Interview

The postal network of the future

Thomas Baur
Head of PostalNetwork and Member of Executive Management

In 2016, Swiss Post announced the restructuring of the postal network, a move which was met with a great deal of resistance. In this interview, Head of PostalNetwork and Member of Executive Management Thomas Baur explains how Swiss Post has campaigned for greater understanding over the past year and what has been achieved.

Mr Baur, with regard to the transformation of the postal network, Swiss Post had promised a close dialogue with the cantons and municipalities concerned. How did the talks go?

The dialogue we offered was appreciated and considered useful, even if not all parties were always of the same opinion. Our primary goal was to create transparency, to get to know the cantons’ perspectives and their citizens’ needs, and to provide them with planning security. The national list now includes 771 guaranteed self-operated branches. These will not be reviewed before the end of 2020.

Did you also have contact with the public?

After each visit to a cantonal authority, we communicated openly on regional issues. In communities where the conversion of a branch is under discussion, we invited local people to an information event. Last year, we held around 130 of these events. People very much appreciated the opportunity to talk directly to Swiss Post managers.

You also announced new services. What new services were introduced in 2017?

Swiss Post has noted a range of issues arising from its discussions with the cantons and citizens and is examining how to implement them. Since September 2017, cash inpayments at the front door have been available in areas with branches with partners. In communities without early morning delivery, Swiss Post now also delivers subscription daily newspapers by noon and allows customers to post bulk mailings at branches with partners.

In 2016, Swiss Post announced that it intends to expand the number of its access points from 3,800 to over 4,200 in the next four years. Where do we now stand after one year?

Swiss Post still has a presence in villages. We are expanding the number of access points and addressing Swiss residents’ needs. At present, customers can avail themselves of around 3,870 access points. We are continuously expanding the network of acceptance and collection points, My Post 24 terminals and business customer points. One example of this is a pilot for major distributors that we are launching at the start of 2018.

What we achieved: