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Jersey Post Group Magazine | Spring 2021

K E Y F E AT U RES: - Habits of a serial entrepreneur - Adapting to the pandemic - Will drones take off? - The impact of Brexit - When the world is shifting

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INTRODUCTION

s we move into Q2 of 2021, the Jersey Post Group has hit the ground running and the year has started with great momentum. Across the Group, I am hearing positive stories about how we are continuing to deliver for our customers and partners, and adapt our services. 2020 was unprecedented. Everyone in the world was tested in some way or other. As a business we faced unforeseen challenges that we overcame and emerged from stronger. This is the trademark of our business. As an industry we are at the epicentre of a dynamic and interconnected world and we have all worked hard to put the Jersey Post Group in a positive position for the future. It is against this backdrop that I would like to welcome you to our relaunched Group publication, Delivered. To reflect how the business has transformed over the past decade, Delivered has been reimagined and broadened to reflect the international scope and diverse nature of our businesses. Our group publication now reflects our reality as a nimble business that spans five continents, delivers a wide range of services, and employs so many talented and dedicated staff members group-wide. Delivered will introduce our network to some of the key players within our organisation, home in on the key issues and challenges our industry is facing – and overcoming – celebrate our good news and help to bring together our family of Jersey Post businesses and professionals. In this first edition, we cover a number of topics, including Brexit, how drones will impact the delivery industry, learn about Jersey Post’s customer care team’s journey to achieving a best-in-class service, hear from our American business GePS and how they have met the challenges of 2020, and explore the launch of our new digital solutions suite. We also have an insightful interview with Nav Ramiah, CEO of ParcelMonkey, to learn more about his entrepreneurial background and how ParcelMonkey has grown into the success story we see today. The challenges will keep on coming this year; we can be sure of this. But we can also be confident that, as a Group, we can continue to deliver an exceptional service and evolve our business to complement the changes in people’s behaviours and demands that directly influence our industry. I have no doubt that we will continue to prosper and work as one to overcome any challenges. We look forward to sharing news, views and expertise from across our network on a quarterly basis. I hope you enjoy reading Delivered and it helps you to feel connected to the wider Jersey Post Group. We are always open to feedback, and if you have any suggestions or there are topics you would like us to explore in future editions, please get in touch by email to marketing@jerseypost.com and tell us more. T H A N K Y O U T O E V E R Y O N E F O R P L AY I N G Y O U R P A R T I N G E T T I N G 2 0 2 1 O F F T O A M E M O R A B L E S T A R T.

CONTENTS

PU B L IS H ER S Jersey Post Group Postal Headquarters JERSEY JE1 1AA

ED I TO R David McGrath, Group Marketing Director

S U B ED I TO R Sonia Ferri, Senior Marketing Manager

THE IMPAC T OF BR E XIT: TH E GOO D, TH E BAD & TH E UGLY C L I V E B R OA D L E Y

NE WSBITES

WOR K(OUT ) FROM HOME

WILL DRONES TAK E OFF?

DESIGN & PR O D U C T I O N

ADAP TI NG TO TH E PAN D E M I C:

TPA

TO M A L F O N S O

CO N TAC T US marketing@jerseypost.com

Please recycle this magazine.

CONTENTS

Contents 40

26 32

HAB ITS O F A S E R IAL E NTR E PR E N EU R N AV R A M I A H

PROGR A M 51

42 48

CUS TOM E R E X PE R I E NCE GILL FINNEY

END OF AN ER A

UNWR APPED

WH E N TH E WO R LD IS S H I F TI N G

NEW PROJ EC T L AU NCH

DAV I D M CG R AT H

LEE BOSIO

ANNUAL CUSTOM ER SURVE Y R ESULTS

AROUND THE GROUP

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK

OUR NE T WOR K

F E AT U R E

C L I V E B R OA D L E Y Chairman of Fraser Freight

THE IMPAC T OF BRE XIT:

The Good, The

T H E I M PAC T O F B R E X I T

everal years on from Brexit and two years from the ‘original’ exit date, the UK officially left the EU in January 2020. Despite the transition period coming to an end on 31 December 2020 we continue to read about Brexit and its ongoing impact on the movement of freight between the UK (and Northern Ireland) and Europe in the national media.

Delivered spoke to Clive Broadley, Chairman of Fraser Freight about how Brexit has impacted Fraser Freight and HICS Worldwide. While Brexit has brought about challenges, it has also brought with it opportunities. For our businesses Fraser Freight and HICS the impact has been positive, but only because we were well prepared. We diversified and adapted where we needed to, added the skills to our team we knew we’d need and made the transition as easy as possible for our clients.

Bad & The Ugly

Brexit was the catalyst for us to bring forward positive changes which were always part of the long-term strategy and although we may not be maximising the opportunities that have resulted from these changes at moment, we certainly will be as part of our future growth plans. Despite our positive outlook, the way we have enthusiastically embraced this period of change and the strong position we are currently in, we know that we still have a way to go before ‘full Brexit’ changes are implemented, and the full impact known. »

F E AT U R E

So, where are we now? At the time of writing (mid-March) the UK Government announced it is delaying post Brexit checks (and full customs declarations) on some EU goods coming into Great Britain by six months until 1 January 2022. The Government said the move will help businesses recovering from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and give them more time to prepare to implement the new processes. This delay means that health certificates for the imports of items like meat and milk won’t be required from April, they will now be needed from October. In addition, in-person inspections on animal products, that should be commencing from July, will now begin in January 2022.

Pre-Brexit shipping to the EU was no different to sending goods to Southampton or to Leeds. You didn’t need customs paperwork (for most goods) or even a manifest. However, the changes to the border controls have resulted in increased cost in terms of time and the ability to be flexible, for example the ability to handle impromptu loads has mostly been taken away due to the additional processes and paperwork required. Today, businesses even need a mechanism to do a customs declaration in France before goods get on the ferry in the UK – that takes significant resources. So, what did we do? Despite having that important global expertise and many of the required systems in place, we recognised early on that we’d still need to adapt so wasted no time in doing so.

As we were already working globally, it has been easier for us to adapt than those businesses that previously only dealt with Europe. Meanwhile, the EU has been implementing full checks on goods sent to the EU since January of this year, while the UK continues to take a more flexible approach. This has meant that those businesses shipping from the UK need to be prepared with all of the appropriate paperwork that wasn’t required pre 31 January – a major task for many which has required significant investment in people, training and IT systems. These changes to the post-Brexit timetable are just one example of how the long Brexit process has been a moving feast with last minute deals, extensions to deadlines and changes in the way processes are implemented. With the UK-EU trade agreement being signed off on Christmas Eve last year, we found ourselves with a 1,600 page document to read before the ‘go live’ date of 4 January.

With no trade agreement in place until Christmas Eve last year we were second guessing what the key issues would be, accurately, as it turned out. We focused on new requirements at Customs borders, educating our clients, and the issues around new EU/UK Preference origin rules which continue to be challenging now. Between November 2018 and the end of 2020, we delivered more than a dozen presentations and updates to clients, providing advice on a variety of topics including changing VAT rules, EORI’s, border controls, documentary requirement, and the necessity for suppliers and customers to talk urgently about the changes in practice and the implications of Incoterms. In 2019, we hosted a series of workshops and seminars in Jersey bringing carriers (including our competitors) up to speed on the implications of the rule changes and delivered workshops to, and in conjunction with, clients across the globe. At Frasier Freight we embraced new software and new Customs facilitations. We applied for and secured an ETSF (as did HICS) – a temporary storage facility that allows goods to move through the borders into our warehouse. We can then store these items for up to 90 days while we secure customs clearance. We took this route to avoid congestion at the ports, which luckily didn’t quite happen as envisaged. This enabled us to become authorised consignors and consignees which means we can now complete customs transit documents without the need for our lorries to report to Customs transit offices on route.

