POSTAL NEWS No 67-2021
Formulated
by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
1. Royal Mail: Impact of the pandemic clear but notable
improvements
this quarter. August 27, 2021. 2. Finances:
positive first-quarter trend continues. August 26,
2021.
3. Japan's
Masahiko Metoki elected to post of UPU Director
General.
August 25, 2021. 4. New
restrictions for NSW authorised workers. August 24,
2021.
5. UPS
operates first ever U.S. drone COVID-19 vaccine
delivery.
August 23, 2021.
1. Royal Mail: Impact of the pandemic clear but notable
improvements
this quarter August 27, 2021 Royal Mail has issued its Universal
Service Obligation (USO) Quality of Service
report
for the first quarter ending June 2021.
The
organisation stated: “At the beginning of the pandemic we communicated to customers
that despite our best efforts, our service was likely to be disrupted. This was
dueto necessary social distancing measures, combined with increased
COVID-related staff
absences
and unprecedented parcel volumes. We prioritised the health and safety of our people
and customers and we modified our operations. During the last quarter we have
experienced high levels of sick absence and selfisolation compared with
pre-COVID levels. This has impacted service levels. But we are making progress
and today’s figures are an improvement on the previous quarter. Our focus is to
restore
our service to the high standards our customers would normally receive. During
the first quarter of the year leading up to 27 June 2021, Royal Mail delivered
97.5 per cent of Second Class mail within three working days. The Company
delivered 87.2 per cent of First Class mail the next working day with 97.0 per
cent delivered within two days. In March 2020, Ofcom recognised that the
COVID-19 pandemic qualified as a ‘regulatory emergency period’. This meant that
Royal Mail was not required to sustain the Universal Service without
interruptions, suspension or restriction, according to the regulator. Ofcom
acknowledged that it would not always be possible for us to meet our regulatory
obligations, which included our Quality of Service targets. Ofcom has recently
stated that the regulatory emergency period will end on 31 August 2021. Royal
Mail welcomes Ofcom’s commitment in its statement to take a ‘pragmatic and
proportionate’ approach to regulation once the regulatory emergency period ends
while
COVID continues to create challenges for our business. We are focused on delivering
pre-COVID quality in a COVID world for our customers as quickly as possible.”
Royal Mail is the only UK mail delivery company required to publish Quality of
Service
performance
against delivery targets every quarter. Shiona Rolfe, Service Delivery
Director, Royal Mail said: “We have been working hard to
improve
Quality of Service. While today’s report shows that service levels continue to
be impacted by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are making progress
with notable improvements across our First and Second class products compared
to the previous quarter. Royal Mail has one of the highest Quality of Service
specifications of any major European country and our postmen and women are
working extremely hard to
deliver
high standards of service to all our customers across the UK.” Source :
https://postandparcel.info/141284/news/e-commerce
2. Finances: positive first-quarter trend continuesAugust 26,
2021 Swiss Post got off to a good start in the first half of 2021, and in its
new strategy period, with Group profit of 247 million francs. It generated 217
million francs more profit in the first six months of the year than in the
prior-year period. At 3,630 million francs, operating income was more than
seven percent higher than in the first
half
of 2020. The improved result is mainly due to rising parcel volumes. A further factor is
the direct comparison with the first-half results from 2020, which were severely
affected by the coronavirus lockdown. A good financial basis and profits are important
for Swiss Post because they allow the company to finance the investments required
without taxpayers’ money. This will enable it to continue to finance the nationwide
universal service from its own resources in future. The encouraging
result
shows that Swiss Post has recovered following a challenging 2020 thanks to the huge
flexibility and commitment shown by all staff. The trend from the first quarter
continued, with Swiss Post’s interim results improving year-on-year. In the
first six months of 2021, Swiss Post generated operating income of 3,630
million francs, an increase of 7.2 percent compared to the first half of 2020. Operating
profit (EBIT) stood at 249 million francs, up 188 million francs year-on-year.
