Service Provider of the Year
Service Provider of the Year recognizes a postal organization that has had a great past year within the sector. Which post has led the way in terms of innovative technologies and services? How has it improved customer service and enhanced its offering to better meet the needs of its clients? And how has it strengthened its bottom line in what is considered a challenging postal market? By investing time and money into the future of the organization, the winner of this category is respected by its customers and suppliers alike.
Supplier of the Year
One of the most respected Postal Technology International Awards, Supplier of the Year simply recognizes a company, which has had a big impact on the industry over the past year, whether it’s for investment in new technologies, work with the postal operators or because of impressive growth. The winner of this category will have played a major role in helping to improve the future of the postal industry.
New Business Development of the Year
This category recognizes posts that have ventured into a new area of business to generate additional revenue streams. This covers services other than the core mail and parcel handling offering. Suppliers that have supported posts in developing these new diversified services and solutions can also be recognized here. New business innovations can include banking, community outreach, telecoms, government schemes, etc.
Last Mile Delivery Innovation of the Year (The Journey)
Last mile delivery has changed massively in recent years. Different delivery models have been developed and new ways of delivering are being tested, including drone and robotic delivery. Customers are also demanding more transparency when it comes to last mile delivery – they want to be able to track their delivery and make adjustments to delivery location and time if needed. This category recognizes companies leading the way in improving last mile delivery. It includes everything to do with the delivery journey, from vehicles, route optimization, track and trace and customer interaction services.
Final Mile Innovation of the year (The Final Delivery)
Although customers still prefer to have their deliveries delivered to their door, the number of alternative locations for drop off are increasing. In recent years there have been new developments in out-of-home delivery, automated parcel lockers and PUDO locations. The options for final mile delivery are increasing. Customer service is also extremely important in this part of the industry, as this is where the post and customer come face-to-face or face-to-machine. This category covers solutions for final mile delivery, including parcel lockers, PUDOs, home delivery services, etc.
Environmental Achievement of the Year
This category recognizes a postal organization or supplier that has invested in developing environmentally friendly solutions and initiatives that the whole industry can learn from. This can include investing in ‘green’ forms of transport, developing recycling initiatives and generally improving its sustainability
Sorting and Fulfilment Technology of the Year
As the e-commerce industry continues to grow, so too does the number of parcels and packets being handled by the postal industry. New solutions are being developed to handle these increasing numbers of parcels and the different shapes and sizes they come in. However, it is also important for the delivery providers to not forget about their traditional letter mail stream. This category looks at how the industry is improving the efficiency and quality of mail and parcel handling through new solutions, such as automation, bulk handling, OCR, and sorting center/fulfilment management.
Retail/Customer Service Innovation of the Year
The retail sector in the postal industry is going through a dramatic change. The traditional manned post office is under threat worldwide, with posts investing in more self-service solutions and online services. But retail does still play a major part in a post’s overall business model. Posts are now looking at how they can develop an omni-channel approach to retail by providing a combination of online and brick and mortar services.