As we were already working globally, it has been easier for us to adapt than those businesses that previously only dealt with Europe as we have been accustomed to managing a complex process of customs checks for the countries we ship to and from. Around 180,000 UK traders and forwarders were only working with the European market pre-Brexit – that’s a lot of businesses needing to embrace a lot of change.

T H E I M PAC T O F B R E X I T

We also secured a Customs approved warehouse which allows us to bring goods into the UK without payment of VAT and duty for as long as needed. Alongside this we implemented a Duty Management System which manages Customs flows in and out of our warehouse. For example, it means our clients can bring in goods from the USA or Far East, not pay VAT or duty at the border, and we can store the items in our warehouse. When the client picks items, if it is bound for a UK address, the Duty Management System calculates the VAT and duty due. For goods being re-exported to the EU or elsewhere, it enables UK duty and taxes to be suspended meaning taxes only become accountable at the destination country, avoiding double taxation. We have also set up an agency arrangement in the Netherlands which gives our clients great access to the EU, and assistance with EU VAT and Customs processes.

There are further advantages and opportunities still to come – we are seeing EU based companies looking for warehousing and customs brokers in the UK. So where are we now and what do I expect to see? The situation is settling down though there do remain issues around rules of origin and returned goods, with particular challenges for those hiring goods out. There are still issues around the Northern Ireland border and some confusion around VAT and traders’ selling terms. The lack of preparedness in Italy has not been helpful to our fleet operation, extending our round-trip time by several days. There is a still a long way to go but my view is that March is a month of turn and we will have greater clarity on some of the above moving forwards. There are further advantages and opportunities still to come – we are seeing EU based companies looking for warehousing and customs brokers in the UK. HICs is already seeing an upturn in this type of business and it will also have a positive impact for Fraser Freight.

ABOUT CLIVE Clive has spent 47 years in the multi-modal freight forwarding and customs intermediary sector, including over 30 years as Managing Director of a freight forwarding and logistics business. For more than 20 years he served on National Council and the Board of the British International Freight Association, spending two years as National Chairman and eight years on the Board of CLECAT in Brussels as Chair of the Security Institute and two years as CLECAT’s President.

A B O U T FR A S E R FR E I G H T Acquired by Jersey Post in 2016, Fraser Freight Ltd is a respected, market-leading global logistics provider based in Portsmouth. With over 25 years’ industry experience, they offer a comprehensive range of services that include warehousing, air, sea and road freight. Whether it’s an air freight shipment to go to New York City, a sea freight shipment from Shanghai or an urgent box to deliver to Paris, their experienced team of staff will be on hand to assist. Fraser Freight is able to offer a range of support services and guidance on many aspects of Customs regulations, shipping, and international processes.

ABOUT HICS WORLDWIDE Acquired by Jersey Post in 2016, HICS Worldwide provides a complete brokerage package for courier, air freight and sea freight arrivals for customers worldwide. Their success can be attributed to the knowledge and professionalism of their staff who have an accumulation of over 100 years’ experience and expertise within the industry.

NEWS BITES

2021 PRICE REVIEW In 2020, we delayed our price review by six months (Apr - Oct) to support customers during Covid-19. This year our price changes went live on 1 April 2021. THE KEY CHANGES INCLUDE: • No increases for local-to-local items. This is to support individuals and businesses who continue to deal with Covid-19 impacts. • An average increase of 6% to the UK and 20% to international destinations. Declining volumes has resulted in significant increases in flying mail off the island to the UK. Following a UPU law change, postal authorities globally are now charging much higher rates for the receipt and handling of inbound mail. • First weight step for parcels has increased from 100g to 250g. Increased the weight that can be sent in the first price bracket (from 100g to 250g) for UK and international parcels. For more information on pricing, visit: www.jerseypost.com/pricing

SECUREDROP CAMPAIGN SUCCESS

ACTIVE SECUREDROPS

In Q4 of 2020, we posted a letter to customers displaying a Covid-19 “keep our posties safe” card in their window advising them to sign-up to SecureDrop to continue receiving items in their preferred way. We received a huge response to the letter and in February, Customer Care added nearly 4,000 customers onto our SecureDrop service, bringing the total number of SecureDrop customers to 22,436!

JERSEY POST GLOBAL LOGISTICS SPONSOR

THE WMX AMERICAS VIRTUAL EVENT

Neighbour 371 Home 2,081 Signature 19,984

The World Mail & Express Americas Conference (WMX Americas) continues to be the leading event of its kind in the region. It is unique in bringing together a wide range of industry leaders from North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. In April, Jersey Post Global Logistics sponsored the WMX Americas virtual conference, which was held in response to the global pandemic. This approach allowed attendees to learn and network in a safe environment, alongside maximising their audience through connecting with international delegates who would be otherwise unable to attend the physical event. Group Marketing Director David McGrath chaired the Collaboration, Engagement and Connection session, which explored how these forms of connections and transparency of information can benefit your business but also your shared customer.

The event brought together over 800+ senior executives from leading global players.

NEWS BITES

JERSEY POST LOANS Vaiie develops a new digital ID verification tool for the Government of Jersey

Jersey Post Loans is now taking online appointments. Since Covid-19, Jersey Post Loans has adapted the way customers can book appointments. By visiting www.jerseypost.com/loans, customers can now access Tania’s diary and book an appointment directly. Customers also have the option of holding this call via video conference.

Vaiie is proud to support the Government of Jersey in the development of a new digital ID verification tool, enabling citizens to access government services online. When launched, the new digital ID verification tool will be a web-based solution, enabling Islanders to create a secure digital ID using their desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone. Islanders will just need an internet-enabled device with a camera and microphone and will need their passport, an email address and mobile phone to complete the process to set up a profile. Lee Bosio, Managing Director of Vaiie, commented: Our aim is to set a new standard in trusted, real-time digital identity verification that is quick and easy to use. We are confident it will meet the needs and expectations of Islanders accessing government services digitally and enable more Islanders to access online services.”

POSTBOX CHALLENGE At the beginning of March, we invited Key Stage 4 students to participate in our Postbox Challenge, designed to promote a technology career. We are delighted to have nine teams from four different schools involved. The schools are Les Quennevais, Victoria College, JCG and Beaulieu. The challenge is to use IoT technology to create a solution that allows Jersey Post to identify empty postboxes to avoid visiting them unnecessarily and reduce our carbon footprint. The challenge is being run by Graham Single, Head of IT and Robin Longley, Operational Support Specialist from Jersey Post, in partnership with Digital Jersey and Education and involves providing mentoring and resources to support the teams with the challenge. The aim is to promote an operational technology career path, raise IoT awareness and skills, and showcase Jersey Post to students as a dynamic organisation with a proven track-record in rapidly and successfully introducing new technologies.

TRIALLING RD100 FUEL Woodside Logistics continues to commit to reducing its carbon footprint by making the switch to RD100 – a clear, odourless fuel refined from 100% renewable sources. Charlie Gallichan, Managing Director said: “We are pleased to now be using 100% renewable diesel across our fleet in the Channel Islands. By switching to RD100 we are helping to decarbonise one of the most emission intensive parts of our business.” Following the success of Woodside Logistics switching to RD100 fuel, Jersey Post has begun trialling the fuel on eight of its larger 7.5 and 3.5 tonne vehicles. Operational Support Manager, Darren Moon said: “We are always looking for ways to reduce our carbon emissions. The majority of our fleet is already electric, so to introduce this fuel on our larger fleets will mean we continue to make a real difference.”

NEWS BITES

JERSE Y POS T ACQUIRES

Woodside Logistics We’re an experienced team which prides itself on consistently delivering a high quality service whilst building strong relationships with our customers.

n April, we completed the acquisition of Jersey freight and delivery company Woodside Logistics. The acquisition consolidates the Group’s commitment to Jersey and facilitates the provision of an end-to-end service that encompasses marketplace eCommerce platforms, final mile delivery services through to international imports and exports.

