Tag: Europe

DHL introduces new product

Posted by | Oct 3, 2007 | |

As of the 1st of October, DHL, the world leader in express delivery and logistics market, will be offering its customers in Russia a new product – Domestic Transport Collect Cash. The recipient will now be able to pay for the shipment in cash. Until now this type of product was available for those customers that had an account with DHL.

At present Domestic Transport Collect Cash product is available for Moscow-based customers only. In the nearest future the company plans to introduce this product in other cities of Russia.

The payment procedure for Transport Collect Domestic shipments will be as follows. The recipient will have to contact DHL office, sign a shipment agreement and make a prepayment. DHL will take care of arranging the shipment pick-up from the consignor and its delivery to the final destination. Upon arrival, the shipment will be weighed to determine the final transportation fee to be paid by the consignee. As soon as final payment has been provided, the shipment will be handed over to the customer.

By using Domestic Transport Collect Cash product one can ship documents and goods across Russia by the end of the working day. In addition the customers may use DHL packing solutions and insurance.

Transport Collect products are traditionally in high demand with DHL regular customers that have an account with the company. By introducing new forms of payment, DHL expects to attract new customers and provide more opportunities for those who have been using DHL services for a long time.

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Postal Strikes: a week of disruption

Posted by | Oct 3, 2007 | |

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has announced further industrial action in the form of two 48 hour stoppages to be followed by further, as yet unspecified, strikes. The first strike is due to start at noon tomorrow – 4th October and go through to lunchtime on Saturday. The second strike will start at 3am on Monday (8th October) and end early on 10th October.

Millie Banerjee, Chair of Postwatch, commenting on the announcement said: “It is hugely disappointing to watch a great British institution tear itself apart. Effectively these strikes mean that mail posted in the UK today is unlikely to be delivered before Thursday next week.

“Ordinary customers cannot post with any confidence of knowing when it will arrive and may therefore decide to telephone, text or e-mail instead. Those businesses who can will also find alternative ways of communicating with suppliers and customers. Customers are being forced to explore other ways of communicating and will not all return to use post once the dispute is resolved.

“We recognize the management of Royal Mail and the leadership of the Communications Workers Union has tried to find a solution. They negotiated unsuccessfully for 5 weeks before these latest strikes were announced. But that failure has to be put behind them and the two sides have to re-engage to find the right solution that will offer customers a value for money postal service.”

“Postwatch advises customers to be aware of the strikes, consider what postal disruption will mean to them, and then act to minimize inconvenience. That might mean using other communication methods.”

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USPS extends 'Move Updates' to include standard mail

Posted by | Oct 3, 2007 | |

The US Postal Service is extending its Move Update standards in the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual from first class to standard mail.

The Move Update standards, which were first announced on May 23, give mailers ways to cut back the number of mail pieces that require forwarding or return by the periodic matching of a mailer’s address records with customer-filed change-of-address orders.

Charles B. Hunt, customer program support specialist at the USPS, said that the reasoning behind the rules update is that the USPS is trying to reduce the UAA (unable to deliver as addressed) mail by 50 percent by 2010.

In addition, the Postal Service is cutting the time mailers have to make these changes from 185 days down to 95 days before a mailing goes out. This revised Move Update requirement will include all standard mail.

Move Update rules currently let first class mailers that update addresses through NCOALink and other USPS products automate mailings and have access to postal discounts.

The revised standards will take effect on Nov. 23, 2008, which gives mailers 18 months to prepare.

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World Postal Business Forum organized by UPU opens in Barcelona

Posted by | Oct 3, 2007 | |

Each edition of the annual POST-EXPO trade show confirms that new technologies are increasingly playing a larger role in postal operations. And far from being a threat to the postal sector, they provide many opportunities to postal operators and their customers.

Edouard Dayan reminded participants that new technologies are particularly important for electronic money transfers between postal operators around the world, for tracking and tracing mail to ensure quality of service and in enabling postal operators to help develop electronic commerce and participate actively in the global distribution chain for merchandise ordered online.

José Damián Santiago Martín, President of Correos, the Spanish public postal operator, said for his part that technology was an essential element of its business strategy. The company has invested heavily in recent years to modernize its business infrastructure and launch service innovations. He did emphasize, however, that new technologies cannot replace people.

Among other topics being discussed during the opening session is the response of the worldwide postal sector to climate change. The global postal sector will respond to the challenge of using more effective transportation means to distribute mail the world over and the necessary resources for postal communication, said Dayan.

The worldwide postal sector – five million postal employees (up to 10 million if associated sectors are included) and more than 600,000 postal establishments – uses some 250,000 motorcycles, more than 600,000 vehicles and hundreds of planes to distribute mail the world over, according to conservative estimates.

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Akbank introduces self-service ‘loan machine’

Posted by | Oct 3, 2007 | |

Turkey’s leading financial institution for individual loans, Akbank, has introduced its latest service, the “Loan Machine,” to Turkish customers.

Customers will now easily be able to obtain a credit card or individual loan without having to pay a visit to a bank office. Every step required in a loan or credit card application, from providing documentation and personal information to picture taking, can be conducted through the new device. Akbank is planning to put 10 such machines into service by the year’s end and to increase this number to 100 in two years. The machine will be placed in airports, Akbank Credit Express offices and some Akbank business associates’ sale points.

The machine was introduced in a press conference yesterday by Hakan Binbaþgil, Akbank vice general manager for retail banking, at the CeBÝT Biliþim Eurasia fair in Ýstanbul. The machine is the first of its kind in the world and is the product of purely Turkish ingenuity and one-and-a-half years of team effort. The software and hardware for the machine was devised and manufactured at Ýstanbul Technical University’s (ÝTÜ) Arý (bee) industrial complex.

“Akbank is a bank that uses technology at the highest level possible in the world,” Binbaþgil said. A customer will be able to obtain cash immediately using this machine, particularly for their urgent needs; the machines will also render it possible to obtain preliminary approval for housing and vehicle loans. The application information and loan amount requested are entered into the system via the machine’s keyboard or phone receiver. A Customer Relations Manager (MÝY) appears on the screen to help the customer proceed with the application steps.

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