THE Royal Mail is set to introduce a new postage mark that will appear on all of their letters and packages in order to distinguish their services from their competition.
The new “Delivered by Royal Mail” mark will feature on the majority of the 15 billion letters and parcels that pass through their hands every year and will consist of the words “Delivered by” accompanied by the Royal Mail cruciform, with bilingual versions being made available inWales.
The UK was one of the first countries in the EU to open up their mail services to the open market and competition has quickly established itself.
However, the market has become complex with many different companies vying for business and as a result, some confusion has arisen as to who consumers ought to complain to, for example in the case of misdelivered mail. Not all companies exercise the same delivery standards and that is something that the Royal Mail feels that consumers need to be aware of.
What is more, according to a You Gov survey, over 77% of consumers would welcome more clarity as to who exactly delivers their mail.
Moya Greene, chief executive of Royal Mail stated that: “Delivering to 29 million addresses six days a week is a major task. The new mark ensures that postmen and women get recognition for the vital task they complete every working day.
“We are proud of the distinctive service we offer and we want customers to be aware of the difference. It is important we avoid customer confusion in theUK’s very competitive postal market, where many items are handled by providers other than Royal Mail.”
The new mark will be visible on stamped mail from the end of June this year, with franked mail bearing the mark as of January 2013. When is it fully rolled out, it is estimated that around 80% of all items Royal Mail deliveries will carry the mark.
