End of life coming: NZ Post

[p.dath]

I remember starting a thread last year pondering when the half-life of NZPost will be.
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/106474-Half-life-of-postal-service

I see NZPost has said they are now no longer making any money due to mail volumes continuing to fall, and they need to make changes. I guess they are kinda testing what the public wants via indirect media story placement ...

So they are saying they could increase the cost of postage further, or cut back on the number of days that delivery is done (for example, no deliveries on Saturday).

If NZpost were really innovative they should be looking at completely alternative ideas. Like a "scan and email" service, or a "hold and TXT" service. Or offering generic email accounts for every residential address - but how to do you compete with great services like Google Mail?

I think the best solution would be for NZPost at this stage would be to increase the cost of postage.
I think there would be to many legal ramifications if they started altering the core service. For example, the law in NZ says that if a document is posted (like a speeding ticket) then it is considered received. However if you start making delivery more erratic then you potentially undermine many other systems that have been built on the premise of how it works.

How do you think NZPost could save itself, or even just extend the life of its business?

[sinfull]

They can hold my bills till the end of the finacial !

[Tank]

I did like their union in the paper. He said (in summary) that its a good idea to cut Saturday delivery's - as long as people are still paid the same. WTF? Unions - gotta love their humor.

[davereid]

My Invoicing program expects email to be the main form of delivery.

But we have found that emailing invoices is a good way for them to get lost. They may be delivered to the spam folder from time to time, but more importantly, most businesses lack a proper incoming mail system for electronic correspondence.

Regular mail at most corporates gets opened by a designated person, who stamps it received/time/date, archives a copy and make sure the mail arrives on the correct persons desk, or in his absence the 2IC.

But email rocks in, and as long as mail marshal detects no virus or porn, its dumped into the recipients mail folder. Which if he is away means its lost. Or he may have his own rules set, which dump your email somewhere else, equally useless.

I'd love to dump NZ post. But I think I will be paying to send dead trees for a few years yet.

[EJK]

Pony express

[rainman]

I think there would be to many legal ramifications if they started altering the core service. For example, the law in NZ says that if a document is posted (like a speeding ticket) then it is considered received. However if you start making delivery more erratic then you potentially undermine many other systems that have been built on the premise of how it works.

Maybe scale down by volume but not by delivery days, up the pricing modestly to cover this, and augment revenue by adding complementary BPO-like services like those you mention.


Regular mail at most corporates gets opened by a designated person, who stamps it received/time/date, archives a copy and make sure the mail arrives on the correct persons desk, or in his absence the 2IC.

But email rocks in, and as long as mail marshal detects no virus or porn, its dumped into the recipients mail folder. Which if he is away means its lost. Or he may have his own rules set, which dump your email somewhere else, equally useless.

Not in my experience. At a company I once worked for we implemented a "scan and circulate by email" system for passing invoices around (also did purchase order approvals), because the paper ones kept getting lost and vendors were getting very grumpy at being paid late. Worked a treat.

And, email your invoice, but follow up with a phone call to check it's been received. Easy, and maintains contact with your customer.

[Okey Dokey]

I live in a rural area and don't have Saturday delivery- that includes NOT getting my Saturday paper delivered- and it is no big deal. If they can save money by ceasing one delivery day, why not? But it sounds as if they wouldn't save anything if the Union still wants the same pay.

[HenryDorsetCase]

Maybe scale down by volume but not by delivery days, up the pricing modestly to cover this, and augment revenue by adding complementary BPO-like services like those you mention.



Not in my experience. At a company I once worked for we implemented a "scan and circulate by email" system for passing invoices around (also did purchase order approvals), because the paper ones kept getting lost and vendors were getting very grumpy at being paid late. Worked a treat.

And, email your invoice, but follow up with a phone call to check it's been received. Easy, and maintains contact with your customer.

thats a bloody good point actually. the Property Law Act and all your mortgages and whatnot all provide for mail to be a form of service for notices. Not that I or anyone I know actually uses it. Process servers all the way!

[Swoop]

How do you think NZPost could save itself, or even just extend the life of its business?
They could have a bank at each of their branches, that adds length to the queue. Morons could go there to do their banking and hold up people who actually want to post a letter or a parcel.

Thanks, NZ amblepost.

[Jizah]

I did like their union in the paper. He said (in summary) that its a good idea to cut Saturday delivery's - as long as people are still paid the same. WTF? Unions - gotta love their humor.

Makes perfect sense. They'll do more work each day than they currently do, and won't hire as many new people. Considering the turnover is quite high this won't be a problem.


Also nothing in the article is actually going to happen anytime soon. These are ideas that have been passed around/negotiated for years. Someone in the media only just happened to have picked this up now and ran with it.

