POST
& TELECOMS DEPT IMPROVES DELIVERY STANDARDS
| KINGSTON, May 14 (JIS): |
 The
Post and Telecommunications Department of the Ministry of Commerce,
Science and Technology has improved its delivery standards with in-bound
mails being delivered within four to five days.Minister of Commerce, Science and Technology, Phillip Paulwell has divulged that the most significant achievement of the Department was the re-engineering of sorting and delivery operations, which began in July last year. In his contribution to the 2004/05 Sectoral Debate in Gordon House, Minister Paulwell said an “end-to-end” measurement system was introduced, allowing for the tracking of the movement of mail. “Feedback from customers and test mailings of letters indicate that delivery standards of two to three days in the Kingston Metropolitan Region and four to five days islandwide were being met in 65 per cent of mailings,” he said. For the 24-hour local express mail, the Minister said that this service had grown steadily. For this service 11,267 pieces were delivered islandwide during last year. He also mentioned that a “Track and Trace” software for the express mail service had been installed and this service would be re-introduced to Canada, the United Kingdom and the Caribbean in the new financial year. Turning to training of personnel, the Minister said that the Department’s Customer Service Unit was strengthened, with 320 customer service employees trained. A hotline was also activated and closer links established between the Unit and front line personnel. Infrastructure was also strengthened with the completion of a 1,188 square metres post office in Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth. He said plans were afoot to establish a ‘Post Shop’ in the reception area. Forty other post offices were also refurbished and equipped for commercial services. Five new post offices were also built through community partnerships. The five are March Town in Hanover, Clover Hill and Exchange in St. Ann, and Pear Tree Grove in St. Mary. “This is in keeping with the concept of achieving sustainability for the postal services by establishing partnerships with communities and commercial partners to manage the costs of maintaining the extensive postal network,” the Minister said. Work is also now in progress on buildings for Shooters Hill in Manchester and McCook’s Pen in St. Catherine. The Liguanea Post Mall, the centrepiece of which is the new post office, is to be officially opened in June. This facility, the Minister said would be the “first of its kind modern state-of-the-art facility and will offer a suite of commercial services, including bill payment, money transfer, virtual phone card, fax and photocopy services. There will also be an Internet café and facilities to provide tax payment and loan repayment services as well as 2,000 private mailboxes”. |
