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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Roll-out of model post office to commence in 2019

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Oman Post plans to roll the first of its futuristic model post offices in 2019 — part of a 360-degree transformation that seeks to position the company as the nation’s preferred postal logistics services provider.
According to Abdulmalik al Balushi (pictured), CEO, the roll-out is envisioned in stages and in line with the company’s retail strategy aimed at ramping up Oman Post’s accessibility and its expanding portfolio of services to its customers.






A mock-up of the Model Post Office, featuring an array of postal-related hardware and systems, was featured as part of the Oman Post Forum 2018 held at Sultan Qaboos University Cultural Centre last week.
A key highlight is a Self-Service kiosk that enables customers to complete all formalities related to postal mail and parcels, including weighing, pricing, electronic stamping, collection of fees, and issuance of receipts. The kiosk will operate on a 24x7 basis. And in line with the Model Post Office’s customer-friendly theme, postal staff will receive customers across tables rather than entertain queries from behind counters.
In comments to journalists, the CEO said a timeframe for the introduction of model post offices in the Sultanate is subject to a tendering process, as well as the company’s retail strategy. “We will start in 2019, but as you can imagine, there is a lot of equipment that will have to be procured and supplied,” Al Balushi said, pointing out that in line with its new corporate philosophy, Oman Post will seek to ensure a return on investment before it undertakes any new capital cost.
Additionally, model post offices will be more of a feature of major branches rather than a concrete plan to have been built across the Sultanate, he noted.
Oman Post, said the CEO, is also looking to expand its presence beyond the 83-strong branch network that it currently operates across the Sultanate. However, the scope and breadth of the expansion will be evident once the company completes the formulation of its retail strategy, he said.
“Yes, we are looking to expand the coverage of Oman Post, but how we do that is a different question; Are we going to add new branches, or do we do it differently,” said Al Balushi. Those insights will be gained from the retail strategy currently under way at the company, he noted.
“There’s a tender out to bring in a specialist on how we can expand without increasing our costs, but also how can we provide more convenience to our customers. It’s no use when the neighbourhood is in one place and the post office is in another. Since the branches were built a long time ago, people have moved. The question is how do you come closer to the people with less cost, more efficiency and better service,” he added.



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