regional initiatives.