Woodside Logistics was established in 2015 as a result of challenges with transporting goods from the Channel Islands to the UK and Europe, and the high cost of inter-island transport. The acquisition delivers on the Group’s ambitious international strategy to leverage opportunities outside of the local market and overcome the decline in domestic mail volumes. The acquisition of Woodside Logistics provides UK warehousing and a freight and shipping service between the UK and the Channel Islands.

www.woodsidelogistics.co.uk

WOODSIDE LOGISTICS

MEET THE TEAM

CHARLIE GALLICHAN Director

MARCUS JOB Senior Operations Manager

Charlie has 15 years’ experience in the freight industry. Charlie and his team work closely to ensure all freight is managed efficiently, delivered on time and on budget.

K AT R Y N A GUITON Director

Marcus has over 20 years’ experience in the logistics industry, having worked in fast moving customer lead, time sensitive commercial businesses in both the Channel Islands and the UK.

SIMON MARSHALL Freight Manager

Katryna has over a decade of experience in freight shipping both in the Channel Islands and abroad. Katryna prides herself on bringing the Channel Islands a friendly, personal and reliable service, that all Islanders can count on.

CHARLES TA R V E R Agricultural Freight Manager

Simon has worked with logistics and food services for the last 21 years in Jersey. He is dedicated to making sure you are up to date with all of the latest technology, to let you know where your goods are in real time with all the information you require.

MARK LE BROCQ Transport Manager

Charles has spent over 25 years looking after farmers’ freight to both Guernsey and Jersey. Charles has a wealth of knowledge and shipping experience and has built up many contacts in the trade enabling him to help find the right shipping solution for your goods.

SHANE COUPEL Sales And Customer Service

Shane has over 30 years’ experience in Channel Island freight logistics. Shane’s network of contacts, including UK road hauliers ensures that Woodside Logistics customers’ goods can be collected and delivered nationwide, at competitive prices with excellent service levels.

Mark has worked in all aspects of the freight industry for over 25 years. As transport manager, Mark is responsible for the fleet across the three depots ensuring all legislation is adhered to.

N E W S F E AT U R E

PRODUCT NEWS The way we send international parcels has changed. EAD to the UK postponed until 2022 Working with Royal Mail, we have delayed the introduction of EAD customs pre-advice from 1 April 2021 to Q1 2022. Individuals and businesses now have more time to prepare for the change and Jersey Post can implement efficiencies in systems and processing. EAD for international items went live on 1 January 2020 and will continue. For more information, please visit www.jerseypost.com/ead

Standard postage available for EAD online Previously only premium postage options were available for online purchase, but the introduction of EAD has enabled the choice of both standard (lower cost) and premium postage options on the website. Currently this is for international destinations only but will be available also for the UK once EAD is introduced to the UK.

Exploring better Jersey to UK conveyance options The mail plane is the single most expensive factor in the cost of sending UK mail. In order to investigate ways of reducing costs for off-island mail, we are researching alternative options for transporting mail to the UK.

LETTER FORMAT SERVICE FOR GOODS & MERCHANDISE TO THE UK

INTRODUCING REVISED DIMENSIONS FOR MAIL IN LINE WITH UPU GUIDELINES

In 2019, UPU regulatory changes meant that mail items containing goods and merchandise could only be sent as parcel formats. As Royal Mail doesn’t consider Jersey as international, we negotiated a special inter-territory agreement with the reintroduction of the letter format service for goods and merchandise to the UK. This reduces the cost of sending smaller items, within certain dimensions, to the UK as items can now be sent in letter format.

We have amended our letter and parcel formats to align with postal operators globally. The main changes include:

For more information on the new formats, please visit www.jerseypost.com/sending

• T he maximum weight for an international large letter will be capped at 500g instead of 750g. • To support customers sending smaller sized items, the first weight step for Parcel items will increase from 100g to 250g.

N E W S F E AT U R E

ECOM NEWS TRIAL Jersey Post to begin delivering Nespresso

CONTRACT

In April, Nespresso will move their Channel Island volume from UPS to Jersey Post. The average number of deliveries will be 90 parcels a day to coffee lovers across Jersey and Guernsey and with the addition of this new service, we look after their entire Channel Island operation including the recycling of old capsules. Nespresso has also asked us to look at providing a doorstep collection for older residents who might find it difficult to get to Broad Street or Rue Des Pres, so this is currently with the operation for consideration.

Following the ASOS contract win last year, we began the next day and 2–3-day delivery services for ASOS in January of this year. Jersey residents can now use the free returns service through any of our island-wide post offices and can order by 10pm for next day delivery.

RETURNS SERVICES Our returns service means that UK based retailers can now access a full eCommerce service in the Channel Islands, supported by super convenient returns from any of our post office locations. It also means that consumers on the island have a more positive experience at our counters when using a Hermes or Royal Mail return label. We’ll be looking to expand our returns clients and the technology that we use over the next year to make Jersey Post a world leader in return services. Have you seen how many retailers we now offer a returns service to? www.jerseypost.com/returns

N E W S F E AT U R E

Jersey Stamps & Collectables U N V E I L

N E W

W E B S I T E

A N D

B R A N D

The Philatelic team launched the new Jersey Stamps & Collectables website and rebrand in February. The team produces and sells a vast range of philatelic products and designs to an extensive client base across the globe. The team has created a new brand identity that stands out in a dated sector and marketplace and is brought to life by a modern eCommerce shopping experience on a custom built website. The new Jersey Stamps & Collectables brand is built using the core Jersey Post colour palette. The logo is inspired by a traditional franking stamp marque, modernised and simplified to represent waves and the sun harnessing the ‘beautiful stamps from the beautiful Island’ tagline.

Visit the website at www.jerseystamps.com

J E R S E Y S TA M P S

The Story of the Lockdown Birds and Jersey Stamps In March, Jersey Stamps released eight colourful ‘lockdown birds’ on a set of self-adhesive stamps. The birds are the creations of Jersey’s Berni Martin, who set herself a project to paint a bird every day during Jersey’s first Covid-19 lockdown. During the Covid-19 lockdowns of 2020, people found different ways of coping, be it baking, gardening, writing or creating. For 100 consecutive days during Jersey’s first lockdown in Spring 2020, Berni spent a few minutes sketching and painting a bird, numbering each one as she went. The result is a collection of 100 wonderfully colourful birds each with its own special character. The stamps are a symbol of everyone’s ambition to remain optimistic throughout the pandemic.

N E W S F E AT U R E

Work (out) from home. O

ver 30 Jersey Post Group employees took part in fitness sessions run by our very own Ben Wolstenholme. The first 6-week course started on 2 February, and it proved so popular that another 6-week session was introduced, which ended on 28 April. Ben, who works as a Help Desk Technician, is also a qualified personal trainer and led two 45-minute online sessions twice a week at 18:00 GMT+1. All employees were invited to join, and Jersey Post very kindly funded 50% for Jersey Post Group employees. Ben has been joined by colleagues from the UK, US and Jersey, including CEO Tim Brown, who says he now aches in places you didn’t know could ache. Congratulations are also in order for Tim, who was the only employee to attend every single session, even benefiting from a 1-2-1 session with Ben at one evening! Toni Stephens in HR was a close runner up, only missing one session. A few words from Ben: “I just wanted to thank everyone for their support over the last 12 weeks. It has been great fun training everyone and hearing about how each of you got on the next day. I’ve felt a real community spirit with this. It has been great hearing how people have progressed, and out of all the classes I teach, I will definitely miss this one the most. Honestly, thank you to everyone who joined (even in spirit), and hopefully, we can arrange something new for the summer.“

For any employees wishing to improve their health and fitness, please get in touch with Ben for more information ben.wolstenholme@jerseypost.com.

BEN WOLSTENHOLME Help Desk Technician

HICS Worldwide

Import Clearance Services HICS Worldwide was one of the first independently owned Customs brokers to offer a complete brokerage package for courier, air freight and sea freight arrivals in the UK. Established in 1988, our experience over the past 30 years can be attributed to the knowledge and professionalism of our staff who have an accumulation of over 100 years’ experience and expertise within the industry.