With Group profit of 247 million francs, Swiss Post’s profit is up 217 million
francs over the previous year's figure. Looking back to 2019 – the year before
the pandemic – the result is stabilizing. This is an indication of the future
viability of the direction that Swiss Post has taken with
its new
strategy. It wants to continue to provide the people and businesses of
Switzerland with modern postal services and finance a high-quality public
service from its own resources. “Swiss Post has started the new strategy period
with a healthy balance sheet and
a solid
financial basis. The positive interim results are a good sign and show that we
are heading in the right direction. However, it is also clear that the
coronavirus pandemic had a major impact on the previous year’s result. This
means any direct comparison with the
previous
year should be treated with caution,” says Alex Glanzmann, Head of Finance at Swiss
Post. Parcel volumes rising, letter volumes declining
In the
first half of 2021, the new Logistics Services unit generated operating profit
of 265 million francs, exceeding the previous year’s figure by 58 million
francs. This result is mainly due to increasing parcel volumes. Compared to
last year, the number of parcels
delivered
rose again by 15.8 percent. This increase is due to the continuing boom in
online retail and the change in customer behaviour resulting from the new
lockdown at the beginning of 2021. People are ordering more online and having
goods delivered to their homes by post. From
January
to the end of June, Swiss Post delivered 105 million parcels, whereas the
figure stood at some 90 million for the same period last year. More newspapers
and advertisements in Switzerland and more international letters contributed to
the unit’s improved result. Compared to last year, the decline in addressed letters
in Switzerland, at 0.9 percent, was lower than in previous years. There were
also provisions in the previous year with a negative impact on the result that
did not apply this
year,
further improving operating profit.
Acquisitions
to generate tangible added value for customers
Swiss
Post realized at an early stage that online retail was growing strongly and
invested heavily in parcel logistics, even before the deluge of parcels caused
by the coronavirus crisis. In the logistics market, it merged its letter and
parcel business at the beginning of the year to produce gains in efficiency and
flexibility. And there will be more investment
in the
future: by 2030, Swiss Post plans to invest around 1.2 billion francs in the
further expansion of its sorting and delivery infrastructure. Because the
cross-border movement of goods is becoming more and more important, investing
in international goods logistics and integrating the company into international
logistics networks also play a key role here. To
meet
growing customer demand for international logistics services, Swiss Post
acquired selected logistics companies in the first half of the year. In April
2021, for example, it acquired Iemoli Trasporti S.R.L., based in Como (Italy),
and Iemoli SA, based in Balerna (Switzerland), as well as Ost-West Cargo Europe
GmbH with locations in Stuttgart
(Germany).
Also in April, in collaboration with France’s La Poste, Swiss Post acquired
eShopWorld, one of the leading enterprise e-commerce solutions providers.
“Swiss Post makes
acquisitions
of this kind when they foster the growth that Swiss Post requires and generate tangible
added value for our customers. Swiss Post also opts for investments when it cannot
develop a product or service on the market within a reasonable time frame using
internal resources,” explains Glanzmann, adding: “Thanks to our good financial
basis and
positive
interim results, we can continue to make investments from our own funds in
order to keep growing and ensure that we are prepared for the future. That is
an important part of the new strategy”.
Almost
all units contribute to the good overall result PostalNetwork improved its
result by 28 million francs in the first half of the year,
generating
an operating result of –41 million francs. Network development, consistent adaptation
of resources to the declining volumes and efficiency improvements made it possible
to offset losses in letters accepted over the counter (–12 percent) and payment
transactions at branches (–11.4 percent). During the first half of 2021, the
still very young Communication Services unit posted an operating result of –31
million in its first six months. This result is in line with expected growth.
Acquisitions and upstream services in the digital services area will initially
lead to higher expenses, but should produce higher returns from forward-looking
business models in the long term.
Swiss
Post Solutions achieved an operating profit of 19 million francs, up 11 million
francs year-on-year, and more than double the previous year’s figure. The good
operating result is primarily due to a rise in new customer business abroad.
Swiss Post subsidiary SPS has performed well in recent years, including during
the crisis. For Swiss Post, it is important to ensure that this success continues,
and the company therefore reviews
strategic
options for the future of Swiss Post Solutions on an ongoing basis. Mobility
Services – the unit comprising PostBus, PubliBike and Post Company Cars – improved
its operating profit by 34 million francs to 9 million francs. The year-on-year
improvement is mainly because PostBus is able to claim revenue losses resulting
from the
coronavirus
crisis from the Confederation and the cantons. In addition, demand for mobility
solutions is increasing once more due to the gradual easing of coronavirus measures.
The number of kilometres covered increased by 11.8 percent in the first six months
compared to the previous year. Demand has again risen, even though the Postbuses’
utilized capacity has still not returned to pre-coronavirus levels. PostFinance
increased its operating profit by 19 million francs to 79 million francs. The
commission
business and services rose by 21 million francs due to the expansion of the range
of investment products and revenue from e-trading and life insurance. The performance
of trading portfolio assets was also encouraging. Interest income declined by 36
million francs due in some cases to negative interest rates on the financial
and capital
markets.
