UPU News:- Five Posts certified for their service quality processes

The UPU recently certified five postal operators – Cambodia, Cameroon, Iran, Myanmar and Nepal – for their good quality of service management.

The UPU’s certification programme, based on five levels – entry, C, B, A and A star – measures how well Posts apply quality management processes to their international mail operations and encourages them to constantly better their quality of service. The certification is valid for three years.

"The level-B certification we received will be an incentive for us to further improve our quality of service to meet UPU standards and aim for level-A certification," says Reza Shamouli, international affairs manager with the Iranian Post.

The certification programme, which incorporate the ISO 9000 standard and its quality management principles, comprehensively assesses the organization of services and the interoperability of technological systems to facilitate data exchange, operations and customer information for ordinary international mail.

The system provides a level playing field for all operators, irrespective of their infrastructure or level of development.

"We have set up a quality of service unit and a national quality of service committee, and have trained regional corre­spondents,” says Hervé Béril, director general of CAMPOST, Cameroon Postal Services. “We have also fostered, and will continue to foster, exchanges between our various directorates and operational centres."

New criteria added

Posts applying for certification must answer several detailed questionnaires. Experts then carry out field assessments and annual tests to ensure that quality of service criteria and standards are maintained.

"Starting this year, certification will include the quality and fastness of EDI message exchanges, international mail tracking, and performance against targets and standards," says Seydou Konaté, the UPU's letter-post programme manager. He adds that the UPU's Global Monitoring System (GMS) will be used to monitor end-to-end performance on delivery routes.

Since the programme’s launch in 2004, 61 designated operators have been awarded certi­fication.