Author: Archive

Greater commercial freedom for Post Office Ltd

Posted by | May 30, 2008 | |

Postcomm’s Post Office Network Annual Report this year will, among other things, look at whether more can be done to give Post Office Ltd greater commercial freedom to secure new business. We believe that the right products and services to bring in customers are vital to ensure the long term future of the network after the current closure programme.

At present, Post Office Ltd has an exclusive trading arrangement with Royal Mail that restricts to Royal Mail the authority to negotiate with other operators or companies who may want to use the post office network as a collection or delivery point. Subpostmasters, in turn, have a contract with Post Office Ltd that allows them to provide postal services only for Royal Mail and Parcelforce.

In Postcomm’s view, the post office network and customers could benefit from a much more open approach than has been shown up to now in welcoming and attracting the business of other mail operators. Post Office Ltd might also benefit from greater freedom to align itself more closely with a wide range of other businesses such as local government and other community services.

The results of our work will be published as part of the Post Office Network Annual Report in October 2008.

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Russian Post changes tariff rates for letter correspondence delivery

Posted by | May 30, 2008 | |

Beginning with 1st of June Russian Post changes tariff rates for universal postal service (cards, letters, packets delivery). The Federal Tariff Service issued the corresponding decision îf April 25, 2008.
Delivery of ordinary postcard is to cost 5 rub. 50 cop.(4 rub. 75 cop. before), registered card 8 rub. 00 cop. (6 rub. 60 cop. before), ordinary letter weighs to 20 g 7 rub. 50 cop.(6 rub. 50 cop. before), registered letter weighs tî 20 g – 12 rub.00 cop. (9 rub. 90 cop. before), letter with insured value weighs to 20 g – 40 rub. 00 cop.( 32 rub. 90 cop. before) correspondently.
Despite of indexation tariff rates for universal postal services don’t cover net price. Tariff rates indexation helps to reduce Russian Post losses of the service partly.
Last time tariff rates were adjusted according to an index one and half year ago in 2006.

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UPS South Africa introduce 'Diad' service

Posted by | May 30, 2008 | |

UPS South Africa has introduced the Delivery Information Acquisition Device (Diad), which allows customers, through the Internet or a UPS call centre, to track their parcels’ position within the global UPS network chain.
Diad III is a hand-held computer scanner used by courier drivers to simultaneously capture and transmit real-time delivery information. It represents one of the fastest package-tracking systems in the world and will assist in the 3,5-million package queries received daily from UPS customers.
In the traditional supply services chain, the information on labels on packages has to be manually filled out. UPS industrial engineering manager for East and sub-Saharan Africa Christian Helleputte says UPS uses ‘smart’ package load data labels which have coded information on them, including a bar code that records a scanning, and a postal bar code which is linked to vehicle loading information.
Manual labels require employees to physically fill out information, with data being captured by an employee within an organisation. With the Diad system, Helleputte notes, UPS installs software in customers’ facilities, or on a computer, and the customers will duly load this information onto their own computer systems.

The mainframe technology of Diad can display all logistical information, including the time of departure of a parcel, the time of delivery, and how many stops are made during the day, which allows a customer to track the whereabouts of a parcel through the delivery chain. Further, it can also work out the best, most direct routes for package delivery.

UPS also has plans to launch GSS, a wireless scanner that is placed on a driver’s finger, in the third quarter of this year.

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Launch of protective Speed Post and Insured Post envelops

Posted by | May 30, 2008 | |

With the launch of customized protective envelop for Speed Post and Insured Post – a first in the country, India Post has moved a step further in providing customer convenience. “With the introduction of these envelopes, the Department is keen to transform itself as a customer friendly organization” said Mrs Noorjehan, Member (Operations & Marketing), Postal Services Board during the launch of the envelopes here today.
These envelopes are made of an innovative material with product qualities like water, tear, and abrasion-resistance, soft and smooth texture for excellent printability, environment-friendly and light-weight, and with customized tamper-evident features. These offer enhanced security and protection to the contents enclosed. These envelopes will be available to the customers in various Post Offices and Speed Post Centres across the country.
During 2007-08, while the express industry growth is around 20 pct, Speed Post posted an impressive growth of 29.7 pct in terms of revenue and 38% in terms of volumes. During 2007-08, the revenue from Speed Post touched 583 crores, as against Rs.449 crores in the previous year.
Recently, the Department had introduced Speed Post One India One Rate scheme. This is a novel and innovative scheme which provides customer convenience and ease. For articles weighing less than 50 grams, it costs just Rs.25 across the country and this includes service tax components also. For local delivery, it costs just Rs.12. Now, with the introduction of Speed Post envelopes, customers can buy these envelopes and send it across India under One India One Rate scheme. Each Speed Post envelope costs Rs 5.

