| REMUNERATION |
| What have we done? |
- Click and Collect services with Amazon/DPD: Additional remuneration available if a parcel is scanned within one hour.
- Travel: Travel Support Scheme for branches most impacted by the loss of travel money and insurance due to Covid-19. Hardship Payment Scheme continues to support independent postmasters facing the largest trading impacts as a result of Covid-19.
- Mails: Early Interim Tariff Payments and Implementation Benefit Payments to Postmasters, providing over £7m of additional remuneration ahead of MDA2 changes going live in 2022.
- Customer incentives: Travel Money Insurance and Travel Money offer for the October half-term, ensuring branches benefit from online sales.
- Sales support training: Branches receiving support through our Make the Most of Post campaign including coaching, prospecting and training support. Travel workshops were also held.
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| What are we doing? |
- In response to MDA2 consultation: Increasing the rates for both Special Delivery and Parcelforce products and confirming that remuneration for volume based products like pre-paid parcels will be uprated each year in line with inflation. Providing additional transitional support until April 2023 to ensure postmaster remuneration will be at least the same, if not better than under MDA1 rates.
- Incentives and offers: starting in January 2022 - new branch incentive for Life Insurance and an exclusive 25% off customer offer in branch for Travel Insurance.
- Peer2Peer Coaching: starting in January 2022, experienced Postmasters share best practice and top tips to help boost sales. 100 Postmasters have registered their interest.
- Banking Framework 3: will give us the opportunity to look at remuneration and we're also reviewing how we can speed up transactions, for example through cash automation pilots.
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| What we can’t do? |
Increasing remuneration beyond current affordability constraints given the other investment priorities we need to fund, although we will continue to keep remuneration rates under review with the aim of growing the share paid to postmasters. |
| IT SYSTEMS & PROCESSES |
| What have we done? |
- Future IT: Over 200 postmasters are helping us design and develop a modern IT system to replace Horizon.
- Horizon improvements: Continuing to implement solutions for example new ‘review or dispute’ button on Horizon – making it simpler for postmasters to dispute discrepancies.
- Printers: Royal Mail Group made changes to their manufacturing process to improve the quality of labels and reduce dust - we have seen a 50% reduction in dust. Sticker for counter printers to provide easy reference for error codes, including printer maintenance videos.
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| What are we doing? |
- Future IT: Potential future branch technology solutions being shared with Postmasters at local events for feedback.
- Horizon improvements: Identifying further improvements, for example removing old buttons or placing buttons in a more logical place. As part of this we’ll be removing travellers’ cheques and associated icons from Horizon – we’re looking at the impact on other products.
- Branch Hub: More features such as reporting IT issues, stock ordering available for all. Weekly sales performance, monthly operations reports and mails remuneration available to pilot branches. New Contact Us page on Branch Hub so Postmasters get the right support for example, use self-service options such as a new Printer trouble-shooter chatbot.
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| What we can’t do? |
Devices: It would require a multi-million pound investment to provide every branch with wifi and/or a device and pay for their upkeep and maintenance. Instead, our focus is on looking at how we can make Branch Hub available on Horizon. |
| COMMUNICATIONS |
| What have we done? |
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| What are we doing? |
- Communications governance: established to review and reduce volume of information to branches.
- Your views: Asking Postmaster for their feedback on our weekly communications and focus on the subjects that matter to you.
- Data review: Review of Postmaster contact details so we can send relevant and tailored communications.
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| What we can’t do? |
Communications in one place: This solution will be available through future branch IT solution currently being developed. |
| TRAINING |
| What have we done? |
- Launched a digital ‘Helping you run your branch’ section on Branch Hub containing useful information on policies, processes and training guides. Branch Operational Training catalogue also available on One website.
- Postmaster learning materials: now available on Branch Hub, including ‘23 how to’ interactive videos covering areas such as remittances, cash declarations and reversals.
- We’ve trained 22 new Business Support Centre advisors to increase the support we provide.
- Customer Service training for circa. 130 colleagues in the Branch Support Centre and Cash help desk.
- At the Branch Support Centre, we now measure the effectiveness of training through our Postmaster Satisfaction survey and 85% of Postmasters are satisfied or very satisfied with the service we provide.
- At the Cash help desk, the two-tier transfer system has been removed from the Cash help desk, with all operators now able to support all types of queries – a simpler and quicker process.
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| What are we doing? |
Further improvements: For example piloting a shadowing programme for new Postmasters and work ongoing to digitise training for example, in branch training mode. |
| What we can’t do? |
Compliance training: At present the only way to complete the annual compliance tests is via the horizon system. You can access the learning workbooks via Branch Hub. |
| ACCESS TO & ENGAGEMENT WITH SENIOR MANAGEMENT |
| What have we done? |
- Postmaster voice: Two serving Postmasters, Elliot Jacobs and Saf Ismail, appointed to the role of Non-Executive Directors. Hithendra Cheetirala, serving Postmaster appointed as Postmaster Director.
- Complaints: Strengthened complaints management processes so we can review, investigate and resolve issues fully. We also check the complaint has been resolved to your satisfaction.
- Adopt an Area: launched with Senior Leadership Group – 89 leaders have visited 316 branches. Over 100 local engagement events held in October for Postmasters to meet senior managers.
- Postmaster sessions at supply chain depots: Postmasters invited to our cash centre and see supply chain in action and discuss issues to improve our service.
- Collaboration: 20 collaborations sessions held with postmasters and hosted by senior Post Office leads to discuss how we address the six priorities raised in the consultation.
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| What are we doing? |
- Postmaster engagement: Launched a new framework to set out how Postmasters can get involved and contribute to decision making at Post Office. New Monthly Regional forums begin in January 2022. A National Postmaster Advisory Group to follow.
- Voice of the Postmaster forum ongoing: Key issues/complaints discussed with leaders across the business to determine resolutions and intervention required, for example Parcelforce collection issues has been a key topic in 2021.
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| What we can’t do? |
Keeping you connected: Although you may not see Senior Leaders physically as much as you’d like, we will try to talk to you and keep you updated on what we are doing, such as via videos, Adopt an area visits, and responding to feedback to find solutions to problems. |
| INNOVATION |
| What have we done? |
- New partnerships: Signed new deals and launched Click and Collect services with DPD and Amazon for mails. Rolled-out to 3000 branches in time for peak Christmas trading.
- Drop & Go rewards scheme: First ever trial held in November and December. Drop & Go enhancements for example In branch account locking fix and New online manifest creator.
- Marketing: Social media app, Digital screens, and Google My Business and Local marketing support for Postmasters – this includes ready-made images and messages for Postmaster to share on own channels.
- New products: With Yoti, our new Identity partner, we have launched two initial products -EasyID and PASS Card
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| What are we doing? |
- Identity: In-Branch Verification service to launch early in 2022. DVLA and SIA services will move to tablets for branches which have these, and we're working on tablet improvements.
- Drop & Go: Further enhancements, for example UK & International Postage Finder and eBay integration.
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| What we can’t do? |
Products distribution: The location of services and formats they are available in are driven by our clients and government partners. They set restrictions based on customer volumes and demands and what they can manage. |
