A selection of Clients we have recently worked with:
PLCWW examined the efficiency of the Government Mail operation in 2008 and helped us identify savings of 12% in our direct Operational costs. They also coached us in the use of project management techniques based on the PRINCE model.
PLCWW also helped us in examining a number of strategic issues for our business including the design of a more robust costing model for future pricing and providing valuable input into our Sales and Customer Management and Management Information Systems.
The recommendations are currently being implemented and a number of benefits have already been achieved. We were impressed by the quality of the work produced with the whole assignment being delivered to budget and to timescale.
Nigel Bennett Director of Core Services Government Car & Despatch Agency
We have worked closely with PLCWW on a number of postal related projects. Their expertise on the many facets of postal operations has proved invaluable and has contributed significantly to the successful bidding and completion of projects on time and to budget and to client satisfaction with the outcomes.
We will continue to seek opportunities to work with PLCWW in the future.
Phil Burns, Director, Frontier Economics
PLCWW has undertaken a number of consultancy assignments for Guernsey Post since 2003. A number of these assisted in improving our quality of service both within the Bailiwick and to and from the UK. In addition, PLCWW also helped with a customer retention strategy in the face of significant price increases and provided valuable assistance in a number of efficiency studies relating to the Christmas operation and automation. The most significant assistance was in the provision of quality interim managers. In 2006 the company sourced an interim Chief Executive who worked for 7 months in a difficult period for GPL in submitting a successful three year tariff application, negotiating a new three year contract with Royal Mail and facing up to an Efficiency Review imposed by the postal regulator. The company also turned a previous year’s loss into a profit whilst achieving record quality of service. In 2007 PLCWW provided an interim Employee Relations Manager (ERM) for 6 months who achieved a significant improvement in employee relations, negotiating several new policies with the trade unions, including a cutting edge redundancy agreement and supporting the operational director in achieving a major overhaul of operations. The interim ERM has subsequently been appointed as HR Director of GPL.
Dudley Jehan Chairman Guernsey Post Limited
We asked PLCWW to design and deliver a training course for all our employees to give them a very good understanding of how Royal Mail’s operation works in the UK.
From start to finish, the course took four weeks to design and deliver to all our staff. It met our expectations in terms of content and style of delivery and in fact had been put together to a high standard. Feedback from trainees was excellent and the material used now sits on our intranet for continuous reference.
Tim Brown CEO Postcomm
Training Ofcom in postal matters... PLCWW has been training Ofcom staff in postal issues and operations to assist them as they take over responsibilities from Postcomm. Ofcom are experts in Regulation but some staff are not familiar with the workings of the postal industry and wanted to be better informed. A number of training sessions were undertaken to help staff understand the market better. A PLCWW paper on postal regulation is available in the papers section below.
CHASING DOWN THE MARKET... USPS and Poste Italiene add their names to the growing list of postal operators seeing profits squeezed as they chase ever declining volumes. The volume mail postal business model is under challenge across the world. Who can find a new model that secures profitability in a declining market with a fixed USO. Will Swiss Post’s venture into personal newspapers be a new dawn for the industry?
PLCWW speaks at Post Expo Copenhagen... Steve Hannon CEO will be delivering a paper entitled "The Beginning of the end for parcel delivery operators in consumer delivery".
Independent Procurement gains ground... Posters are increasingly seeking to leverage enhanced value for money through the independent procurement of mailing contracts. Public and private sector mailers with 2-5 year postal contracts find it increasingly difficult to keep ahead of the changes taking place in the UK market before the next round of negotiations. Using independent procurement contractors (like PLCWW) ensures the latest developments are included in any negotiations.
THE SHRINKING POSTAL SECTOR... Canada, USPS, and Royal Mail are just 3 of the latest postal operators who have announced plans to restructure their businesses or seek significant job losses. Across the globe the industry is trying to come to terms with a changing or shrinking marketplace. Rightsizing is never easy and USO obligations simply add further complications. What is clear is that mail has entered a significant decline phase and operators look to each other to see who is coping best with these new demands.
These articles are only available to individuals and organisations who have registered for this service.
Postal Regulation in the UK has not worked. Who says so? No other than Ofcom, who took over the mantle of UK postal regulator from Postcomm on 1st October 2011.
The Home Delivery Conference in London was very much around e-retailing and covered the whole supply chain and customer experience. Read about the key conclusions.
Problems and Opportunities offered by the Xmas Mail Market Why do postal operators ignore the marketing opportunities of Xmas?
Is there a future for mail. Is the electronic bandwagon the death of mail?
Advice Centres. An article produced for PTI showing the value of taking advice on mail issues.
Postal Address data, an underperforming revenue stream. PLCWW discuss the opportunities for non postal revenue generation from the use of address data.