Tag: Royal Mail

Postcomm’s perspective on building a viable UK Post Office network

Posted by | Oct 25, 2004 | |

Postcomm believes Post Office Ltd is making good progress in developing the commercial potential of the network – but there is some way to go before this can compensate for continued financial support from the government. New products and services are providing a lifeline for many Post Offices but for others there remains insufficient demand for these services. These are some of the conclusions from Postcomm’s fourth annual report on the Post Office network. The report, to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, comes at the end of a year which has seen implementation of the urban reinvention programme and improvements for remaining urban Post Offices to give them a
more secure future, financial support for Post Offices in urban deprived areas, the development of banking facilities and a wide range of new products and services for customers at Post Office branches, growing concern about the future of the Directly Managed Branches and extension of the funding package for the rural network to help sustain rural post office branches and support pilots to inform the government’s longer term plans.

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Royal Mail’s Quality Of Service: The Customers’ Viewpoint

Posted by | Oct 19, 2004 | |

New research carried out by MORI jointly on behalf of Royal Mail, Postwatch, the consumer watchdog for postal services, and Postcomm, the industry regulator into the current perceptions and requirements of the postal service is released today. This survey is part of a larger review process undertaken by Postcomm to ensure that the new Royal Mail Quality of Service targets, to take effect from April 2006 as part of the new price control, encourage the operator to reach and maintain an acceptable level of service relative to price and customer expectation.

Among the main findings are:

Domestic and small business customers have a more favourable opinion of Royal Mail than account managed customers. Across all, favourability towards Royal Mail is below that of the Post Office
Many customers say their opinion of Royal Mail has deteriorated over the last six months; including more than half of account managed customers
Royal Mail is rated highest for its ‘trustworthiness’. Only a minority of customers rate Royal Mail excellent or very good for ‘reliability’, ‘delivery on promises’, ‘accountability’ and ‘meeting expectations’. In line with overall attitudes, account managed customers are more critical of Royal Mail’s performance
Experience of loss has a significant negative impact on Royal Mail’s overall reputation; the first basic expectation, shared by all, is for customers’ post to be delivered
Most customers are more service, rather than price focused and place more value on an improvement in service than on a reduction in price
Among most domestic and small business customers, the percentage of mail delivered on the specified day is more important than the actual time of delivery
Very few customers are prepared to accept “tail of mail” of more than two working days
Only a minority of account managed customers would be prepared to pay more than they currently do to reduce the frequency of loss. Domestic and small business customers are more indulgent; more than half say they would accept an increase in price to reduce the number of items that go missing

P:LibraryPostalRoyal MailRM QofS for RM Postcomm & Postwatch July04.pdf

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UK Royal Mail chief faces DTI ambush

Posted by | Oct 18, 2004 | |

Royal Mail chairman Allan Leighton is on course for a showdown with the Government over his plans for the partial privatisation of the business. Leighton, whose contract with Royal Mail ends next March, has been told bluntly by the Department of Trade and Industry that his ideas for a workers’ buyout are dead in the water. The clash could lead to his resignation as the slapdown comes only a week after Leighton said: ‘I am determined to get more ownership into the hands of our people. I want a broader ownership, but that must be dominated by the employees.’ The DTI, which has responsibility for Royal Mail, said: ‘Privatisation is not on the agenda and there are no plans to dispose of the Government’s shareholding. That is quite clear.’

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Axed mail trains to make comeback

Posted by | Oct 17, 2004 | |

Royal Mail is to bring back rail deliveries less than a year after it axed the service to save costs amid concerns that the busy Christmas period could be hit by poor performance. The U-turn will see the firm running four mail trains up and down the country daily, with the first services starting next month. If they increase efficiency and help restore public confidence in the struggling postal network, they may be brought back permanently. The company is expecting to handle about 2.1 billion letters and parcels in the four weeks before Christmas, but it fears bad weather could hamper distribution by road and air.
Transport problems may be compounded by a shortage of manpower. Royal Mail is recruiting 23,000 temporary staff but some postal workers, who feel their workload is too demanding, are threatening to withdraw overtime. The decision to scrap mail trains was taken last year following a transport review.

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UK Royal Mail TMI plan sparks legal threat

Posted by | Oct 15, 2004 | |

Royal Mail is facing legal action following a dispute over the postal operator’s Tailor Made Incentives (TMIs) discount scheme. Pabo, which specialises in lingerie, magazines and videos, spends around GBP2.4m a year on Royal Mail’s services. But it is consulting its lawyers over a dispute that centres around a marketing venture that involved sending out a 16-page booklet to consumers featuring its best-selling items. The firm says it spent GBP75,000 on the mailing and, after discussions with Royal Mail to ensure it met the criteria for TMIs, expected to receive a discount of around GBP6,500. But it claims Royal Mail offered just GBP305. Pabo UK director David Billington says: “You get different information from different sectors of Royal Mail’s business. We understand that the maximum TMI anyone now receives is 5 per cent, but it is not a level playing-field.”

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