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic is still being felt: less travel and
fewer foreign currency transactions had a negative impact on the result. In
terms of revenues from currency conversions, cash withdrawals in foreign
currencies at ATMs at home and abroad
and
customer foreign exchange transactions carried out abroad suffered an
appreciable decline while the number of cashless giro transactions abroad
increased. The use of credit cards again increased slightly, but remains below
expectations. Individual operating income and operating profit have been
reassigned based on the new segmentation as a result of the Swiss Post of
tomorrow strategy. The previous year’s results have been adjusted and are
comparable with the current results. Source : https://www.post.ch/en/about-us/media/press-releases/2021
3. Japan's Masahiko Metoki elected to post of UPU Director
General August 25, 2021 Member countries
elected Mr. Metoki during the 27th Universal Postal Congress in
Abidjan,
Côte d'Ivoire.
Masahiko
Metoki has enjoyed an extensive career in the public service, particularly in
the postal sector. He first joined Japan’s Ministry of Posts and
Telecommunications in 1983. Mr. Metoki later took on the role of Postmaster at
the Nihonmatsu Post Office in Fukushima
Prefecture,
eventually moving back to the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications’ Postal
Savings Bureau as its Director of the International Service Office. In 2003, he
made
his way
back to Japan Post, where he continued his work in the postal savings business until he was called upon to
join the organization’s privatization efforts as Director of the Office for the
Promotion of Privatization of Postal Services in the Cabinet Secretariat. Since
the Post’s privatization, Mr. Metoki has held executive roles related to the
Post’s
initial stock
offering, governance and international postal affairsIn addition to his
experience with the Post, Mr. Metoki has worked with the Japanese Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Japan in Thailand. Mr. Metoki is a familiar
face at the UPU, having represented Japan as Chair of the Postal Operations
Council since 2012. He has also chaired the 22nd Congress committee for
postal financial
services and the Postal Operations Council’s Postal Financial Services
Group. Mr. Metoki also
led the first-ever revision of the UPU’s Convention, allowing for equipment
containing lithium batteries to be sent via post. Source : https://www.upu.int/en/News/2021/8
4. New restrictions for NSW
authorised workers August 24, 2021 Strict new restrictions to mitigate
against COVID-19 community and workplace transmission across Local Government
Areas (LGA) of concern were announced last week by the NSW Government.
Many of these
restrictions will affect members employed across the postal and telecommunications
industries, who cannot work from home.
Authorised worker
permit From Saturday 28 August, members who live in an LGA of concern and
cannot work from home, and those members required to enter an LGA of concern to
attend for work, are required to carry a permit issued by Service NSW declaring
that they are an authorised worker and cannot work from home. The NSW Government has not yet
made available the facility to obtain this permit. When
that
facility is available, we will share the relevant information with you to
assist you in obtaining the permit. Vaccination and rapid antigen testing
requirements By August 30, members who live in an LGA of concern and are
required to work outside that LGA will be required to have received their first
vaccination dose. If you live in one of the LGAs of concern, you can make a
priority vaccination booking now
at:
https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/health-and-wellbeing/covid-19-vaccination-nsw/authorised-worker-priority-appointments
Those who do not wish to be vaccinated will need to undergo COVID rapid antigen
testing every three days. Employers are required to make testing facilities
available to employees. Compliance at Australia Post
Between
now through to 29 August, all employees and contractors across all greater Sydney
facilities will be required to complete a declaration form via QRG. This
process will assist Australia Post in ensuring those affected by the
restrictions are able to comply. For those not yet vaccinated who wish to be,
Australia Post will seek to provide you with
your
preferred vaccination, on-site. For those who do not wish to be vaccinated,
Australia Post will be establishing the required COVID rapid antigen testing
facilities and we will provide further detailed
information
on the locations and process once this is available. If your vaccination status
changes, you will be required to complete this declaration again.Processes are
now being developed to ensure compliance with these measures prior to
workers
being granted entry to a workplace. Source : http://www.cepu.org/2021/08
5. UPS
operates first ever U.S. drone COVID-19 vaccine
delivery
August 23, 2021 UPS Flight Forward is now making COVID-19
vaccine deliveries via drone for Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in Winston-Salem,
North Carolina, using new cold chain packaging developed specifically for
drones.
According
to UPS Flight Forward, this is the first COVID-19 vaccine drone delivery in the
U.S. and is an extension of current work for Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist.