Talk to us

If we can provide advice and support with any aspect of import or export for your organisation, or simply additional information on any of our services, please get in touch. You can reach us seven days a week.

T: + 44 (0) 1753 790390 E: worldwide@hics.co.uk W: www.hics.co.uk Part of the Jersey Post Group

• AEO Accredited • Freight to Post • Customs brokerage • B2B/B2C/FBA • 24-48 Tracked • E-commerce LVBI • CASS/IATA accreditation • Customs compliance • NES export brokerage • Deferment facilities

F E AT U R E

T H E

N E W

A I R

S P A C E

P L A Y E R S

Will drones take off?

NIGEL ARK WRIGHT Chief Information Officer

hey seem to be everywhere you look – on the news, filming your favourite nature documentary, even whizzing around your neighbour’s garden. But will drones really be dropping off your next online purchase? Delivered caught up with Jersey Post’s Chief Information Officer Nigel Arkwright to find out more. S O W H AT I S T H E C U R R E N T O U T LO O K FOR DRONES – AND WILL WE BE SEEING THEM ON OUR DOORSTEPS ANY TIME SOON?

NIGEL, WITH OVER 30 YE ARS’ E X P E R I E N C E I N T E C H N O L O G Y, L O G I S T I C S A N D PA R C E L O R G A N I S AT I O N S , I S I T FA I R T O S AY YO U K N O W W H AT ’ S O N T H E H O R IZO N FO R TH E I N D US TRY?

I’m afraid that in the near future, probably not. At the moment the big players in the field are all eCommerce organisations, notably Amazon in the US and Alibaba and JD in China. They are investing highly in drone development and logistics – with several ‘drone corridors’ being trialled around the world. Amazon has officially launched its drone service Amazon Air – but as far as we know it has only actually delivered one parcel in the UK.

I am lucky enough to have had a wide range of experience – I even tested drone use for a high-profile security agency – so hopefully I know what to look for when it comes to new technologies to make our systems even better.

DRONES

Jersey could actually be a really interesting location for drone use in the future. S O W H AT A R E T H E M A I N O B S TAC L E S T O D E P L O Y I N G D R O N E S M O R E W I D E LY FOR DELIVERIES?

SO DO YOU SEE ANY USE FO R DRO NES W H E N I T C O M E S TO D E L I V E R Y AT T H E MOMENT?

There happen to be quite a few unfortunately. Firstly, it could be quite physically dangerous to have a hoard of drones buzzing through the skies. It is shared air space and drones aren’t currently regulated that specifically. This leads to a whole host of issues from privacy and data capture to the fallout if they crash and damage property or injure someone. The control of the air space and regulation of drone use has a lot of catching up to do before companies could think about any widespread use. Amazon is trying to make this a reality; I believe they are the only company to have a permit for drone use in the US, but there is still a lot to do before it will be used at all regularly.

I can definitely see drones working with us to help our people. This could be working in tandem on deliveries where the drone is guided by or follows the delivery officer. It could literally lighten their load whilst still being just as efficient. In fact, I recently counted 38 industry uses for drones, but only two of them were in the parcel delivery sector. W H AT W E R E T H E OT H E R 3 6? Very diverse and varied – everything from NASA space exploration to policing and delivering disaster relief. There is even a medical provider in Holland that uses drones to transport defibrillators in emergency cases. And of course, we are now very used to them being used by the film and TV industry. However, the common threads are that they all are in relatively close proximity, they are usually operated by a specially trained person and not automated and when they do carry cargo it is small and of very high value.

W H AT A B O U T I N A S M A L L E R JURISDICTION LIKE JERSEY? Jersey could actually be a really interesting location for drone use in the future. Most drones can only fly for about 30 minutes at the moment, and that could get you across the length of the island! It is also a controlled air space which makes safety and regulation easier. However, as an Island we are vulnerable to the weather and wind, rain and fog will affect drones even more greatly than boats and airplanes. So, they are definitely not a reliable option at the moment.

I F D R O N E S A R E N ’ T F LY I N G I N T O O U R F U T U R E J U S T Y E T, W H AT T E C H N O L O G Y AR E YOU INVES TING IN? At the moment we are really looking at investing in people and technology that can help our people work more efficiently in real life. Our focus is on building a fantastic team to help us gather data and build real life models. We can then use these to test drive solutions as realistically as possible before we roll them out on the ground. This means we can help give our people better solutions to real world problems they encounter everyday – helping everything run more smoothly and happily.

CO U L D T H E Y S AV E M O N E Y I N T H E LO N G -T E R M I F M O R E D E L I V E R I E S C A N B E AU TO M AT E D? The tendency is to think that new technology and more automation is always better. But with drones, it is not necessarily the case. At the moment, drones are extremely expensive bits of kit whilst they can only carry small items, weighing about 5lbs, or less for about 30 minutes – when the weather is good! The average value of the Amazon parcels we deliver is £7. We carry everything from bicycles to toilet roll. A bicycle is too big for a drone and a toilet roll too inexpensive to make it worthwhile. Taking this all into account, using drones just does not give us the reliability and economies of scale to make it work – our posties are definitely our future!

F E AT U R E

Adapting to the pandemic: THE S TORY OF GLOBAL e PARCEL SOLUTION’S (Ge PS) MOS T SUCCESSFUL YE AR

G LO B A L e PA R C E L S O LU T I O N S

espite the unprecedented Covid related challenges of 2020, Global eParcel Solutions (GePS), our US based global postal and parcels solutions business, had an incredible year, setting the scene for what promises to be an exciting 2021. Delivered spoke to Tom Alfonso, the founder of GePS to find out more about the GePS journey which started in Miami in 2014. GePS was formed in 2015 to give customers access to an entrepreneurial approach to navigating the complex global postal and parcels solutions market. Founded by Tom, and later joined by his business partner Glen Ford in 2016, it was initially focused on the wholesale mail market, providing an alternative solution to those of household names such as USPS and FedEx through ETOE mail. ETOE mail involves the handling of all elements of the supply chain to build a mail journey that is more cost effective than that offered by the larger incumbents or established providers. This approach provides a competitive service to business customers based in and outside of the US.

In 2017, GePS diversified into tracked mail, re-selling tracked products from Europe, before establishing a strategic partnership with Jersey Post. The partnership gave GePS access to the 192 lanes of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) network, transforming its ability to service mail and parcels from almost anywhere in the world. Later in 2017, the business also joined forces with another Jersey Post Group business and became one of Parcel Monkey’s primary providers in the US. In early 2020, Jersey Post Group completed its purchase of GePS. With Covid as the driving force, 2020 saw GePS diversify its service offering, capitalising on the significant and rapid growth of the global market. This rapid growth in online shopping left the less nimble, larger service providers unable to quickly adapt to the needs of business customers, opening up opportunities for businesses such as GePS. The changing buying behaviour of consumers in 2020 has seen the market take a huge leap forward to the volumes that would have been predicted five years from now, and these levels are expected to remain stable into 2021 and beyond. It was this change in buyer behaviour that provided the catalyst for GePS’ extraordinary diversification, delivering the company’s strongest results to date. »

The changing buying behaviour of consumers in 2020 has seen the market take a huge leap forward.

F E AT U R E

Fast forward to April 2020 and Tom wasn’t sure how GePS would fare with countries locking down and significantly minimising their postal and logistics operations, creating congestion and mail backlogs throughout the world. But where there are challenges there are always opportunities and Tom used his contacts to move into not one, but several new markets. In April, GePS secured its first transportation contracts, adding freight to GePS’ list of services. GePS could also re-sell the extra capacity it had, creating an additional revenue stream. During the pandemic, USPS was forced to limit operations for almost 60 days, giving GePS access to lanes that would otherwise have never become available. The ability to be nimble and seize these lanes quickly has further strengthened the service that has underpinned GePS’ success to date.

