The UPU is developing
mobile apps to help posts reach their customers directly, to help create
efficiencies, and to move further into the digital age in a cost-effective way.
First up: an app to help facilitate the exchange of electronic advance data (EAD).
The EAD Mobile App,
for electronic advance data, allows customers to complete a customs declaration
by entering required data on their phone from anywhere. The data is then sent
automatically to the Customs Declaration System.
“So far, we have always provided IT solutions to the Post regarding customs,”
said Stéphane Herrmann, Lead Technical Account Manager for Mail Products and
Services. “But now we are targeting the customers, also, to make it easier for
the Post. There will be more and more IT tools for the customers because what
we want is to get rid of the paper forms.”
Since the release of the EAD Mobile App in December 2020, more than 40 posts
actively use the EAD Mobile App, with almost 10,000 active devices.
With electronic advance data, or EAD, customs in the receiving country knows
ahead of time what it will get. The destination country can perform risk
assessments and financial assessments ahead of time and select parcels for
inspection in advance.
“With only paper documents, you can do that only once the mail arrives at the
destination country,” Herrmann said. “If there's no electronic customs
declaration, you have no idea of what you're going to receive.”
While customs declarations may include some optional fields, there are seven
mandatory fields the sender must enter into the EAD Mobile App: sender name,
sender address, recipient name, recipient address, number of units, total gross
weight, and description of the contents. The post must also add a mail
identifier.
Without these fields populated, the customer will not be able to validate the
customs declaration.
“If the customer fills the customs declaration, there are less risks of
mistakes than if it's something done by the employee of the post,” Herrmann
said. “It's also a question of responsibility, because when you click ‘OK’, you
take the responsibility of the information you have captured.”
The app also provides a cost-effective means for posts in developing countries
to keep up with the advances in technology.
For instance, some posts may set up a tablet in their post office lobby, on
which customers can complete the declaration, validate the form, and go
directly to the counter and hand over their parcel, Herrmann explained.
“It requires a new tablet and it's quite cheap compared to the price of
computer and printer,” he said. “So, what we're doing is to help, in fact, the
developing countries to ensure that they are not left aside with the transition
to electronic exchanges.”
Guyana Post Office Corp. began using the EAD mobile app in January 2021, the
first mobile app the post implemented for use by customers, said Thalissa
Grant-McClure, Public Relations Officer.
“The staff welcomed the new technology as it reduced manual work and they
adjusted quickly,” she said. “Our regular customers also quickly gravitated to
the mobile app.”
It was important for Guyana Post to utilize this technology to continue
delivery to the United States and Europe, Grant-McClure said. It enables the
Post to meet requirements for international standards and avoid penalties.
While the app helps streamline the customs process, customers may still require
help from postal staff. Some customers are unable to use a computer and
therefore unable to use the app, Grant-McClure said. Others may require
assistance to walk them through the process, either in person or online through
the Post’s social media platforms.
“The implementation and utilization of this app is in keeping with our vision
for technological development in the Post,” Grant-McClure said.
This article first appeared in the Winter 2021 issue of Union
Postale.
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