UPS’s drone airline received a first-of-kind approval from the FAA to carry
alkaline and lithium batteries, which are needed to power temperature
monitoring devices required by the CDC
for
COVID-19 vaccine transport “This program paves the way for
drones to become a meaningful link within highly-specialized cold chain
logistics,” said Dan Gagnon, vice president of global marketing for
UPS
Healthcare. UPS Flight Forward worked with Cold Chain Technologies to design a
custom, drone-sized solution to maintain temperature control at 2 to 8 degrees
Celsius. “Not only are UPS Flight Forward and Cold Chain Technologies
demonstrating a more
sustainable
way to open vaccine access to remote communities, but the implications extend
far beyond COVID-19,” Dan said. “This new cold chain drone capability is a
proof
point of
opportunity for all our healthcare customers, including clinical trial
shipments, cold chain pharmaceuticals and other temperature-sensitive
biologics.” Like other COVID-19 vaccine shipments handled by UPS, these drone
deliveries include a temperature monitoring device required by the CDC. The
autonomous, battery-powered drones produce zero operational emissions and are subjected
to less vibration than packages moving by ground transport. They require less
insulation
and can utilize gel packs instead of dry ice since they spend less time in
transit. Because COVID-19 vaccines require strict temperature-control
throughout the supply chain, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist securely stores
the vaccine at its central pharmacy before transporting supplies to
immunization centers located throughout the community. For Atrium Health Wake
Forest Baptist, drones have been carrying specialty infusion medicines and lab
specimens for over a year. Infusion medicines are patient-specific and high-cost,
with a short shelf life—so delivery by drone within 10 minutes is an ideal solution.
Using drones to shuttle vaccines and other pharmaceuticals from its main campus
to
its network of clinics can improve productivity in its pharmacy by as much as
30%. This program is the second COVID-19 vaccine drone delivery operation
globally, following drone deliveries in Ghana in Africa supported by a
public-private partnership between The UPS Foundation, UPS Flight Forward,
Zipline and Gavi. Source : https://about.ups.com/us/en/our-stories/innovation-driven
1. JD.com
nearing deal for controlling stake in China logistics August 27,
2021 (Bloomberg) -- JD.com Inc. is in advanced talks to acquire a controlling
stake in China Logistics Property Holdings Co., according to people familiar
with the matter. The Chinese e-commerce giant is close to an agreement to
acquire the stake in the Hong
Kong-listed
firm from the major shareholders, China Logistics chairman Li Shifa and RRJ Capital,
the people said. China Logistics said in a statement to the stock exchange
after trading was suspended
Thursday
that Li is in discussions about a possible sale of 26% of the company, though
no formal agreements have been entered into. 1. JD.com nearing deal for controlling stake in China
logistics August 27, 2021 (Bloomberg) -- JD.com Inc. is in advanced
talks to acquire a controlling stake in China Logistics Property Holdings Co.,
according to people familiar with the matter. The Chinese e-commerce giant is
close to an agreement to acquire the stake in the Hong
Kong-listed
firm from the major shareholders, China Logistics chairman Li Shifa and RRJ Capital,
the people said. China Logistics said in a statement to the stock exchange
after trading was suspended Thursday that Li is in discussions about a possible
sale of 26% of the company, though no
formal
agreements have been entered into Deliveries. Having already
opened pop-up sites to help with processing Australia Post is set to recruit more
than 4,000 new team members nationally, with 3500 additional delivery roles (including
350 in regional areas) which includes more than 1000 drivers and 2100 staff to
help
sort parcels, as well as many new customer support roles based in Victoria and Queensland.