Alongside this it became clear, as the pandemic took hold, that many countries couldn’t get volume post into the US, because of issues with transportation. By sourcing and using alternative channels to get mail and parcels into the US, such as buying up capacity that express carriers had on their own planes, GePS was able to keep its customers’ mail flowing. The business didn’t stop there. It further diversified and launched a fulfilment service in October, having been approached to undertake the fulfilment handling for other companies. Tom and his team had always expected to move into fulfilment and distribution, but it was not in the strategy or plan for 2020. However, with the phenomenal upsurge of volume into the country, the move became an opportunity not to be missed. Throughout 2020 the business grew its list of services from two to six, including ETOE mail, Parcel Monkey partner, import logistics, freight forwarding, fulfilment and distribution and mail terminal services. An amazing achievement in the depths of a global crisis.

An amazing achievement in the depths of a global crisis.

G LO B A L e PA R C E L S O LU T I O N S

TO M A L F O N S O Founder GePS

Amanda Purchon COO at GePS

So what is next for GePS? In the first half of 2021 GePS will be opening a Jersey Post Group global parcel hub in Chicago. Despite GePS always being ‘asset light’ and using third parties, growth in the North US has been such that a lot of suppliers can’t keep up with GePS’ own growth. The 32,000 sq ft facility will see headcount within GePS increase significantly.

ABOUT TOM Thomas’ 36 years of operational experience began in 1979 as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army, graduating from United States Military Academy and eventually becoming a Black Hawk helicopter pilot. After nine years of military service Tom entered the corporate world, recruited by Airborne Freight to run an operation in New York City. Since then Tom has held many senior management roles in the Airborne, FedEx and DHL in operations, covering all aspects of operational management and industrial engineering.

The start of 2020 held a lot of unknowns for the Jersey Post Group. There was no certainty and many of Jersey Post’s businesses diversified, none more so than GePS. The Jersey Post Group is no stranger to diversification, moving from an on-island mail delivery provider to a global cross border provider, in a handful of years. As a business Jersey Post has embraced change and manoeuvred the twists and turns that have been required to ensure the future sustainability of the whole group. GePS is one of the Group’s huge success stories - in five years growing from two people to a team with offices in New York, New Jersey, Chicago and Los Angeles, providing services in every state of the US and connecting these locations with the rest of the world.

GePS is one of the Group’s huge success stories.

F E AT U R E

N AV R A M I A H Founder Parcel Monkey

Nav Ramiah, Managing Director of Parcel Monkey, set up the business in 2009, during which time it has experienced significant growth and success.

hen Jersey Post completed its investment in Parcel Monkey in 2018, it was an important step in achieving long-term revenue growth and stability for Jersey Post, through providing a complete global solution.

Before launching Parcel Monkey and building it into the success it is today, Nav had a colourful career setting his stall out as a serial entrepreneur. Not bad for a young man told in his first job: ‘make friends here, you’ll be here for the rest of your working life’. »

PA R C E L M O N K E Y

Make friends here, you’ll be here for the rest of your working life.

F E AT U R E

N A V T E L L S D E L I V E R Y M O R E A B O U T H I S J O U R N E Y. My first business success was zoomtaxis.com, a booking service for taxis. I partnered with a travel agency with 50 stores which used the service to book taxis to and from airports for holidaymakers. I created a database of taxi firms and used the mileage rate to price up the journey through Google which had launched Maps in 2003. My first pay cheque was £16,000, and I was blown away!

I coasted my way through school, where I left with a handful of GCSEs. By 14, I was putting on parties for students and charging them for entry – a nice money spinner for a student but I was not focused on my education. At the time, mobile phones were becoming more common, broadband was just released making fast dial internet a reality, which was of interest to me as I enjoyed IT and programming. I had a PC and discovered HTML so I started creating websites.

Alongside working at the docks, I was now learning about VAT, profit and loss and finding my way as a businessman. My modern day Uber business generated £110,000 in its first year but the travel agent stopped using me and larger providers wouldn’t take a chance on me with no backing.

When I left college early, I knew my interest lay in enterprise. I had lots of ideas and found I was good at turning my eCommerce business ideas into real working models. At 19 I started working at Southampton docks as a terminal operator. It was a decent job and I progressed, but I didn’t see staying there forever as an option. I started devising ways to take control of my own destiny. It took a while and I tried various ideas, which may not have been successful but were good learning experiences.

Wanting to reach the stage where I had multiple income streams to rely on, I set up Parcel Monkey, Parcel Monster and Parcel Connect in 2006 – three websites doing the same thing, booking parcel delivery, under three different identities. These businesses used the same infrastructure I had built with Zoom Taxis but applied to a new market.

I started devising ways to take control of my own destiny. 28

PA R C E L M O N K E Y

I kept innovating with my business ideas. Another venture took me to Estonia buying SIM cards and buying container tracking devices, thinking this would work alongside my job at the docks, which it didn’t. I used the sim cards to set up holidaymobiles.com for customers to buy a local SIM card when they went on holiday, but then Vodafone brought out its Passport product which put paid to my idea. After a few failed enterprises, by 2009 I was losing confidence. A friend pointed out I had too many ideas and ventures and should focus. In 2009, I wound down all my business interests apart from Parcel Monkey, sold my apartment making £2,500 profit, and started a Google ad campaign to try build business. This returned a little profit so I kept investing and redesigned the website. During this time, I had built a good team around me, all of which are still here 10 + years later. In February 2010, we had £52 in the Parcel Monkey bank account. By April, with the new campaign and website, we generated £4,000 in one month.

This really encouraged us to keep developing and investing in the business and by December we had generated £950,000 of revenue which felt unbelievable. We continued to grow. The next year we turned over £3.5 million followed by £6 million the next. I’m from a modest background and this was exciting. So with this new level of wealth I was creating, I took my eye off the ball and did not focus as much as I should have on the business. After a year of stagnating and realising that growth is not guaranteed, I knuckled down again, getting the business back on track. I attracted investment from Frost Brooks in 2014 which helped steer Parcel Monkey’s growth over the next couple of years. Jersey Post then invested in 2018 and we are on course to deliver the biggest net profit in our history. As well as Parcel Monkey now being a global marketplace for shipping, we are also involved in fulfilment (www.cloudfulfilment.co.uk) and cross border shipping (www.etrak.io) and are attracting clients from across diverse sectors. »

F E AT U R E

Nav got the opportunity to meet his boxing hero, Floyd Mayweather.

I kept my job at the docks until 2010 as security. It was quite the journey with plenty of trial and error as I tried different business ideas. Focusing on Parcel Monkey was a great move but trying other ventures in the early days that didn’t bring success helped me to learn so much. Now Parcel Monkey, Cloud Fulfilment and E Trak have my full attention and will continue to grow

Don’t be put off by people with their glasses half empty, live life without fear and try things out.

My advice for people wanting to follow an entrepreneurial path is don’t be put off by people with their glasses half empty, live life without fear and try things out. There’s so much to be gained from it, even if it doesn’t work out. If you feel passionate about it, go for it. Listen to advice, but if you believe in it, try it.

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F E AT U R E

ROB WIDDOWSON Senior Project Manager

Program 51 forms part of Jersey Post’s strategy to support the company’s evolution as it grows its share of the Jersey parcel delivery market and responds to changing customer needs. Rob Widdowson, Senior Project Manager, tells Delivered more about the Program.

W H AT I S P R O G R A M 5 1 ? Program 51 is the combination of all of the projects which impact on Operations and will transform Jersey Post from a letter business, which delivers a few parcels into a parcel business, which delivers a decreasing number of letters. Some projects were started before Covid-19 but had to be put on hold. Others are new projects which have been put together to meet changing customer requirements which have arisen in recent months.

Program 51 is the combination of all of the projects which impact on Operations.

