The SA Post Office’s strategy, aimed at reinventing the organisation towards sustainability, is dealing with the challenges it currently faces. The strategy is centred on four strategic pillars, underpinned by technology and strategic partnerships, which directly address the core challenges facing the organisation.
The SA Post Office is currently consulting with several stakeholders, which include the entity’s shareholder, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, employees, management and recognised labour unions to obtain full stakeholder support for the new Post Office of Tomorrow strategy.
The SA Post Office has been facing financial constraints partly due to restricted business activity resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. While measures taken by the organisation have helped to improve revenue growth, these measures have not restored revenue levels to pre-Covid-19 levels.
The SA Post Office is directing efforts towards improving customer loyalty, which drives revenue growth. Several initiatives, such as the back-to-basics campaign aim to address deficiencies in service delivery standards. In April this year, a campaign to clear sorting centre floors reduced the backlog of international items from 2,1 million to zero. The SA Post Office signed delivery agreements with a number of international customers onto its e-Commerce platform. These are Wish.com, Mail Americas and Signature Mail from Malaysia.
As part of renewing the business model, the strategy includes the anticipated launch of a mobile App for the renewal of motor vehicle licences at the end of October 2021. The App will allow the vehicle owner to renew and pay the licence fee online. The disk can either be collected from any convenient Post Office branch or delivered to an office or work address at an extra cost.
As a responsible corporate citizen, the SA Post Office remains committed to its government mandate and universal service obligation as it continues to improve services to the South African public.
The modernisation of the postal network ensures that the SA Post Office continues to be a strategic contributor the socio-economic development of South Africa. This would allow for more government services to be available at postal outlets.