Post Office’s New Public Awareness Campaign
Minister of Finance Bob Richards delivered a Ministerial Statement in the House of Assembly this morning [July 5] regarding the Bermuda Post Office’s new public awareness campaign.
Minister Richards said, “The Bermuda Post Office has always strived to respond to the needs of its customers, whilst maintaining its heritage and service culture.
“The Bermuda Post Office is the premier local and international provider of postal and other services in Bermuda – a one stop shop connecting people and businesses through courteous, professional and affordable products and services.
“If the Bermuda Post Office is to remain viable and competitive in today’s high tech economy, it must shift from just delivering “mail” and become more innovative and sustainable.
“The Post Office intends to raise its profile within the local and business community and increase awareness of the full scope of its products and services, among residents, young and not so young alike”.
Minister Richards’ full statement follows below:
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to advise Honorable Members of the Bermuda Post Office’s new Public Awareness Campaign.
Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members are advised that since its establishment in 1812, over 200 years ago, the Bermuda Post Office has always strived to respond to the needs of its customers, whilst maintaining its heritage and service culture.
Mr. Speaker, Honorable Members are no doubt aware that the Bermuda Post Office is the premier local and international provider of postal and other services in Bermuda – a one stop shop connecting people and businesses through courteous, professional and affordable products and services.
However Mr. Speaker, if the Bermuda Post Office is to remain viable and competitive in today’s high tech economy, it must shift from just delivering “mail” and become more innovative and sustainable.
Mr. Speaker the Post Office intends to raise its profile within the local and business community and increase awareness of the full scope of its products and services, among residents, young and not so young alike.
Mr. Speaker, the Bermuda Post Office is launching a public awareness campaign to increase awareness and to reinvent the Bermuda Post Office as an efficient, sustainable and customer focused organization.
Mr. Speaker, this campaign will highlight the Post Office’s full range of products and services, including, Express Mail, R- Post, Bulk Mail and online services. The Post Office has conducted surveys in preparation for this initiative and is responding to the needs of its customers and the public.
Mr. Speaker, the Post office has recently launched a social media marketing strategy, with the rebranding of its Face Book page. The Post Office will be reaching out to a younger audience through this mechanism while at the same time continuing to service the current loyal customer base.
Mr. Speaker, the Post Office will market its Registered Email Product, R-Post, as the preferred option for registered and secured email correspondence to individuals, schools, law firms, companies, international business and Government departments that require timely transmission of confidential and secured information.
The Post Office will also educate the public about the benefits of using registered email over traditional Registered mail.
Mr. Speaker, Honorable Members are advised that it is cheaper to bring items into the island via the Bermuda Post Office than through the Airport.
The differentiated duty rates for goods imported into the Island from overseas are the same as any other shipping or Courier Company in Bermuda and the Bermuda Post Office does not charge the local fees and other surcharges that the private courier firms charge for goods shipped into Bermuda.
Mr. Speaker, in the upcoming months the Bermuda Post Office will be working with major retailers overseas as well as the United States Postal Service, to increase the range of retail items and suppliers for goods shipped into Bermuda via the Post Office.
The Post Office offers an Express Mail product (also known as EMS), while this is not an overnight service; it guarantees a secured and trackable delivery, within 5 – 7 working days of mailing.
Mr. Speaker, if a customer does not need an item to arrive overnight, he or she can derive significant savings by sending the item overseas via the EMS postal service.
Mr. Speaker, The Bermuda Post Office also intends to introduce delivery of incoming overnight express mail in the near future.
In addition to the initiatives I have shared with Honorable members today, the Post Office will be looking to initiate additional revenue generating products and services in the near future.
Mr. Speaker, the BPO is part of a ‘joined up Government’ and will soon begin using the new Tourism slogan ‘Bermuda is so much more’ where appropriate and used beautiful pictures of Bermuda Beaches for a recent stamp issue.
In conclusion Mr. Speaker, I would like to assure the Honorable Members of this House that the BPO has maintained a focus on improving efficiency and reducing costs and has reduced its staffing from 232 to 196, over the two year period since 2011 while maintaining a delivery standard of two working days 95% of the time and within 4 working days 98 percent of the time.
Mr. Speaker, the Bermuda Post Office has been operating for over two hundred years and intends to continue to serve the people of Bermuda going forward.
The Bermuda Post Office aims to be more accountable as a public service and provide products and services to benefit the people of Bermuda. In doing so, the Bermuda Post Office will maintain its unique postal services such as its internationally renowned stamp issues.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
-
Read More About
Category: All
Maybe some less grumpy staff in Hamilton to start?
I always feel like I’ve done wrong when picking up a gift, why is that?
The post office will never improve its image if it holds onto a card for 3 weeks because of the wrong postal code. A birthday card sat in Somerset for a week then was sent to Southampton where it sat for another week. After 3 weeks it finally got to St George. It was very clearly addressed except for the postal code. I was going to call the Postmaster General but was told that would be a waste of time.
Actually I think the public needs to introduce a Post Office awareness campaign. With the significantly reduced volume of mail being handled at the Post Office, the mail should be delivered in LESS time than before and with FEWER staff.
With the demonstrated efficiency (government workers will need to look that word up) of the post office, do they really think I’m going to trust them with “registered” email, or “express” mail that takes a week? Seriously?
I sincerely hope that the Govt. will consider the safety of Paget residents and GIVE US A NEW POST OFFICE. You take your life in your hands every time you have to back out into a busy main road AND at a bus stop. What is the problem ? Many spaces at Harmony are vacant and we still don’t have a safe place. We got no response from the last govt. with our requests. The govt. before that did nothing. Please help us.
A tiny island like Bermuda, and just forget-or, God forbid, don’t know- a postal code!! The letter goes back to the poor soul who sent it from the States or Canada, about three months later! Would it really kill a postal worker to deliver a letter or parcel to an address they know perfectly well? or,horrors-look up the postal code if need be and save that person $$ in overseas postage? Now THAT would constitute real service!