The main reason for putting everything under the single program is to ensure that we understand the links between the projects and can deliver things in the most effective way. »

PROGRAM 51

It will impact on every person in the business. W H AT A R E T H E P R O J E C T S ? The program started by facilitating the move of ten delivery rounds to Broad Street, making the rounds more efficient by giving them more time to deliver and creating some much-needed space at the Jersey Post head office at Rue des Pres (more of this will follow very soon). For the first quarter of the year, we have been concentrating on the more difficult core projects, which are required to strengthen the business as we come out of Covid-19. Things such as re-balancing letter and parcel rounds to make delivery more efficient, improving the transport links on and off the Island to give us more time to process deliveries and extending the late shift to midnight to reduce the risk of failing delivery when boats arrive late. We have diversified into other postal areas, such as the delivery of the Jersey Evening Post (and some national daily newspapers) to fill gaps made by declining letter volumes. Looking for new delivery lines will help to secure our future. The program impacts on every part of operations, from the transportation of mail on and off the Island to improving the quality of service on local-to-local mail. It will impact on every person in the business. Some IT projects have been included in the program which had also been put on hold due to Covid-19. Combining the Secure Location via RFID tags and the Postbox RFID tagging means that the two can be developed and deployed smoothly, with minimal disruption and ensuring maximum benefits to the business. Regulations enforced by external governing bodies have been the catalyst for projects such as EAD being introduced. We’ve used the program as a means to test, monitor and adapt the application with minimum impact to the majority of the business. Finally, there will be projects that emerge from the day-today running of the business. New challenges will appear as the business develops further and people see that we have the capability and desire to move forward. These changes will be managed through Program 51 to ensure minimum risk and maximum effect, and to minimise any adverse impacts on the changes already implemented.

Exciting and challenging times are ahead. WHEN WILL THINGS CHANGE? Most of the core projects are underway and we’ll be seeing results in the coming weeks. For activity like delivery of the Jersey Evening Post, phase one is complete and has impacted many of the delivery rounds. Shift patterns on working times are already being discussed and supporting projects such as changes to the Royal Mail plane will mean we can extend the hours that we can process mail before sending it out on delivery - removing some of the risk associated with late arrival times by air and sea. All in all, the landscape of the business has to look very different for us to be a world leader in parcel distribution and last mile delivery. Program 51 will be our operational vehicle to achieve that goal. Exciting and challenging times are ahead.

F E AT U R E

VAIIE LAUNCH NEW

Delivered spoke to Lee Bosio, managing director of Vaiie, about three exciting new compliance lifecycle management tools which will launch soon.

aiie is Jersey Post’s innovative technology company that supports organisations on their digital transformation journey. Vaiie helps clients take a competitive lead through enhancing, securing and digitising their practices and processes.

L E E B OS I O Managing Director Vaiie

HOW LONG HAVE THE PRODUC TS TAKEN TO DEVELOP? The suite of products have been in development for around two years. W H AT C L I E N T C H A L L E N G E S / P I N C H P O I N T S WILL THEY FIX? Many regulated financial services firms list ‘customer data quality’ and ‘data availability’ as top challenges for complying with new and ever-changing regulatory requirements. Vaiie enables businesses to achieve and maintain the highest standard of regulatory compliance and data on their clients, in a quick and easy to use way. As organisations face increasing standards of regulation, KYC and AML checks are increasing operating costs. Lengthy onboarding times, outdated systems and greater compliance resource are now the consequences of slow adoption of new technology which has been designed to improve the entire process. The arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic across the globe has redefined how businesses do business, with remote working becoming the norm and digital transformation of intensified importance. Businesses who look towards digital transformation strategies and adopt a digital way of working now will be the ones who successfully grow and develop as the pandemic eases.

VAIIE

Vaiie Onboard is a new, fast, frictionless and fully compliant digital client onboarding solution. It has been developed to empower client facing teams in the finance industry with an easy-to-use tool that reduces compliance risk and enhances client experience. The product was launched in direct response to the explosion of the digital RegTech market and rapid focus on moving the client onboarding, review and approval process, online, away from the time consuming and costly paper led methods that have been traditionally used in the past.

W H AT P OT E N T I A L D O T H E P R O D U C T S H AV E TO R ED EFI N E TH E M A R K E T ? Vaiie’s RegTech products will help turn the way businesses have previously conducted their client onboarding processes on their head and not only offer cost savings and lower business risk, but also give the ability to enhance the customer service offering. This will be critical as businesses position themselves out of the global pandemic and remote working becomes more common practice. W H AT N E X T F O R VA I I E? The focus for Vaiie is launching the three new compliance lifecycle products to market and providing tangible advantages for businesses who integrate the technology into their working practices. Longer term, there are several other new products as part of the suite of digital customer onboarding solutions that they will launch to complement the existing three products going live in April.

Vaiie Identify is a fully compliant, real time and remote digital identity verification solution. Vaiie Identify allows businesses to verify customers’ identity online in minutes with fast, secure and easy to use functionality. Vaiie Identify comes at a time when regulatory challenges and the potential for online fraud and identity theft are on the rise in the financial services industry. Vaiie Identify ensures KYC and AML compliance is fully adhered to and significantly speeds up the client onboarding process, as well as reducing costs and boosting in-house operational efficiency.

www.vaiie.com Vaiie Locate is a digital address verification service that offers a comprehensive global address assurance service that serves to deter customer fraud and accurately validates a new customer using the latest authentication technology. Gone are the days of needing to produce a hard copy of a utility bill to verify a customer. Vaiie Locate offers a more robust level of authentication, something which is very timely as a number of businesses are deploying remote working from home with traditional methods of obtaining address verification challenged.

S U R V E Y R E S U LT S

Annual Customer Survey Results Customer satisfaction remains consistent 5,995 households responded to this year’s annual customer survey and they show increased results across each of the various categories. In summary, the 2021 results show improved results in each of the key areas when compared to 2020 results:

How do you rate your postal worker?

How do you rate the delivery service overall?

How do you rate the retail network?

2020

2021

94%

96%

GOOD/GREAT

87%

92%

GOOD/GREAT

88%

89%

GOOD/GREAT

Islanders stated that the highest priority for their postal service is keeping costs low (46%), followed by consistency of delivery time (39%) and early morning delivery (8%) with 7% of customers responding that ‘Other’ factors were the highest priority for the postal service. These responses are all almost identical to the responses received 12 months ago.

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK

Customer feedback As well as providing feedback on customer satisfaction levels, the survey provides a huge range of customer comments and feedback.

What an improvement! All the post people have been amazing this past year. Cheery and so helpful! Thank you for all your hard work.

Your service has been fantastic throughout the pandemic, our post women is so cheerful and friendly. Your service has kept us all going, you’ve been brilliant!

I don’t have any comments other than to say a massive thank you for working so hard to make our deliveries through Covid-19.

You’re all giving 100% due to the awful way the world is at the moment. Hope you are all safe and well.

I would like to say what a lovely, friendly post lady we have on my round at Grouville. A real credit to the postal service.

Just want to say thank you so much to everyone at Jersey Post!!

I only have praise for the whole team. Always friendly and so hard working whatever the weather. Heroes all of them! Thank you!

Thank you to everyone for your continued hard work and commitment to delivering excellent customer service.

F E AT U R E

J A N M CC A R T H Y HR Director

After 13 years, we say goodbye to HR Director Jan McCarthy.

an first joined Jersey Post as Head of HR in 2008, and in 2016, was promoted to HR Director. Jan stepped down from her position in April but is still supporting the team and the new HR Director, Natalie Clare, for the rest of the year. Jan has been a vital part of Jersey Post these past 13 years, and we thank her commitment and dedication. We wish Jan all the best for the future. We caught up with Jan and asked her about her time at Jersey Post and what she’ll miss most.

END OF AN ERA

I will take away an endless list of funny incidents that have had me in tears of laughter over the years. H OW H A S T H E B U S I N E S S C H A N G E D OV E R T I M E?

When I first started the business was run like a military operation. It felt like the posties should stand at the end of their frames for daily inspection. It was run completely on fear. All the senior management were ex-posties, and they demanded respect rather than earn it. If you were shouted at for doing something wrong, that was known as ‘character building’. W H AT W I L L YO U M I S S M OS T A B O U T J E R S E Y P O S T ?

