Tag: Q-Post

Global monitoring system gets the green light

Posted by | Aug 5, 2008 | |

The UPU will focus its efforts on finalising a new global monitoring system for the quality of service, which is expected to become operational in 2010.
Member countries unanimously adopted a proposal to develop and implement a global monitoring system to evaluate the quality of service for incoming priority letter-post items and the quality of service link to terminal dues (what countries pay each other for processing each other’s incoming international mail). The system will also be used to evaluate how successful postal operators are in improving their quality of service through projects financed by the UPU’s Quality of Service Fund.

Independent external auditors will measure the quality of service by sending priority letter-post test items through the network of participating postal operators. Using RFID technology, the system will measure the time an operator takes to deliver test items from the time these items are handed over. The system will then compare the results with the designated UPU body’s delivery standards for incoming international letter post, which will be compatible with each designated postal operator’s published domestic delivery standards.

A pilot project to evaluate possible RFID technical solutions was conducted with three Gulf-region countries, namely Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, from March to June this year. The UPU has now launched a call for tender to identify the solution that will be used for the global monitoring system.

“The UPU has made great efforts over the years to improve the quality of service, but we must improve across the board,” said Carlos da Silva from Portugal, which fully supported the proposal. “The system will imply a great deal of investment but it is worth it, and I believe everyone should do their bit.”

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Middle Eastern postal market poised for growth

Posted by | Jul 15, 2008 | |

Postal operations in the Middle East have the potential to generate significant value, but they have limited time before regulatory liberalization and the spread of Internet commerce start to erode their competitive position, according to a new white paper Oliver Wyman, a leading international management consultancy.

• Middle Eastern postal companies today are like their European counterparts during the 1990s in facing abundant growth opportunities.

• The sector has begun to liberalize, slowly opening opportunities for new entrants.

• Immigrants in GCC countries are demanding value-added services.

• Low computer and Internet usage in GCC countries gives postal companies an additional advantage.

Middle Eastern postal companies can take advantage of several trends that Oliver Wyman expects to feed expansion and cross-selling opportunities in the region:

• Large existing post office networks and strong, recognized brands, such as UAE Post

• Large local populations and growing immigrant populations, which require basic services usually available at the local post office

• Regulated markets, which allow Middle Eastern postal companies to set barriers to entry much higher for new entrants as deregulation occurs. Bahrain already has a fully liberalized postal market and Egypt has committed to liberalization by 2009.

• Low penetration of PCs and the Internet at present, heavy reliance on cash transactions, and skepticism about online security

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Postal pilot project ends successfully

Posted by | Jun 18, 2008 | |

The General Postal Corporation (Q-Post) announced the successful end of the first Arab Countries RFID Pilot Project yesterday. The pilot project, started on March 8 with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, ended on June 8.

“The pilot was conducted under the observation and advice of Universal Postal Union (UPU). It was a huge success with good participation from Q-Post, Saudi Post and Emirates Post,” said Ali Mohammed Al Ali, Chairman and General Manager, Q-Post at a press conference yesterday.

The pilot tested live different Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies for measuring the quality of services of letter mail. The RFID pilot aimed to demonstrate the abilities of the different technologies within the same environment in the field of real-time monitoring networks. Hidden mail of almost 4,000 test items was circulated over the test period among the three countries. The time of posting and delivery was noted to measure the quality of services.

“This is a small project but its magnitude is much greater. The whole postal world has been eagerly awaiting the result of this pilot. The project will provide us a lot and is capable of satisfying all postal requirements,” Akio Miyaji, Quality of Service Coordinator, Universal Postal Union, told The Peninsula. “This project is the first in the whole postal world and is for service quality improvement. The results are excellent and this will help the technology to be introduced in more countries, helping in a global improvement of the postal system worldwide in a long run,” he added.

The recommendations of the test will be sent to all UPU member countries.

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Qtel services to be offered at post offices

Posted by | Jun 8, 2008 | |

Users of Qatar Telecom (Qtel) services will now have an option when it comes to the payment of bills, following the signing of an agreement between the General Postal Corporation (Q-Post) and the telecom service provider.

Qtel services at post offices will be offered in a phased manner, starting with Q-Post offices located in Dafna, Abdul Aziz bin Ahmed Street and Al Kahraba Street.

Other than payment of bills, postpaid and prepaid GSM cards and prepaid charge cards will be available at post offices. At a press conference, Sheikh Fahad bin Jassim Al Thani, Qtel COO, said: “Today’s joint efforts will enable customers to subscribe to most of their telecom services and mail their personal or business parcels at the same time. Also, this will provide customers with more outlets in numerous areas to meet their telecom needs, in addition to Qtel’s 17 branches.”

Waleed Al Sayed, Qtel Executive Director (Customer Services), said: “We are planning to work on a long-term relationship. All the range of our products will be gradually rolled out. As you are also aware, training for Q-Post employees will need to be given. By early 2009, all services will be provided.”

Al Sayed said Qtel employees will not be sent to the post offices but will only provide the training. “We have no intention of doing the work physically there. We have confidence in Q-Post to deliver quality service to customers,” he said.

Six post offices will now be offering the Hala recharge service while six will be added later.

Ali Mohammed Al Ali, Q-Post Chairman, said: “We hope all branches will be covered by the end of this year. Customers can now take care of their daily responsibilities with less stops, thus saving them time and without having to drive across town as our Q-Post branches as well as Qtel’s are available throughout Qatar.”

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RFID project likely to improve post services

Posted by | Apr 24, 2008 | |

The Radio Frequencies Identification (RFID) project, initiated by Q-Post along with other postal corps of the region is expected to improve the quality of services in the whole region, according to Yusuf Nasser al-Muzafer, director of administrative affairs at Q-Post.

Al Muzafer was addressing a meeting of the project group held at the GPO on Monday. The RFID, said to be the first of its kind in the region is an innovative postal project being implemented by Q-Post in association with Emirates Post and Saudi Arabian Postal Corp.

The project started on March 3, would be completed on June 7 and it aims to test the quality of service control through Radio Frequencies Identification. It will help Arab postal corps in using the global monitoring system to track mail via satellite, Qatar is the first Arab nation to participate as an observer in the UPU Quality Service Steering Committee and Q-Post official Catina Aghayan has been made a member of the committee.

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