A Crucial Moment for Reimagining APAC Postal Services ????
Recent news of Australia Post's $200 million AUD loss for 2023 has sparked serious conversations about the sustainability and adaptability of postal services. Meanwhile, other postal operators like Singapore Post are experiencing robust growth, making the landscape in the APAC region complex and multifaceted. Is traditional Post growing? NO, but can postal operators service and thrive? YES!
?? The Imperative for Robust Collaboration
The financial outcomes we're seeing among different postal operators clearly signal that unilateral approaches are insufficient. We must think and act regionally. The challenges faced by postal operators are not only complex but also deeply intertwined, underscoring the notion that no single post can navigate these issues in isolation.
In an era where digital transformation is reshaping industries, the need for collaboration is more pressing than ever. Whether it's data sharing for predictive analytics, joint investment in technology for a better customer experience, or sharing best practices in sustainability, the scope for collaboration is wide-ranging.
Moreover, collaboration isn't just a strategy for survival; it's a pathway to innovation. We are better equipped to adapt to changing consumer behaviours, regulatory shifts, and technological advancements when we pool our resources, knowledge, and capabilities. By fostering a culture of collaboration, we can collectively define the future of postal services in the Asia-Pacific region, setting new standards for innovation, efficiency, and community impact.
?? Universal Service Obligations (USO) as an Asset
The USO is often viewed as a financial burden, but let's shift that narrative; it's an unparalleled asset with the potential to provide the most extensive reach within each country. Imagine the possibilities if we joined up our networks across posts in a genuine, collaborative manner.
By integrating services across our USO networks, we could create an expansive, regional network for last-mile delivery, effectively reducing costs and delivery times. The USO could also be leveraged for new services like rural broadband, thus serving broader community needs.
The synergies from a truly connected regional USO network could be groundbreaking, providing unprecedented speed and coverage that would benefit consumers, businesses, and postal operators alike. It's a win-win-win scenario that demands exploration.
?? Rethinking Retail Footprints: Beyond Postal Services to Community Assets
Our extensive retail footprints aren't just potential points for micro-fulfilment and urban logistics; they can also be transformed into vibrant community assets. Take the example of Pos Malaysia, which has diversified its post office branches into cafes, retail stores, and more. Rather than viewing these spaces as costs to be cut, we should consider them as assets that can be repurposed to generate income, enhance the customer experience, and contribute to overall profitability. Now is not the time to shrink our assets but to reinvent how we utilise them in ways that enrich our communities...
?? Radical Rethinking for Survival: Maximising Assets and Reclaiming Unique Strengths
In this transformative era for the postal industry, two elements are crucial: maximising the efficiency and quality of existing offerings and reclaiming the unique attributes that set posts apart from other logistics and service providers.
?? Industry-Leading Delivery Standards
Empowered by data analytics and optimisation algorithms, posts have the opportunity to elevate delivery timelines to be both fast and reliable, aiming to set industry-leading standards.
?? Enhanced Trackability
Customer expectations have skyrocketed. Posts can meet and exceed these by offering real-time tracking and predictive analytics, affording customers unprecedented control over their shipments.
?? Products for the Modern Shipper
Adapting to the needs of today's shippers is vital. By focusing on scalability and convenience and offering simplified pricing structures that encourage volume growth, posts align with modern shipping demands, the truth is that our product range is too complicated for modern shippers.
?? Value-Added Services
Posts and Post offices can transform into one-stop solutions offering packaging, insurance, and even customs assistance, evolving into hubs that serve a diverse range of shipping needs, serving the needs of large volume shippers and consumers all at once.
?? Flexibility and Control
In today’s fast-paced world, flexibility isn't just a perk; it’s a necessity. Providing flexible delivery options and customisable shipping solutions puts control back into the hands of customers.
?? Unmatched Reach
The mandate to reach every address, even in the most remote locations, isn't a burden—it's an invaluable asset. This reach should be leveraged.
?? Personal Relationships
Posts possess something incredibly valuable that even tech giants lack: a daily, personal relationship with customers. These relationships can serve as a foundation for the future.
By intertwining these advancements with inherent strengths in reach and relationships, posts have the opportunity to redefine their role in the 21st century. This isn’t merely about survival; it’s about reinvigorating their role in a world that risks forgetting why it needed them in the first place.
#APACPostalServices #Innovation #Collaboration #FinancialSustainability #USO #UrbanLogistics
Founder Shop2Cur Last mile delivery l Senior (Postal) Advisor l Invited Speaker l Business Consultant I Former Postmaster General I Business Owner l Last mile delivery expert
1 年Sid Hart interesting post, agree with most of the recommendations, however just looking at your headline Australian post lost 200 mill is to vague. The devil is in the details, is this a one off write off,? The regular mail decline? Are the parcels going down etc. For sure the uso in its current format is not a strength, with an average of around 2 letters per week per household it's not and will not be profitable to keep delivering these loop style routes daily. This has to change to or longer delivery times like D+3 or even D +5 and or much more dynamic routing.
Global Business & Operations │ E2E total solutions │ Strategy Advisor │ Business Analyst │ Transportation │ Logistics │ E-commerce
1 年However, in the changing landscape of modern day business they have no other option but to join the league of globally recognized operators and play the top league. It may take a while before they settle in the groove but there is a very strong possibility that they will learn and grow fast.
Global Business & Operations │ E2E total solutions │ Strategy Advisor │ Business Analyst │ Transportation │ Logistics │ E-commerce
1 年Valid argument. Unless the post gets into the mindset of competing with the big daddies in this business the situation will not change because it is all about the initiatives and measures taken that is going to help tide over. Historic methodologies of doing and managing business should be tossed to the garbage bin. Sooner, the better it would be. The need for a meaningful Collaboration is a high point and should be one of the key driver as it provides large scale capacity and knowledge sharing opportunities and raise the level of service over a large geographical mass. The global postal network is the most capable network if we consider the population and the geographies they service. None of the global master players have got this advantage (partly because of a cost benefit consideration of servicing the periphery having very little business). It is therefore, for the post to decide which way they want to move. A high paced tech driven course with clear commitments and accountabilities, or much like their current going.
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1 年Interesting thoughts and ideas in this piece Sid Hart. Leveraging and repurposing the PO branch networks to better suit the modern consumer (as in your Pos Malaysia example) is one that resonated for me. Having a simple, safe and secure changing room at PO branches would add massive value in this area. Allowing consumers to collect, try on and potentially return unsuitable garments or shoes in a single visit would be both useful to the consumer and revenue generating for the PO. Hope you are well pal ????
Business consulting in logistics, postal and parcel, supply chain professional, strategy, innovations, AI, IT, and due diligence in supply chain, Last Mile Expert
1 年Good reading. I would add "lean organisation" and "flexible decision-making process" as enablers