This sounds so corny, but I really do mean it, the people! I will miss my team, but I will also miss some genuinely nice people downstairs who have gone completely full circle with us over the last 13 years. I will take away an endless list of funny incidents that have had me in tears of laughter over the years.

Thank you for all your support throughout the years, especially all the funny moments we have shared. Wishing you all the best for your retirement. We will miss you but most importantly, thank you for the comfy office chair!

W H AT H A S B E E N YO U R M OS T M E M O R A B L E E X P E R I E N C E AT J E R S E Y P OS T ?

There have been many great experiences, but I think the most memorable was winning the CIPD award for delivering the best change programme and also building what I believe to be a very strong, approachable, empathetic HR team. W H AT I S YO U R K E Y TA K E AWAY/L I FE L E S S O N FR O M B E I N G H R D I R E C TO R?

Don’t assume you know what someone is thinking/feeling. The loudest, most aggressive of people are often the ones hurting the most or insecure. Just because you may not like someone very much does not make them a bad person. Be assertive, be honest but do not be personal.

FR O M T H E H R T E A M

F E AT U R E

Customer Experience C

ustomer service consultant Gill Finney was approached by Jersey Post in 2020 with the opportunity to conduct a thorough review of the company’s customer service experience. With over 30 years’ experience specialising in the logistics and supply chain industry, and as a former winner of the Call Centre Management Association (CCMA) Contact Centre Support Manager of the Year award, Gill has been tasked with working alongside Jersey Post’s customer care team to create a best-in-class customer care experience. Here she tells Delivered how the project is going.

Offering a consistent, dependable and responsive customer service experience is imperative for businesses. In the logistics industry, where there are many factors influencing each customers’ service and experience, the customer care team has a challenging and wide-ranging job in providing customers with support. The first challenge was to understand the nature of the calls the team processes and to implement structures that would make it easier for the customer care team to provide answers to customers’ questions.

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

GILL FINNEY Customer Service Consultant

D ATA C O L L E C T I O N Working with Jersey Post’s Customer Service Manager Emma Herbert and the rest of the team, we set about understanding the customer care team better. Initially, disjointed information that only represented a small number of the calls the team takes was available. Needing to understand what was driving calls to the Customer Care Team, I set about securing data to understand call volumes, which channels were being used for enquiries and which service or business areas were generating a high proportion of activity. We quickly started looking at the data and analysing the information, enabling us to implement a number of quick wins and also to plan more strategically for the future. Jersey Post now understands every contact and action that the customer care team makes on a daily basis – from how many calls are logged each day, whether a contact comes through the website, email or live chat, and the nature of the enquiry. Delving into the numbers has provided real insights for the business. We now understand the root cause of all calls and have been able to share data with various teams and provide a feedback loop across the organisation. We have pinpointed where we can encourage customers to find answers online by ensuring we are providing the right information on websites and within FAQs, which is helpful for both the team and customers. We know that many customers are willing to find the answers online if the information is easy to locate. »

We quickly started looking at the data and analysing the information, enabling us to implement a number of quick wins and also to plan more strategically for the future.

F E AT U R E

Often customer care can become a ‘catch all’ function due to its nature of being so connected across every area of the business.

L E V E R A G I N G T H E D ATA With a plethora of data to work with, we have set about transforming the way the team works. Tutorial guides have been developed for every process that happens within customer care. These tutorials are vital for a modest sized team. Importantly the tutorials provide the opportunity for key business stakeholders to review and identify improvements. I have developed a call handling conflict pack to provide the team with hints and tips to handle more challenging calls. The team structure has been reviewed to enable extra cover during busier periods and to bring more stability to the team. Technology can play a huge role in the customer care story. Investment has been made into the website’s live chat function with a pre-chat form now available. Before conversations go through to the team, they now have an idea of what the topic or enquiry is, making it more personal to the customers and allowing the team time to prepare. Further website upgrades are planned to ensure live chats, FAQs and other communications that can be automated online are as useful and accessible as possible. Jersey Post is working with telecoms provider JT to build a robust pre-recorded message to create a proactive solution identifying if the call is regarding a parcel or letter being sent on or off the Island.

Often customer care can become a ‘catch all’ function due to its nature of being so connected across every area of the business. Unfortunately, this can cause frustrations to customers when their query cannot be dealt with by the team they are directed to. By establishing communications channels internally, windows are opening on future business projects and initiatives to make further improvements which ultimately create efficiencies and direct the customer to the right place, first time and benefit both the business and customers.

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

BEST IN CLASS CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE Working with the Jersey Post team has been refreshing. Being asked to help a client to set up a ‘best in class’ customer service function is a brilliant opportunity and something I feel passionate about. Working with a client that shares a commitment to the same goal, from the executive team through to the manager and advisers within the Customer Care Team, is a really positive experience. From the outset, I was struck by the family feel within Jersey Post and how closely the teams are willing to work together. Bringing Emma and her team on this journey was fundamental to its success. We are already making significant inroads into implementing effective changes within the customer care team that will enable Emma and her team to do their job more efficiently and to help more customers. They have been so openminded, always willing to share information and try new approaches. The customer care team can continue to develop the opportunities we have identified and are well on their way to providing the best in class customer care service that the business is committed to achieving.

Customer Care Manager, Emma Herbert describes her experience of working with Gill. ‘ Gill has been an absolute blessing to me and the team. We are in a much better position already as we become more efficient and a more effective support to the business. We are continuously making improvements to ensure that customers receive the smoothest service that we can offer, and the team is a massive part of making these changes possible. We have more access to information and data than ever which makes a massive difference. Gill has restored faith back in the customer care team and we are becoming much more than a “complaints department”. We can see everything we have achieved and the team has transformed into a dynamic customer care team.’

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UNWRAPPED

TR AC Y HAY WAR D Associate Director, International

W H AT D O Y O U D O ? I am responsible for international service delivery performance, international customer implementation and rate cards, conformance to international regulatory requirements, developing international delivery solutions, managing relationships with overseas posts and ETOE customer management. W H AT I S A N E T O E ? Extraterritorial Offices of Exchange (ETOEs) are businesses operated by – or in connection with – foreign postal operators. ETOEs perform a wide range of postal functions that can vary by country, but generally include consolidating, documenting, and transporting outbound international mail. WHERE ARE YOU BASED? From home in rural Worcester. W H AT I S T H E M O S T I M P O R TA N T PA R T O F YO U R R O L E ? Effective communication, being able to prioritise and juggle many different things and working with people from different backgrounds.

Make your life a masterpiece, imagine no limitation on what you can be, have, or do W H AT M O T I V AT E S Y O U ? Being and doing the best that I can. I am self-motivated - my job is extremely hard work and challenging and I admit that I do set high standards for myself. W H AT ’ S T H E B E S T P I E C E O F A D V I C E YOU’VE EVER BEEN GIVEN? Think before you speak (from my mother), although I do sometimes forget to do this. FAVO U R I T E Q U OT E A N D W H Y ? “Make your life a masterpiece, imagine no limitation on what you can be, have, or do” Brian Tracy. It reflects that life has no limits and is what you make it. TEA OR COFFEE? I am not a big fan of either – Pepsi Max is my go to drink. NIGHT IN OR NIGHT OUT? Night in, however I am desperate for a night out after being stuck at home for over a year now.

F E AT U R E

DAV I D M CG R AT H Group Marketing Director

When the world is shifting beneath your feet, you can’t stand still.

here has been more change for the UK postal service over the last decade than there was during the four centuries since it was founded by King Charles I in 1635. It’s certainly no secret that traditional mail volumes have been declining for some time – down 30% in Jersey in the last five years of the decade and an astonishing additional 20% during the coronavirus pandemic, but you can pinpoint the trigger for this ballistic shift to the start of the 2010s. Of course, the primary influence has been the exponentially rapid development and adoption of digital technology which has created a more connected world where communication is immediate; something a posted letter can never deliver.

