EMS providers garner top marks in 2012

21.05.2013 - Performance levels for express mail services

(EMS – the courier service of the Posts) have reached new heights, despite increasing demands.

Members of the EMS Cooperative receive certificates from UPU Director General Bishar A. Hussein (centre) and Patrick Richon, cooperative chair (right)

This was confirmed by 38 countries being commended on the quality of their EMS offerings for 2012.

Twelve countries won gold awards: Azerbaijan, Great Britain, Hongkong (China), Hungary, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Macao (China), Malaysia, Poland, Spain and Sweden.

Silver winners were: Australia, Barbados, El Salvador, Finland, Kiribati, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Vanuatu and Vietnam.

Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Israel, Italy, Moldova, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, and Serbia took bronze.

Performance is measured using a variety of factors, such as the percentage of on-time deliveries and timely responses to customer inquiries.

Gold recipients, for example, need to meet an on-time delivery-rate of 95 per cent and a tracking delivery rate of 98 per cent. Other factors include inbound item-tracking and timely transmission of tracking data.

Silver recipients need to score 95 per cent in at least four of the criteria, while bronze winners need to reach 95 per cent in at least three.

The criteria to win awards have become progressively harder to meet over the years, said Julia Bazukina, EMS standards and measurement manager.

“The Cooperative is always trying to push for excellence,” she added.

All countries received their awards at a special ceremony during the Postal Operations Council session at the UPU in April. “The distribution of these certificates during the EMS General Assembly highlighted the work of these operators in front of their peers, thus creating healthy competition within the EMS Cooperative,” said Patrick Richon, EMS Cooperative board chair.

Germany, Switzerland, and Macao (China) each received a special award for excellent customer care towards other members of the EMS Cooperative. These awards were voted on by the latter.

The EMS Cooperative has 176 member countries. Its network handled 52.7 million items in 2011, according to the latest figures.

EMS Cooperative