With more than 660,000 post offices throughout the world, the postal network is the biggest physical network in the world. Post offices are everywhere, from the capitals of bigger industrialized countries to small rural towns of leastdeveloped countries. In outlying areas, they are often the only public service available and in many cases, they constitute a vital channel to communicate and exchange goods between communities. Billions of people visit post offices every year for a reason or another.
They send and receive mail, parcels or money orders. They can also get access to more sophisticated services such as account-based financial services or new IT-based services. New technologies are changing the postal world. They are not threats, but should be seen as catalysts that will help the postal enterprises reinvent themselves. When one buys a product from an e-commerce site, the order is placed on the internet. But in the end, the goods are not delivered electronically. A logistical partner, very often the Post, is the physical link between the seller and the buyer.
Postal operators are adapting themselves to take advantage of the new possibilities. New technologies are re-shaping and transforming the postal sector. ICTs are an opportunity for Posts to improve their existing services or to evolve a whole new range of services. New technologies change the governance and the work culture of the organisations and promote innovation. The objective of this book is to put forward some best practices in that regard.