With the most recent lockdowns across New South Wales and Victoria driving
Australians to shop online in record numbers, Australia Post has confirmed that
weekend deliveries
will
remain in place from now until the end of the year, with up to half a million
parcels delivered each and every weekend from now until Christmas. More than 9
million Australians shopped online in the past financial year, with Australia Post’s
2021 Inside Online Shopping eCommerce report revealing almost 32 per cent
growth
year-on-year. Australia Post Executive General Manager, Community and Consumer
Nicole Sheffield said that despite the challenges presented by COVID safety
requirements, fewer passenger
flights
reducing air freight capacity and reliance on overseas postal and delivery
services, while customer may be experiencing some delays, the vast majority of
parcels were still arriving on time. “Our posties and drivers have been out
there since March last year often delivering on
most
days like it’s Christmas, and we know that Australians are relying on us more
than ever and will continue to in the coming months, which is why we’re putting
some key measures in place to be ready for our biggest Christmas ever,” Ms
Sheffield said. “We’ll be hiring more than 4,000 new team members across the
country, helping process at our sorting facilities, helping customers online
and on the phone, and out delivering forAustralians.” Ms Sheffield said that it
was all part of a two-pronged focus of delivering for Australians, while
keeping our people and communities safe. We’ve introduced a series of measures
to keep our people and customers safe, so while it means there might be some
slight delays, Australians should know we’re working harder than ever to keep
delivering their parcels safely. We’ve introduced a series of measures to keep
our people and customers safe, so while it means there might be some slight
delays, Australians should know we’re working harder
than
ever to keep delivering their parcels safely.” The OmaPosti kiosk will serve
customers next to Tokmanni in shopping mall Ideapark
Oulu,
at Ritaharjuntie 49 A, 90540 Oulu. The kiosk is a self-service area that is
open during Ideapark’s opening hours (Mon–Fri 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Sat 10 a.m.–6
p.m., Sun 12 noon–6 p.m.). Customers can use a video connection to get in touch
with a Posti customer
service
representative, who can give advice about any matter related to postal services.
Local residents will receive letters containing more detailed information about
this change in the next few weeks. Posti’s retail network in Oulu currently
consists of 67 service points. There are public Posti Parcel Lockers at 55
locations, including K-Citymarket Raksila and Prisma Linnanmaa. Private Posti
Parcel Lockers can be found in housing companies and on the premises of
businesses. Posti continuously monitors the development of its Retail Network
and
the feedback from customers and actively seeks new solutions. The locations of
all Posti service points are available at posti.fi/postit
4. Royal Mail
Group and Union Agreement – Launch of the ‘Group’ Work-Related Stress Risk
Assessment Process August 24, 2021 Royal Mail Group has
concluded an agreement, announcing the launch of a new extended and updated
Work-Related Stress Management Toolkit which now adds
the
‘whole office/group/unit’ stress risk assessment process to the existing
individual stress risk assessment – guided conversation process.
In
their launch statement Dan Clarke Royal Mail Group National Health &
Wellbeing Development & Systems Manager said “Through our 5-year mental
health strategy “Because Healthy Minds Matter”, Royal Mail Group is committed
to implementing effective support strategies and tools that can make a positive
difference to employees who
are
directly or indirectly affected by mental ill-health. Protecting the health,
safety and welfare of our employees remains our number one
priority.
We recognise that workplace stress is a health and safety matter and
acknowledge the importance of identifying and reducing workplace stressors. Together
with the CWU and Unite CMA we jointly launched the Stress Toolkit with the individual
stress risk assessment. Building on this, in agreement with the Unions, we are now
enhancing the toolkit further by introducing the Group Stress Risk Assessment Process
based on the HSE Stress Management Standards and survey Tool. Developed by
the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as part of the HSE
Stress
Management standards,
the Group Stress Risk Assessment Tool has been designed to gather the
opinions of the workforce through a survey and aggregate responses to provide a
broad indication of how well the risks associated with work related stress are
being
managed. CWU
National Health and Safety Officer Dave Joyce said “Work-related stress is now recognised
as one of the main ill health concerns in the workplace and the launch of the new
‘Whole Office’ Group Stress Risk Assessment Tool adds a new dimension to the
Royal
Mail stress standard through which collective workforce stress can be
recognised and working together managers, CWU Area and Local Representatives
will be fully engaged and involved in the new agreed process and can jointly
develop ideas and remedial action plans on how to tackle workplace stress
effectively.” Dave continues “The management and reduction of stress is an
important part of a changing culture in Royal Mail and if implemented properly
could significantly reduce
levels of
illness caused by work-related stress. This can be a major component in the vision
for a workplace with good mental health for all and prevention is at the heart
of it.” Group Stress Risk Assessment Tool materials, including a user guide and
guidance to help prevent and manage workplace stress are all part of the new
stress toolkit – see full report
in LTB
353/21 – Royal Mail Group – Introduction of ‘Whole Workplace/Office’ Stress
Risk
Assessment Process Tool and Updated Stress Toolkit, Guidance and Joint Statement.
It is also available on the Royal Mail Group Health and Wellbeing intranet pages.
Source : https://www.cwu.org/news
. U.S.
