Today Post Fiji embarked on a quest with regional partners, to raise the standard of how members of the Universal Postal Union in the Asia Pacific Region, handle registered articles. The need for this REGISTERED ARTICLES QUALITY ENHANCEMENT LEAD PROJECT (RAQUEL) workshop was earlier identified and further discussed at the Asia Pacific Postal Union Executive Council Meeting, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in July this year, where Fiji volunteered to host it.

Although the postal industry is and has been facing challenges from continuous technological advances, in particular the letter postage sector, there is a steady increase in the sending and receiving of parcels and money. The rapid development of e-commerce highlights considerable potential for growth in the Registered Articles sector, beckoning us as Designated Operators to take our services a notch up to capitalise on this growth.

Registered Articles is still a trusted way of exchanging valuable documents and items, and postal operators need to ensure that we provide those services as well as we can. There is also a great need for postal operators to continually optimise on technology to ensure that we are not deemed out dated, as the generations become more and more computer literate and more demanding. There is anticipation that when customers are able to track their items sent through Registered Articles, the usage will grow.

By actively participating in workshops such as these, each designated operator is able to share with other operators and through the coordination by the facilitators, be able to map the way forward on this important aspect of the business. As regional participants, we have diverse cultures but there are enough similarities existing that will allow us to understand each other quickly and cooperate with UPU and APPU to help us serve our communities better.

This workshop will set the foundation for any more to come, as the benefits of engaging in them are many. Participants contribute and benefit from:

• Knowledge and assistance for enhancing operations of the registration service through workshops and site surveys;
• Performance measurement reports to facilitate appropriate measures to increase delivery performance for registered articles;

With engaging in information sharing and participation designated operators will be better equipped to:

• Meet customer needs for tracking information concerning registered articles;
• Increase traffic volumes arising from improved services and the fulfilment of customer expectations

The Fiji Government fully supports such initiatives, as establishing a forum for learning and open dialogue, based on a positive end results, benefits our economy and strengthens the network amongst our regional neighbours.

The Fiji Government will also continue to support the Universal Postal Union’s initiative to conduct such workshops, both on a regional and global level, in addition to encouraging designated operators in the region to continue their association with Post Fiji and Fiji.

The workshop was launched by Ms. Elizabeth Powell - the Permanent Secretary for Public Enterprises, Tourism, Communication and Civil Aviation at the Novotel House in Lami.


ENDS
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For more information:
Patricia Mallam
Public Relations
Contact: 9997376