Harnessing technologies like near-field communication, SmartPost will equip SingPost’s postal staff with new skills and tools to elevate their operational capability and efficiency
SINGAPORE, 12 June 2017 – Singapore Post (SingPost) announced SmartPost, a transformational initiative that will be at the leading edge in harnessing wireless and digital technologies to raise postal service quality and improve operational efficiency.
SmartPost is an integrated suite of solutions that has been developed to enhance service levels and customer satisfaction. Amalgamating near-field communication (NFC), radio frequency identification (RFID), digital imaging and electronic notifications, SmartPost will equip SingPost’s postal staff with new skills and tools to elevate their operational capability and efficiency across the entire postal operation: from collection to sorting, last mile delivery and quality assurance.
Mr Paul Coutts, SingPost’s Group Chief Executive Officer, said: “I have joined SingPost for just over a week and from what I have seen in those few days, SingPost is a very innovative company. SmartPost is one of many innovations SingPost is using to exploit and leverage the proliferation of digital technology, this time to address traditional postal challenges and take a disruptive step forward to meet evolving expectations for faster and more flexible deliveries, especially for eCommerce.
“SmartPost has been designed to help our postal team work better and smarter, enhancing their capabilities and efficiency for the digital age. We are starting at the last mile as this is the most vital and demanding part of our business. At the end of the day, we are only as good as our last mile delivery and this will improve our customers’ overall experience.”
The first phase will focus on delivery of registered mail, SmartPac and other trackable postal items. Postmen will be issued smartphones loaded with a customised postal delivery app. Used in conjunction with NFC and serialised code scanning, the app will help postmen keep track of deliveries made and generate real-time prompts of standard operating procedures. It will also provide operational information on the go about SingPost’s various mail products and services.
Customers can get delivery status updates by SMS or email and receive notifications of where they may collect items whose delivery they have missed. They may also be able to collect the item directly at the post office, using an electronic notice on their mobile device instead of a physical delivery note.
Further solutions to enhance other parts of the postal operation are in the pipeline. These will be powered by the creation of a digital backbone that lies at the heart of SmartPost, enhancing the integration and data generation across the entire postal operation chain. Apart from equipping SingPost’s over 1,000 postmen with smartphones, NFC tags will be installed on more than 50,000 delivery and collection points across the island, which would make SingPost one of the first postal organisations in the world to do so. Data of crucial operational activities ranging from posting box collection to letterbox delivery can be obtained, enabling extensive and dynamic analytics for future customer service enhancements and operational work process improvements.
Proof-of-concept and ground testing for SmartPost’s last mile delivery solution were completed earlier this year. Application, system and infrastructure development is underway in preparation for the rollout that will commence later this year and is targeted to be completed by March 2019.
About Singapore Post Limited
For over 150 years, Singapore Post (SingPost) as the country’s postal service provider, has been delivering trusted and reliable services to homes and businesses in Singapore.
Today, SingPost is pioneering and leading in eCommerce logistics as well as providing innovative mail and logistics solutions in Singapore and around the world, with operations in 19 markets.
Building on its trusted communications through domestic and international postal services, SingPost is taking the lead in end-to-end integrated and digital mail solutions. The suite of SingPost eCommerce logistics solutions includes front end web management, warehousing and fulfilment, last mile delivery and international freight forwarding.
