As the UK postal service Royal Mail’s financial troubles deepen, it’s urgently trying to turn the ship around, by increasing customer service.
From next week (July 9), customers will be able to access its Tracked 24® and Tracked 48® services nationwide. These services are used for sending large letters and parcels, and they offer detailed tracking information from dispatch to delivery, including a photo as proof of delivery.
Why does this initiative matter? By expanding the range of services available over the counter, customers have more choices on how they want to send their items, whether they prefer the personal touch of in-person service or the convenience of online options.
New ways to access Royal Mail’s services
Nick Landon, chief commercial officer at Royal Mail, says providing its tracked services at every post office branch across the UK is part of Royal Mail’s strategy to continue making sending and receiving parcels as convenient as possible by adding more choices.
Customers can send tracked items to any of the 32 million addresses across the UK. With approximately 50% of Royal Mail’s consumer sales happening at Post Office branches, this rollout provides customers with more options to purchase services either in-person or online.
“We have opened up a variety of new ways for customers to access Royal Mail’s services, including increased online postage options and drop-off locations including lockers, Collect+ and parcel post boxes, and home collection through Parcel Collect. However, we continue to see the importance of making our services available over the counter for customers who prefer to purchase in person,” says Landon.
Modernizing with the times?
Royal Mail has been in the news recently, especially with its acquisition by Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský for $4.5 billion.
But there’s another side to modernizing with the times – the e-commerce sector is on an upward trend. Locate2u reported just this week that Glasgow Prestwick Airport will be the new international e-commerce hub for Royal Mail in the UK.
Asendia is a global logistics company that specializes in international mail and e-commerce solutions. It released a market watch report emphasizing that online shopping rates in the UK are at 81.5%, well above the European average of 64% and the global average of 49%.
Benefits of live-tracking
Allowing customers to track a parcel gives them peace of mind during the different points of the delivery process.
Companies like Locate2u Pulse use live-tracking software. This enables customers expecting a parcel delivery to view the live tracking of the delivery and follow the item’s path, and when it will arrive at their doorstep.
Tracking an item provides proof that it has been delivered. The proof of delivery often includes the exact time and sometimes even a photo of the delivery location.
If a company like Royal Mail knows the parcel’s whereabouts, this can reduce the risk of loss or theft. If a parcel goes missing, tracking data can help locate it.
Photo Credit: Canva
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About the author
Sharl is a qualified journalist. He has over 10 years’ experience in the media industry, including positions as an editor of a magazine and Business Editor of a daily newspaper. Sharl also has experience in logistics specifically operations, where he worked with global food aid organisations distributing food into Africa. Sharl enjoys writing business stories and human interest pieces.
