Swiss Post has abandoned plans to push back its mail delivery cut-off time to 2pm, in responseto feedback from customers and pressure from the Swiss Postal Regulation Authority (PostReg).
Switzerland’s state-owned postal operator has been conducting trials since September, in whichit has been testing automated mail sorting and sequencing technology and processes in eastern andcentral Switzerland, which have caused delivery times to change for some customers.
The changes prompted concern within PostReg that a later delivery deadline of 2pm was a threatto the postal operator’s basic service obligations, and was unnecessary while Swiss Post remainedprofitable. Unions also expressed concerns that the changes were a precursor to mass job cuts.
Swiss Post said the experience that it had gained so far from its experiments with automaticsequencing had been positive, and that it was “continuously making adjustments to processes duringthe pilot phase based on the interim findings and feedback from customers”, but it had decided toreinstate a 12.30pm delivery deadline for all customers from early next year.
“Delivery in the pilot regions of eastern and western Switzerland will thus generally take placeby 12.30 pm again for all customers in future,” it said. “This has already been the case in thetest regions in central Switzerland since the pilot tests began. However, the necessary changes tothe planned rounds require time and will be carried out in the coming months.
“Swiss Post will forgo any additional savings that a delivery cut-off time of 2 pm would entail,as its earnings situation is currently favourable. For Swiss Post it is important to obtain as manymeaningful results as possible from the current tests. Swiss Post will therefore collate thefindings from the pilot tests in early 2011 and evaluate them before making any further decisionsin 2011.”
The company stressed that modernising letter delivery remained vital in order to continueproviding customers with good value for money and a state-of-the-art service in the future, andthat automation and adjustments to work processes and delivery tools will improve letter sortingefficiency.
