Royal Mail & CWU National Joint Statement – Capture Photo on Delivery – Phase 1 Deployment
No. 444/21
19th October 2021
Dear Colleagues,
Royal Mail & CWU National Joint Statement – Capture Photo on Delivery – Phase 1 Deployment
As Branches are aware, Royal Mail faces an increasingly competitive landscape both in the letters and parcels market. The future success of Royal Mail is dependent upon the ability to offer customers products that meet current and future needs, excellent customer and quality of service, and value for money. Royal Mail and CWU are jointly committed to securing this objective by working together to understand and achieve industry leading customer service in all aspects of delivery & collection and in order to improve our member’s terms and conditions whilst providing job security.
Increasingly, large Account Customers are asking carriers to capture a photographic image as proof of delivery and in a post COVID world, they see this as a better alternative to replace the need to capture a signature. Their rationale for wanting this capability is that it helps to reduce denial of receipts. Other competitors already offer this capability as do Parcelforce. To retain and grow the market share, Royal Mail and the CWU are committed to act quickly and to enable this capability within the Royal Mail Core Network.
Deployment Phases
Phase 1 – Pre-Peak
Royal Mail has secured new business from a leading fashion brand and has given this customer a commitment that the capability to capture a photographic image at the doorstep will be deployed pre-Peak, on the Tracked 24 & 48 product. This capability is expected to go live from the 4th November 2021 and will be enabled on our new PDAs.
The process to capture a photo on delivery will be event driven on the PDA, as with the Safeplace image capture process. The PDA will have new screens built to guide Delivery colleagues through the process when a photo is required and will be completed with the door open. If there are multiple parcels for delivery, only one photo of all parcels is required.
Phase 2 – January to April 2022
Royal Mail will seek to extend this capability to all Account Customers and where signatures are currently requested.
The following issues are all captured within the Joint Statement for your information and perusal:
Introduction of Photo on Delivery
For both Phase 1 & Phase 2, Royal Mail will ensure that all delivery units are fully briefed on the changes, including training given by Workplace Coaches. Once the delivery staff and wider business has been fully briefed a change will be deployed to the PDA, which will notify the requirement to take a photo after the item has been scanned. This Joint Statement refers to Phase 1 only (deployment pre-peak). A separate National Joint Statement will be agreed and issued to cover all aspects associated with Phase 2, once further joint scoping work has been concluded.
Health & Safety and Safe Systems of Work
It is reaffirmed that Health & Safety and SSOW are of paramount importance to both Royal Mail and the CWU, and the Delivery SAC will be updated and will be in place. Any issues arising in this respect will be proper to the relevant RM safety experts and the CWU National Health Safety, and Environment Department.
Review/ Summary
Royal Mail and the CWU both understand the importance of being able to offer consumers a first class digital experience to enhance the trust that already exists on the doorstep.
The CWU and RM will work together on the planning of the second phase. There will also be a National Joint Review from the launch date of the first phase and before the phase 2 deployment, in order to assess the volume growth and other issues that are captured in the Joint Statement.
Any queries to the content of the above please contact the Outdoor Department reference 230.03, email address: njones@cwu.org.
Yours sincerely,
Mark Baulch
CWU Assistant Secretary
LTB 444/21 – Royal Mail CWU National Joint Statement Capture Photo on Delivery Phase 1 Deployment MB