Postal Service adds 115 DFW sites to local delivery pilot August
23, 2021 The U.S. Postal Service’s pilot offering for neighborhood businesses
has added 115
Dallas-Fort
Worth sites. The USPS Connect Local pilot launched on July 19 at seven Dallas
and Houston sites and is now available at 200 Texas postal facility locations. More
pilot locations will be added in the coming months as operational capabilities are
refined, USPS said in a news release. USPS Connect Local helps businesses and
organizations provide local-to-local same-day and next-day package delivery at
affordable rates, USPS said in a news release. It is part of a broader USPS
Connect program that is being piloted in stages to help businesses meet growing
consumer demand for fast local and regional deliveries and returns. The USPS
Connect Local pilot allows business customers direct access to the Postal
Service’s
last-mile delivery network. Once business customers are enrolled in the program
and agree to the program terms and conditions, they enter package information
online, then bring their prepaid labeled
packages
directly to the back dock of the postal facility closest to their package CWU
National Health and Safety Officer Dave Joyce said “Work-related stress is now recognised
as one of the main ill health concerns in the workplace and the launch of the new
‘Whole Office’ Group Stress Risk Assessment Tool adds a new dimension to the
Royal
Mail stress standard through which collective workforce stress can be
recognised and working together managers, CWU Area and Local Representatives
will be fully engaged and involved in the new agreed process and can jointly
develop ideas andremedial action plans on how to tackle workplace stress
effectively.” Dave continues “The management and reduction of stress is an
important part of a changing culture in Royal Mail and if implemented properly
could significantly reduce
levels of
illness caused by work-related stress. This can be a major component in the vision
for a workplace with good mental health for all and prevention is at the heart
of it.” Group Stress Risk Assessment Tool materials, including a user guide and
guidance to help
prevent
and manage workplace stress are all part of the new stress toolkit – see full
report in LTB 353/21 – Royal Mail Group – Introduction of ‘Whole
Workplace/Office’ Stress Risk Assessment Process Tool and Updated Stress
Toolkit, Guidance and Joint Statement. It is also available on the Royal Mail
Group Health and Wellbeing intranet
pages.
Source : https://www.cwu.org/news
5. U.S. Postal Service adds 115 DFW sites to local
delivery pilot August 23, 2021 The U.S. Postal Service’s pilot
offering for neighborhood businesses has added 115
Dallas-Fort
Worth sites. The USPS Connect Local pilot launched on July 19 at seven Dallas
and Houston sites and is now available at 200 Texas postal facility locations. More
pilot locations will be added in the coming months as operational capabilities are
refined, USPS said in a news release. USPS Connect Local helps businesses and
organizations provide local-to-local same-day and next-day package delivery at
affordable rates, USPS said in a news release. It is part of a broader USPS
Connect program that is being piloted in stages to help businesses meet growing
consumer demand for fast local and regional 7 destinations. In return, they get
delivery rates that are usually only available to large-
volume
shippers, the news release said. “This is the first time in the history of the
organization that we’ve piloted this type of process,” said Jakki Krage Strako,
USPS chief commerce and business solutions officer
and
executive vice president. “We’re excited to offer affordable fast delivery
options to help neighborhood businesses meet consumer needs and grow.” USPS
Connect is a major component of the organization’s 10-year Delivering for
America plan and is expected to contribute to the plan’s goal of $24 billion in
net revenue growth by offering direct access to the Postal Service’s delivery
network. It will also help businesses meet today’s e-commerce expectations, the
news release said. According to a recent report, 87 percent of consumers say
the shipping experience directly
impacts
their decision to shop with a merchant again. Another recent report found half
of consumers (51 percent) have purchased more from local retailers over the
past six months,and experts expect this trend to continue. How the USPS Connect
Local pilot works: Businesses submit their contact information at
www.uspsconnect.com. A USPS
representative
contacts them to agree to the online terms and conditions. Next, they visit
USPS Click-N-Ship online to enter package information, print shipping labels,
prepay for postage and receive tracking numbers, all in one place. No software integration
needed. Then they bring their labeled packages directly to the back dock of the
designated postal
facility
or first thing in the morning (5-7 a.m.) for same-day delivery, or 30 minutes
before back dock closing to receive next-day delivery to the ZIP code areas
served by that location. They present their Click-N-Ship SCAN form and packages
to the clerk. Carriers deliver the packages as part of their daily routes.
Source :
https://fortworthbusiness.com/government
deliveries and returns. The USPS Connect Local pilot allows business customers direct access to the Postal Service’s last-mile delivery network. Once business customers are enrolled in the program and agree to the program terms and conditions, they enter package information online, then bring their prepaid labeled packages directly to the back dock of the postal facility closest to their package