[slofox]

My own feeling is that cutting back services will only hasten their demise. I, for one, wouldn't use snailmail for my newsletter any more if I couldn't be sure of delivery. I do have a good reason for using snailmail - I want people to have a hard copy of what I have to say and offer. Too easy to ignore an inbox. A printed newsletter works better for me.
I reckon they need to lower costs and increase services not the other way round. Then more people might use the service.

[p.dath]

My own feeling is that cutting back services will only hasten their demise. I, for one, wouldn't use snailmail for my newsletter any more if I couldn't be sure of delivery. I do have a good reason for using snailmail - I want people to have a hard copy of what I have to say and offer. Too easy to ignore an inbox. A printed newsletter works better for me.
I reckon they need to lower costs and increase services not the other way round. Then more people might use the service.

Touche. I often drop things like this in the bin without even opening them. I was getting so much "rubbish" delivered to my home letterbox I removed it - I haven't had a letter box at home for around 2 years now.

If they lowered the cost of postage it would probably make the problem of "rubbish" even worse. Perhaps by increasing the cost I might value what I get more.

[slofox]

Touche. I often drop things like this in the bin without even opening them. I was getting so much "rubbish" delivered to my home letterbox I removed it - I haven't had a letter box at home for around 2 years now.

If they lowered the cost of postage it would probably make the problem of "rubbish" even worse. Perhaps by increasing the cost I might value what I get more.

My newsletter only goes out to people who ask to be on the mailing list - too expensive otherwise. Each one costs about $1.00 all up to produce and send out.

Most of the rubbish I get in my mailbox is hand delivered rather than postage paid stuff - flyers from every firm in town kinda thing. I reckon I should just connect the mailbox to the paper recycling box...I don't really need those bills anyway...

[Ixion]

My newsletter only goes out to people who ask to be on the mailing list - too expensive otherwise. Each one costs about $1.00 all up to produce and send out.

Most of the rubbish I get in my mailbox is hand delivered rather than postage paid stuff - flyers from every firm in town kinda thing. I reckon I should just connect the mailbox to the paper recycling box...I don't really need those bills anyway...

Yes. Most junk mail is delivered by junk mail delivery persons. Which sort of begs the question, why is it cheaper for the junk mail companies to pay separate people to do their deliveries, instead of the postie who goes past the box anyway (and maybe even puts something in it). Marginal cost to NZ Post of delivering junk mail should be very low.

[Jizah]

Yes. Most junk mail is delivered by junk mail delivery persons. Which sort of begs the question, why is it cheaper for the junk mail companies to pay separate people to do their deliveries, instead of the postie who goes past the box anyway (and maybe even puts something in it). Marginal cost to NZ Post of delivering junk mail should be very low.

Because of how the postie pay model works. They have a measured work load which they get paid for. The circulars the postie does deliver is counted in this measurement. Too many circulars and the actual level of mail they delivered per person would have to decrease. And because junk mail deliverers get paid so little, it's easily the most cost effective method.

[avgas]

Raise the price.......yeah that will work :P
Sorry business wise I would question any initiative that "increases prices" while "decreasing service".
This has not worked for them in the past - As you can see here (http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_business_story_skin/613504) NZ Post hit record profits riding the Trademe Wave in 2005. Now things have tapered off - their only strategy is either decrease service or increase prices on standard services.

Sorry but they are doing it wrong - and their competitors will laugh all the way to the bank on it.
Here is hoping that Brian Roche nips this in the bud before people rip into them.

[AllanB]

Personally I like getting mail in the post box. Especially my USA motorcycle magazine subscriptions.

As per usual they are a bit short sighted. What they need to do is to employ extremely attractive posties and dress them in a manner that displays their assets - people will start posting again!

[AllanB]

Personally I like getting mail in the post box. Especially my USA motorcycle magazine subscriptions.

As per usual they are a bit short sighted. What they need to do is to employ extremely attractive posties and dress them in a manner that displays their assets - people will start posting again! And neighbors may start talking to each other again as they wait out the front of their property for the postie.

[mashman]

Raise the price.......yeah that will work :P
Sorry business wise I would question any initiative that "increases prices" while "decreasing service".
This has not worked for them in the past - As you can see here (http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_business_story_skin/613504) NZ Post hit record profits riding the Trademe Wave in 2005. Now things have tapered off - their only strategy is either decrease service or increase prices on standard services.

Sorry but they are doing it wrong - and their competitors will laugh all the way to the bank on it.
Here is hoping that Brian Roche nips this in the bud before people rip into them.

don't be silly, everyone knows that you can easily cut costs by cutting wages... why would you look any harder... because generally analysing your business takes too much time... and then the whole process needs more detail, as per knock on business effects, and it all starts getting just too icky... wages are the way to go... it's easy... It's tried and tested... some governments use it as their business model. The worlds fine...