Emirates Post Group completes project of smart services, triggers strong demand from smartphone users

Over 1.2 million visitors a month; customer satisfaction index crosses 94%

Dubai, May 3, 2015: Emirates Post Group, which has completed its project of migrating all its services to online platforms, has reported strong response from customers, attracting more than 1.2 million users per month and customer satisfaction levels exceeding 94%.

The increased traffic to online services is the result of Emirates Post Group’s ambitious drive to make its e-Services compatible with all types of mobile devices. The project is inspired by the UAE government’s smart government initiative, as mobile phone penetration in the UAE is among the highest in the world.

The smart services project is in response to the initiative launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to boost customer satisfaction across diverse sectors, linked to the larger vision of enhancing the happiness index of the people of the UAE.

Mr. Fahad Al Hosani, Acting CEO of Emirates Post Group, said: 'We are pleased to see a dramatic increase in the use of e-Services through our website and mobile apps, offering all postal and non-postal services online, leveraging technology to raise customer satisfaction and ease the system of doing diverse transactions remotely.

“The smart services are an extension of the vision of excellence adopted by the Government of the United Arab Emirates to facilitate the delivery of services to customers through multiple channels using advanced technology and mobile devices. It is worth pointing out that the UAE has been ranked first globally in the ratio of mobile phone users, according to latest global surveys,” Mr. Al Hosani added.

Mr. Khalid Shahdoor, CEO of Information Technology Affairs, said the smartphone apps developed by EPG are on par with the highest international standards, ensuring high levels of quality and security. He said the EGP team has benchmarked global best practices in this area, and took into consideration the systems adopted by the likes of Swiss Post, Hong Kong Post and the US Postal Service.

The most used e-Services on the EPG website which are now available on mobile devices, include the following: e-P.O. Box (for checking incoming postal mails), whose number crossed 74,000 subscriptions in the first quarter; in addition to Track and Trace; location maps for post offices; Submitting customer inquiries, complaints and suggestions; Complaint tracking and Rate Calculator.

The smart services include ‘E-Greeting' which allows users to select greetings cards from a dropdown menu or customise a greeting card. This is a new concept which allows customers to convert a virtual card into a real card, that will be delivered by EPG to anywhere in the world. This service also allows customers to send invitations for events and special occasions as well as for advertising promotions.

The ‘e-Stamps' service enables stamp collectors to place orders for UAE stamps from any part of the world, and have them delivered to their doorstep after making payment online using credit cards.

According to Mr. Ibrahim Bin Karam, Chief Commercial Office at EPG, the smart services will see stronger demand after the official launch of e-commerce which will feature an extensive list of electronic products and other items on the website, and will allow customers to place orders online and get them delivered through the postal network.

Mr. Bin Karam referred to the Group’s plans to boost volumes of international parcels and highlighted the importance of e-commerce in today’s changing world.  Quoting UPU figures, he revealed that the number of international transactions in parcels during 2012 rose to 61 billion parcels, and was expected to jump to the value of $ 2 trillion by 2020. This requires doubling of efforts in the development of online products, he added.