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Royal Mail misses delivery target

Posted by | May 30, 2008 | |

Royal Mail has said it missed its key target for delivering first-class post on time in the 2007-8 financial year because of industrial action.

About 85 pct of letters arrived the next day, missing the 93 pct target.

The watchdog Postwatch said the strikes had “blown Royal Mail off course”, but it complained the service had not recovered quickly enough.

It argued that poor service should affect executives’ bonuses. Last year, the chief executive was paid GBP 3m.

The delivery of second-class letters was more reliable, according to the figures released by Royal Mail, but also fell short of the required level.

More than 95 pct of the second-class post arrived on time, compared with a target of 99 pct.

Only standard parcels beat their target for the year, with 90.4 pct arriving on time.

The company said it was working hard to improve its service and “restore the record levels seen before last year’s dispute”.
In a postcode-based list published by Postwatch, nine out of 10 letters were delivered on time last year in Twickenham, Kingston upon Thames, Luton, St Albans, north-west London and Canterbury.
While in Stoke-on-Trent, Colchester, south-west London, Oxford, Chelmsford and Dundee, only around four out of five first class letters were delivered on time.

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Royal Mail failed 75 per cent of its service targets

Posted by | May 30, 2008 | |

Official figures published last night reveal that the organisation missed nine of the 12 minimum service levels.
The reliability of the first-class delivery service fell to 85.2per cent. This was below the organisation’s target which requires that at least 93per cent of first class mail is delivered by the following day.
Royal Mail also missed delivery targets for second class post, special delivery and standard parcels, the cornerstones of the service.
However, it is clear that the business missed the crucial targets, a failure condemned by the official consumer body PostWatch.
A series of strikes over pay, pensions and working hours caused huge disruption to services during last summer.
PostWatch said Royal Mail, under Mr Crozier, had been slow to put in place a recovery plan once the dispute was settled.
Many had to find other ways to communicate. This will have reduced postal volumes, which will in turn damage Royal Mail’s financial stability for years to come.
Average daily volumes are down from 84 million items to about 80 million.
Thousands of post offices have already been closed with more to go.
The second delivery has been scrapped, while the first delivery of the day has been moved back to the afternoon for millions of homes and businesses.
At the same time collections from post boxes have been cut and Sunday collections have been scrapped.

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Direct mail 'better than internet or phone'

Posted by | May 30, 2008 | |

Companies may be better off contacting potential customers via direct mail than the internet or telephone, according to new research.
A study carried out by Amarach on behalf of the Irish postal service An Post, claimed the majority of people read their post as soon as they receive it.

Although around 70 pct of people felt most of the direct mail they receive is irrelevant, nearly half said that they enjoy reading their post and 70 pct said they preferred companies to use the postal service.

The positive response for direct mail is surprising given that in the same research, nearly two-thirds of the people surveyed said they felt negatively towards direct mail.

Furthermore, 80 pct of the 1,000 people who were surveyed for the report said they felt the amount of direct mail sent out should be limited because of the impact on the environment.

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Royal Mail 2007-08 Quality of Service report (UK)

Posted by | May 29, 2008 | |

Figures released today by Royal Mail confirm that, as previously announced, industrial action last year damaged services for postal customers. However the 2007-08 Quality of Service report also shows that the large majority of mail, including all bulk business mail, was performing at target or above target levels as the financial year ended in March 2008.

Ninian Wilson, Royal Mail’s Operations Director, said, “The immediate objective for everyone working in the business is to deliver further improvements in Quality of Service to customers and restore the record levels seen before last year’s dispute.”

92.2 pct of First Class letters were delivered the working day after posting in the final Quarter of the year, compared to 79.3 pct in the third Quarter and 78.4 pct in the second Quarter, when industrial action first disrupted services. The dispute meant the full year First Class performance fell below target at 85.2 pct.

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