It’s incredible to think that the first iPad was only launched in 2010, but in the subsequent 10 years our appetite for digital has exploded; from sending messages and photos to buying holidays and houses. Over the last five years, the number of emails sent around the world daily rose from 205 billion to 307 billion: during the same period in the US, the number of letters sent over an entire year dropped by 11 billion items. From 2010 to 2020, the number of active social media accounts soared from 970 million to 3.81 billion worldwide. The onslaught is relentless, and just as we added ‘Google’ to the dictionary in 2006, we added ‘Zoom’ in 2020. »

LOOKING BACK

At the turn of the decade, Jersey Post’s business was on the front line of the explosion in online shopping.

F E AT U R E

For Jersey Post, this revolution has brought challenges and opportunities. At the turn of the decade, Jersey Post’s business was on the front line of the explosion in online shopping, supporting companies such as Play.com who were spearheading the eCommerce industry locally. When Low Value Consignment Relief (LVCR) was removed by the UK Government in 2012, it might have been a hammer blow for the sector. But eCommerce, and now m-shopping (using your mobile or tablet) continue to grow, and Jersey Post is positioned to take advantage of the trend.

We have seized other opportunities over the last 10 years. In April 2019 we launched our digital services business, Vaiie, which is helping local companies confidently transfer to digital operations by providing highly secure data processes, as well as dedicated and sophisticated regulatory technologies which can help companies reduce risk, improve efficiency, provide competitive advantage and enhanced customer service.

What customers want now is greatly different from what they wanted 15 years ago. Over the decade, Jersey Post has invested strategically in acquisitions and partnerships that both strengthen and accelerate our ability to deliver a truly global point-to-point distribution service – both digital and physical. This foresight has ensured that Jersey remains connected and relevant.

The pace of change in Jersey’s postal service industry is more rapid than at any time in its 226-year history. A persistent annual decline of 7 – 10% in the volume of letters (30% in the first half of 2020) and the increase in eCommerce are the defining features of this change. We have also not been immune to the momentous changes in global trade and supply chains. During the last 10 years, we have shifted from being a small island business to a global logistics provider, with operations in five continents. Brexit and Covid-19 have demonstrated that you have to remain nimble.

LOOKING BACK

The pace of change in the postal services industry is more rapid than at any time in its 226-year history. These were the priorities we set in March 2020 and a summary of how we met them:

Our strategic approach has delivered a business with the capability to take advantage of the opportunities now presented and produce long term returns and value. Over the last five years we have seen the strategy working through a steady increase in revenue despite the losses incurred by our core business, and the costs of entering more competitive markets. We have become a solutions-focused business working in partnership or collaboration with third parties. The key theme of our strategy is, therefore, to integrate our capabilities so that the solutions we offer are greater than the sum of our individual parts.

• Ensure the safeguarding of staff and customers – the modification of Jersey Post Group offices and international network. An overhaul of existing delivery processes to maintain physical distancing.

The pandemic has had a deep and long-lasting impact on so many businesses and people, but throughout, we have sought ways to keep business moving and the community connected.

• Sustain an island-wide home territory delivery service – manage increased staff absence with the introduction of split-shifts to maintain an essential frontline delivery service. • Reassess international supply chain: Deployment of a global Covid-19 logistics strategy to protect our customers and ensure minimum disruption to supply chains. • Adapt to the dramatic change in product mix – redesign operations to manage an accelerated and continued decline in letter mail and a rapid, sustained increase in parcel mail on and off-island of around 30%. • Remain committed to the community - 2019 stamp prices maintained, diversion of delivery drivers to deliver prescriptions to vulnerable islanders, support the collection and delivery of Covid-19 tests to UK centres, vehicles loaned to charities for meal delivery services, #ConnectingJersey free postcard initiative to help islanders stay connected during the pandemic, a free business directory delivered to every household in Jersey to support organisations that had to adapt their business models in 2020.»

F E AT U R E

While many people may not be too sorry to see the back of 2020, I believe we grow by what we learn, both positive and negative.

A year on, these challenges remain as we strive to balance the demands of Covid-19 with the need to develop our services in-line with customer expectations. When the world is shifting beneath your feet, you cannot stand still. Of course, not everything has changed. We still have an incredible workforce, who have adapted to new ways of doing business and continue to approach their roles professionally and efficiently. We also remain totally committed to our community: we still deliver mail and parcels to every Island home and business, as well as Covid-19 testing results and blood samples for our amazing health service, raise money and offer support for local community organisations. While many people may not be too sorry to see the back of 2020, I believe we grow by what we learn, both positive and negative. The decade that’s gone has certainly been instructive and, for Jersey Post, transformational.

W H AT ’ S N E W ?

Around the Group New Starters | Long Servers | Internal Changes | Achievements F I N D O U T S W H AT ’ S G O I N G I N A N D A R O U N D T H E J E R S E Y P O S T G R O U P

New Starters Tim De Gruchy

04/01/21

Internal Changes Jersey Post

Head of Business Services

Maxine Dunn Promotion from Head of Commercial Finance to Associate Director of Commercial Finance on 1 February 2021

John McDermott

04/01/21

Jersey Post

Postal Operative

Matthew Parker

04/01/21

Jersey Post

Postal Operative

Mark Stuttard

09/01/21

Jersey Post

Postal Operative

Michael O'Brien

11/01/21

Jersey Post

Postal Operative

Alex Jordan

18/01/21

Jersey Post

Research & Marketing Executive

Julie Le Sueur

01/02/21

Jersey Post

HR Administrator

John Troy

02/02/21

Jersey Post

Postal Operative

Barbara Szymanowska

01/03/21

Jersey Post

Finance Admin Maternity Cover

Marco Andrade

05/03/21

Jersey Post

Postal Operative

Lucie Sicard

22/03/21

Fetch

Operations Manager

Adam Yates

11/01/21

Fraser Freight

Class 1 Driver

Radim Vackar

25/01/21

Fraser Freight

Warehouse Operative

Nikolay Manev

28/01/21

Fraser Freight

Warehouse Operative

Michael Packham

08/02/21

Fraser Freight

HGV Driver

Artur Ruszkowski

03/02/21

Fraser Freight

HGV Driver

Mark Searle

01/03/21

Fraser Freight

Operations Manager

Louis Wilson

22/03/21

HICS

International Support

Jake Smillie

22/03/21

Jersey Post

Data Architect

Tim Allen

08/03/21

Jersey Post UK

Customer Solutions Manager

Jeremy Gladwin

01/04/21

Jersey Post UK

Group IT Project Manager

Adrienne Dawson

04/01/21

Jersey Post UK

Head of International Service Delivery

Jamie Pestana Promoted from Head of Commercial Strategy to Associate Director of Group Corporate Governance on 1 February 2021

Daniel McCarthy Promoted from Project Manager to Application and Project Manager from 8 February 2021

Juma Salmin Changed from Postal Operative (Fixed Term) to Retail Operations Assistant RDP from 6 February 2021

Achievements Sue Stubbs Completed the course ‘ICA Certificate in Anti Money Laundering’

Long Servers Karen Boschat

02/01/01

Head of Business Services

20 years

Kurt Blackmore

07/01/91

Postal Operative

30 years

Stephen Palmer

20/01/01

Postal Operative

20 years

Chris Gueguen

26/02/01

Postal Operative

20 years

Pauline Mitchell-Gosselin

19/02/01

Postal Operative

20 years

Ben Treacy Completed the course ‘ICA Certificate in Anti Money Laundering’

Congratulations to all staff members on their recent achievements.

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OUR NETWORK

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We deliver the world.

An established global network offering a diverse range of logistical solutions for businesses the world over. Jersey Post Global Logistics is part of Jersey Post, the postal authority for Jersey, Channel Islands,offering a range of international services to clients around the world. These services are built on over 50 years’ postal experience, and are provided through key global partners in order to successfully build and tailor international, bespoke services for a range of international customers.

Delivering the world for you. www.jerseypostgl.com

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