Overview of the UK Postal Market
Overview of the UK Postal Market
Chartered Institute of Transport Postal Services Forum Inaugural meeting 13thDecember 2006
Read MoreTag: UK
Pinpoinr track and trace system goes live
PalletFORCE, one of the UK’s fastest growing palletised distribution networks, brings its pinpoint track and trace IT system to the IMHX Show as part of its commitment to “provide innovative logistics solutions for the benefit of our members.”
The pinpoint system, designed by logistics specialist Trans-aXion, is now live, providing comprehensive real-time ‘track and trace’ for all of the Network’s Member Depots and their customers. Every pallet is registered with a unique identification, which customers can use to trace deliveries throughout the distribution process via the pinpoint website.
The investment in pinpoint underlines PalletFORCE’s commitment to delivering a high-quality service. The Network has recently established a new mission statement – to “provide innovative logistics solutions for the benefit of our members” – which will be showcased at IMHX. As Chief Executive Mick Scarlett explains, “service means more than getting pallets from A to B. Networks must seek to offer ‘added value’ to members and their customers, and PalletFORCE is looking to actively develop the breadth and quality of the services we offer.”
PalletFORCE has been a significant success story in the five years of its operation. Since August 2001, when 560 pallets were handled from 36 Member Depots, PalletFORCE now handles around 6,500 per night (with the capability to handle twice that) and has more than doubled its number of Member Depots to 90.
Read MoreFeature on the BBC’s ‘Watchdog’ programme
Spring Global Mail was featured on the BBC’s ‘Watchdog’ programme broadcast on 12 December 2006. The BBC were highly critical of Spring’s role in delivering what it considers to be ‘scam’ mailings from foreign companies to UK consumers. We feel that Spring was misrepresented in the programme and we are now considering what action to take in response.
The issue of deceptive or scam mailings is something we take very seriously and we have considered our policy on this matter carefully. This is summarised in the following statement:
“Spring Global Mail is a provider of international mail services. Whilst we are responsible for the delivery of the mail, we are not responsible for the content. This is the responsibility of the customers who send it.
We have a clear policy for dealing with deceptive mailings. If the ASA or OFT inform us that one of our customers has breached the British Codes of Advertising and Sales Promotion or the Misleading Advertising legislation, we inform the customer and either request them to change the content in accordance with the advice received or, if the complaint is more serious, we terminate the customers’ contract and cease trading with them. This policy has resulted in the direct cancellation of 13 customer contracts and, we feel, clearly demonstrates our willingness to take action.”
Read MoreSecond-class report for UK postal services
Postal service provision is “chronically poor” throughout many areas of Britain, the chairman of the public accounts committee (PAC) has said.
Sir Edward Leigh made the critical comments as he attacked postal regulator Postcomm for its limited progress in encouraging competition within the UK postal market.
Publishing its report into the progress of Postcomm since it enforced new regulatory guidelines on the Royal Mail in March, the PAC says that while progress has been made, more is needed.
“You would expect that a new regime for the quality of postal services would aim to improve collection and delivery times and reduce the number of pieces of mail lost by Royal Mail. If so, you would be mistaken,” Sir Edward said.
“Neither of these aspects of performance is targeted under the current regime introduced in April of this year. Given that people are now receiving their mail later in the day and that over 15 million letters and parcels are being lost, stolen or damaged in a year, it is pretty clear that the interests of ordinary users of the post are not an absolute priority.”
Today’s PAC report calls on Postcomm to monitor the activities of Royal Mail more closely and foster a sense of competition within the postal market to encourage the development of more efficient procedures.
Royal Mail vociferously rejected the PAC report’s claims. A spokesperson said: “It is absolute nonsense to suggest anything other than Royal Mail’s quality of service is at record levels. Its performance is among the very best in Europe and its prices are among the very lowest.”
Read MoreThe Christmas card retains its crown as the most popular festive greeting
The Christmas card still retains its position as the preferred festive greeting despite competition from text and e-mail, research from Royal Mail revealed today.
More than eight in ten people (84 per cent) prefer the personal touch of a Christmas card from friends and family, the study showed. It also revealed 60 per cent of people like to receive a hand written letter as a seasonal greeting while only three in ten people (32 per cent) like to be sent a festive text message.
The figures have been released as Royal Mail reminds customers sending Christmas greetings that its pricing system changed in August.
The research, which was based on the opinions of over 2,000 adults, also reveals the importance of Christmas cards in maintaining a social network, with nearly a third (28 per cent) claiming they will send a Christmas card to people they have not seen for up to a year. And a quarter said they will send a Christmas card to people they have not seen for as long as seven years.
Christmas cards can also reportedly play a role in re-establishing relationships with six out of ten people (63 per cent) saying they are more likely to get in touch with someone who had sent them a Christmas card.
Read MorePost & Parcel Magazine
Post & Parcel Magazine is our print publication, released 3 times a year. Packed with original content and thought-provoking features, Post & Parcel Magazine is a must-read for those who want the inside track on the industry.