December 2023 SubPostmaster magazine

PO Interview
Evri and DPD services are
now available to buy in
post offices
our customers.
In Mails, we expect to build on the
huge progress seen in 2023 where
we have developed many new
customer propositions such as
multi-carrier customer collection,
customer drop off, and customer
return. We have listened and
understood how important Mails is to
postmasters and have moved at pace
with our Mails strategy, which now
sees more than 30,000 non-Royal
Mail access points.
We will continue to build on our
newly launched buy-in-branch
offering, with Evri and DPD delivery
services available to buy over the
counter and expand both the
products and the number
of branches. We aim to
add DPD International
and expand the DHL
offering to many
more locations
across the network,
and we’re discussing
other service
propositions with DHL
too.
We are still working hard
to launch Royal Mail Tracked 24
and Tracked 48 in branch. We plan to
add other carriers and services to
Parcels Online – our online parcel
delivery service – and we’re also
planning developments for Drop &
Go such as adding Evri and DPD.
“Our priority
is making sure
the (Horizon
replacement)
system is fit for
the future”
We aim to develop International
Customs Data Capture (ICDC) with
more features and improvements in
early 2024 and beyond. And we will
continue to work closely with Royal
Mail, our primary carrier partner, to
develop market-leading propositions.
In relation to the changing backoffice
landscape that PUDO is
driving, we are also exploring
opportunities to pay remuneration
for correctly completing key backoffice
activities, as well as looking to
relaunch our operations manual to
share the latest best practice.
Do you feel that the ongoing
inquiry into the Horizon and
bonus gate scandals has
led to a reduction in
both public and
government trust in
PO?
We are committed
to righting the
wrongs of the past
and ensuring those
impacted are
compensated as quickly
as possible. In terms of how
past issues impact trust in PO,
public brand perceptions are stable
overall, although we do
understandably see some ups and
downs in terms of awareness of the
Inquiry and related issues. We track
agreement with a statement ‘Post
Office is a trustworthy brand’. The
October data shows this varied from
c.70% to 73% agreement this year,
which is pretty stable. We also track a
few metrics which point to our role in
communities and supporting people
who need it most. These include ‘I
personally value the role my local
post office plays in my local
community’, which shows a sixmonth
average of 71% agreement.
On government trust, I regularly
meet with MinisterKevin Hollinrake,
and I am encouraged by the support
from government.
Talking of Horizon, what
progress has been made on the
NBIT project? Bearing in mind
postmaster involvement in shaping
many proposed changes to
transaction procedures through
forums, will postmaster
representatives be key in deciding
whether the end result is accurate
and fit for purpose?
We have made considerable
progress with the technical
development and the roll-out
planning for the replacement of
Horizon. Our priority is making sure
the system is fit for the future, and
that the roll-out is as efficient and
effective as possible.
We are in the final stages of testing
for the second phase of our pilot.
Aldwych, London and St John’s,
12
The SubPostmaster December 2023