FIGARODIGITAL.CO.UK
he temptation when looking for examples of digital innovation is to focus on nimble EC1 start-ups and glossy retail brands:
companies conceived in the digital age that share with their audiences an instinctive understanding of the new media landscape. But it can be equally
instructive – if not more so – to examine how traditional brands with established practices and legacies are adapting to digital. And as established businesses go, there are few more venerable institutions on the UK high street than the Post Offi ce. With a history stretching back over 300 years, it’s an organisation deeply embedded in the national consciousness. It’s also a business subject to unique challenges and opportunities as our communication infrastructure evolves and new companies seek to take advantage of the ecommerce boom. (Someone’s got to handle all those online purchases.) The Post Offi ce in 2014 is committed to pushing the envelope and, says recently-installed CMO Pete Markey, at the heart of that is the creation of a seamless, digitally-driven customer experience built around the things consumers really need.
DELIVERING THE FUTURE “There are 11,780 branches across the UK. They deal with telecoms, fi nancial services, broadband and provide essential mail services,”
Pushıng the Envelope:
Pete Markey, CMO at the
Post Office, explains how the service is evolving to take account of new technology and customer needs
How the is Adapting to Digital Pete Markey, CMO at the
Post Office, explains how the service is evolving to take account of new technology and customer needs
Markey told delegates at the Figaro Digital Marketing Conference in July. “It’s also a brand with a huge amount of trust. According to a survey conducted earlier this year, the Post Offi ce is the second most- trusted brand in the UK.” (The AA tops the list). “We get 1.3 million unique visitors to postoffi
ce.co. uk per week; 18 million
customers visit a branch each week, including a third of the UK’s small businesses.” The Post Offi ce is not, however, in a position to rest on its laurels. “The important
question is how to stay relevant
in a digital age,” says Markey, and a key point in the organisation’s digital manifesto involves establishing a more
54 issue 22 october 2014
Post Office
human presence. “It’s a challenging mix of channels - for customers and employees,” he concedes. “How do we keep the brand’s tone relevant and consistent online and offl ine, so that it feels like a red thread running through all of the business? We’re connecting quite disparate products, from a mortgage to a 1st Class stamp. It’s that vast in its range and scope.”
What that’s meant in
practice is integrating online and offl ine services so that tasks can be undertaken by customers without going into a branch, and making the in-branch experience itself much
more digitally focused. Self-service and touch-kiosks help users manage what they want to do by letting them go straight to the relevant department in branch. There’s a price-fi nder that enables customers to calculate the cost of postage before coming into the branch and even print that postage themselves – a development which has proved successful in the States. The Post Offi ce is also the UK’s number one provider of travel money. “Now you can order your money online and have it couriered to your home the next day at a very low cost,” says Markey. “Or you can buy it online and pick it up in a branch the next day.” Strategies like this
are designed to streamline the process and emphasise convenience. A clue to future plans,
ARTICLE JON FORTGANG
Pete Marke
Post Office, exp service is evolv account of new t and customer n
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