Post Company Unveils New Services to Survive

EghtesadOnline: Iran Post Company has unveiled several new projects, including a national geocoding scheme, an address verification system and an online delivery service.

News ID: ۷۷۹۷۵۷

15 October 2017

The projects were introduced at a ceremony attended by Telecoms Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi on the occasion of World Post Day in Tehran on Oct. 8, the ministry’s official website reported.

In recent years with the introduction of several online startups offering delivery services, the government-owned local post company’s revenue has plummeted. Loss of revenues has compelled the company to make better use of information and communication technologies.

National Impact

The geocoding scheme and address verification system will certainly have ane effect on the national scale, Financial Tribune reported.

Geocoding is the computational process of transforming a postal address description to a location on the Earth’s surface (spatial representation in numerical coordinates).

From simple data analysis, business and customer management, distribution techniques and the likes, there is a wide range of applications for geocoding.

The post company is set to accumulate the data on a website which can be accessed by realtors and home buyers. By entering the geocode on the website users can view all related information about a property, from ownership details to the year of construction and municipality documentation on the property.

The ‘Address Verification System’, which mostly targets online businesses, ensures the customer’s entered address is registered with the post company. E-commerce stores can use this verification process to reduce the number of checkout errors, and also increasing customer satisfaction with the services.

Furthermore, AVS can also help online business to verify the address of a person claiming to own a debit card.

When customers purchase a good or service online at the billing page they are required to provide a billing address. If the address does not match the one that is registered to their debit card then the transaction will be declined. The system aims to make online purchases more secure and help prevent online fraud.

Online Delivery Service

The company also launched an online delivery service dubbed ‘Postman’ to catch up with local startups which have grabbed a big chunk of the urban delivery market.

Like the already available online delivery services, Postman locates the closest driver in the vicinity of the customer and considerably reduces waiting time. Unlike most rivals, the Iran Post Company also offers shipping insurance to costumers.

Furthermore, in addition to motorbikes, the customer can use a van or pickup truck depending on his needs.

The application is available on local Android market Café Bazaar and has been downloaded more than 2,000 times. The company is yet to release an iOS app.

With the emergence of several online delivery startups like Marsooleh and Alopeyk, the post company has seen its earnings suffer like never before and is aware that for the state-owned firm things could get worse before they get better if action is not taken.

The government has backed the private startups and has stressed that the businesses have created thousands of jobs.

Furthermore, major players, like Iran’s largest ride-hailing service Snapp, have entered the market launching their own delivery services.

The postal company has offices in almost all Iranian cities and villages and a vast poll of logistics that it can, and should, draw upon.