Last Monday Royal Mail added Post Code Verification for recorded delivery items when despatched at Post Offices around the country. Today Royal Mail spoke to TameBay giving some reasons for the changes and how they will benefit Royal Mail customers.
The change to the Recorded Signed for procedure is to provide full track and trace facilities from the point of sale to the delivery for customers. A key benefit is that shortly the details associated with each scan will soon be passed electronically to Royal Mail for end to end tracking. This will include the destination address, weight, value and barcode number.
For eBay sellers this means in the near future you will be able to provide buyers with tracking numbers with which they can confirm online that a specific Recorded Signed For item has been posted to them. This will be especially useful as a tool for increasing the despatch time DSR – it’s worth highlighting to buyers how quickly you posted their item even if it then takes a couple more days for it to be delivered.
Whilst usiness customers can use the Bulk Posting Certificate (PDF document) and Post Office counter staff will enter address details which will be printed on receipts for occasional users. Sellers who use online postage such as Smart Stamp can use the same manifest for their signed for items and no sellers will need to complete recorded delivery slips in the future.
An addition benefit is that the tracking information will also be available for use by Royal Mail customer services which will speed up the claims process in the rare event a parcel goes missing.
It’s been a week since the new procedure was implemented, for those who use the Post Office how has it affected you? Are you now using the Bulk Posting Certificate? Is it taking less, more or about the same time to process your parcels?
13 Responses
Sorry for a stupid question early one, but does the “bulk posting certificate” replace the Royal Mail Recorded Delivery book?
How does this work for those with business collections?
We sent a 1st class rec del last Monday, it took ages… Plus it was only delivered on Saturday 6 days later!
#1 No, keep using your book, business collections will be handled separately to post office counter transactions
3# Thanks Chris,
So how do business collections benefit from this new scheme?
#4 I’d expect in the future they’ll be scanned at point of entry into the postal system to give tracking details but we’ll let you know as soon as we hear more details 🙂
5# Thanks again Chris. It’s a step in the right direction and hopefully Post Office counters users will see an improvement soon.
@4 Business collections will benefit from customers complaining that there items are not showing as being dispatched on the Royal Mail website 🙂
to be fair to Royal mail
items are usually delivered before a buiyer even has time to think its overdue and track it
I only wish royal mail would get a big hammer and batter it into US buyers that there is 3000 miles of water between the UK and US
You’re so right #8. Here in the US, a large number of people tend to be completely clueless about anything outside of their local area. Many are very “geographically challenged.” An example: A few years back, I was attempting to get some extra prescription medications to cover a 4-week trip to Australia and New Zealand. My insurance company denied it and when the pharmacist called to find out why, she was told that “New Zealand is part of the U.S and I could just go to my local pharmacy there.” I kid you not. Sometimes I’m really embarrassed by my ignorant fellow countrymen.
I wish the US mail would implement something similar. Their systems are woefully bad at tracking mail. Anyone know if incoming international mail will receive tracking once it hits UK post?
Today I sent a few recorded items, the Counter assistant scanned the barcodes of Recorded and keyed in the address, all well and good but time consuming – Then what happened the divvy bitch put the wrong labels on the parcels so they wont match what is on the reciept or the system. She said ” it does not matter, it will still get there love” mmm, well trained and blows the above statement wide open.
Im sure I will have some fun claiming on these
9
incoming USPS parcels can often be tracked Via www parcelforce.com
and vice versa
9
incoming USPS parcels can often be tracked Via www parcelforce.com
and vice versa
It now takes ages to enter the data on the post office’s horizon system.
Already 2 substantial business customers have abandoned the post office for online posting.
The post office still does all the work, entering on the system, but gets none of the benefits.
POL still has failed to fix the huge number of incorrect postcodes on their system for special delivery which causes counter delays.. I am looking at a list today of 30 companies [ catalogue companies.. that all use the royal mail} that are not recognised on the post office counter system.
Now, recorded have to go through the same process.
Bulk posting actually takes LONGER to complete at the counter than posting the items individually.
One always knew that Post office limited would manage to cock this up, and they have succeeded beyond their own wildest dreams of making what was always a fairly slow transaction take longer than checking in bags at an airport.
Drive the customers away..what an insane business strategy that is.