Tag: UK

UK Mail Costs Priced Daily by Swedish Software

Posted by | Aug 4, 2008 | |

21grams iSort product utilises the commercial offerings from the various postal operators and optimises the mail on a day by day basis to minimise postal costs by splitting a particular day’s posting the most cost effective way between the different postal operators and tariffs available at that time.

iSort is a ‘soft’ solution that sits in the mail creation process and sorts the mail electronically into the cheapest solution before its sent to the printer. Then it simply comes off the printers and inserting machines in the correct order and is ready for the post.

iSort is already success in its home country of Sweden, and Swedish business is benefiting with optimised and cheaper mail on a day by day basis. Currently 10 pct of all Swedish mail goes through iSort customers today.

iSort beat over 100 other technical innovative products in the mail industry this year to win the Global Mail technology award in Budapest in June. As well as the Swedish and UK home markets, iSort is being released into the German and Dutch markets in 2009. There is also an international product for optimising overseas mail going to multiple overseas markets.

21Grams are currently offering free analysis of mailing lists to businesses to allow them to benchmark their costs against the various UK postal solutions and to show just how cheap post really could be using this technology. Postal discounts and cheap business mail are the order of the day for every business in the current economic climate.

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Postcomm agrees Royal Mail's new retail compensation arrangements (UK)

Posted by | Aug 1, 2008 | |

Postcomm has agreed Royal Mail’s proposed changes to its retail compensation arrangements for lost, damaged and delayed mail.

The key changes, which come into effect from 1 August 2008, are:

1). For items posted with Royal Mail which have no intrinsic value (for example a 1st or 2nd class letter), or where a claimant cannot provide proof of posting, there will be compensation for loss, damage and delay of a minimum of six 1st class stamps (currently worth GBP 2.16).
2). For items that have an intrinsic value, with proof of posting with Royal Mail and proof of value (such as an invoice or receipt) customers will be entitled to a postage refund plus – compensation for actual loss up to the value of the item, or 100 1st class stamps (currently GBP 36), whichever is the lowest; compensation for delayed retail mail will become payable one day earlier than at present – three working days after the due delivery date instead of four.
3). GBP 5 and GBP 10 payments for delay and substantial delay will be discontinued, except for Special Delivery Next Day (not posted on account).
4). Redirected retail mail will now be eligible for compensation for delay; and users of the Articles for the Blind service will now be able to claim compensation for loss, damage and delay.

The new compensation arrangements simplify and align the processes for making a claim, the evidence required to support a claim, and the compensation payments themselves.

Royal Mail estimates that the new arrangements will result in a slight overall increase in the total compensation payable under the retail scheme.

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City Link improves service amid weaker market demand

Posted by | Aug 1, 2008 | |

City Link is on the road to recovery with improved customer service but faces the challenge of weakening demand in the British express and parcels market, according to its parent group.

City Link, whose operating profits dropped 44 pct last year and then turned into a Q1, 2008 loss due to poor integration of Target Express and management errors, has embarked on a seven-point recovery plan focused on better customer service, more centralised operating control and a network review.

In a recent trading update, parent Rentokil Initial said that implementation of the recovery plan had had a positive impact on City Link’s service performance. “Customer relationships have improved, attrition has slowed and overall service levels have been restored to a very high level – now consistently above 98.5 pct,” it commented.

But it warned: “Despite the service improvement, the revenue trend has weakened as the quarter progressed. This was not due to customer losses but is indicative of weakening demand generally.” The company had indentified “substantial” cost saving opportunities which should produce improvements within 12 -18 months, but which would not improve 2008 results.

Rentokil chairman Alan Brown was cited as saying that City Link was likely to make a loss in the GBP 40 – 45 million range this year and would hopefully break even in 2009.

Rentokil saw its share price slump dramatically after issuing a fourth profit warning for this year, and highlighting serious problems in six of its seven diverse operating divisions.

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Royal Mail delivers new service ‘Ask Sarah’ (UK)

Posted by | Aug 1, 2008 | |

The Royal Mail is delivering enhanced online customer service through ‘Ask Sarah’, a new intelligent web self-service system.

Powered by Transversal, Ask Sarah enables the Royal Mail’s 4.5 million monthly web visitors to receive immediate answers to their questions online, reducing the need to email or call Royal Mail.

Fully launched at the beginning of June 2008, Ask Sarah has already reduced overall email queries by 50 per cent and by 96 per cent in some areas, improving service to customers.

The number of routine calls to the contact centre have also been significantly reduced, freeing up staff to spend time answering more complex queries and increasing job satisfaction.

The Royal Mail has seen a dramatic increase in usage on its web site – rising from 3.5 million to 4.5 million monthly visitors between 2007 and 2008.

This has been driven by the increasing number of services, such as online postage, parcel tracking, redirections and redelivery now available via the site, as part of the organisation’s drive to enhance the services it provides.

With such a broad range of customers, spanning the whole population, Royal Mail needed a system that was easy to use, regardless of the visitor’s technical ability. Following extensive research, Royal Mail chose Transversal to help deliver self-service through the approachable and engaging image of ‘Sarah’, providing an immediately recognisable and reassuring figure for customers on both the business and consumer parts of the site.

Ask Sarah is integrated closely with Royal Mail’s services available via its web site. For example, daily analysis found that customers were asking Sarah questions about the delivery status of parcels.

Ask Sarah now recognises parcel tracking reference numbers and links automatically to Royal Mail’s parcel tracking system, showing customers current delivery status.

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Affiniti selects UK Mail specialist services for time-critical operation

Posted by | Aug 1, 2008 | |

Affiniti, the network solution and communications integrator, is working with same-day expert UK Mail Specialist Services to provide round-the-clock repair and maintenance support to blue-chip clients including major financial institutions. Under the GBP 1 million strategic storage contract, UK Mail Specialist Services will play a vital role in supplying time-critical parts to field engineers, so essential work can be carried out without delay and operational disruption.

More than 10,000 different parts will be stored at 18 UK Mail Specialist Services sites, providing complete coverage across the UK. Effective inventory management with safe storage and accurate stock control will enable release of goods within 30 minutes, resulting in the delivery to field engineers within 2.5 hours of the order being placed. UK Mail Specialist Services will liaise direct with the engineer via SMS to coordinate delivery to fit within their job allocation schedule.

Orders will be placed online via an inventory management system that dovetails into UK Mail Specialist Service’s distribution system. This sophisticated technology solution will interface with Affiniti’s own back-office systems to create a seamless supply chain process that provides complete visibility over the company’s service management operation.

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