Africa-Press – Eswatini. With the increase of online sellers and online boutiques, Eswatini Post and Telecommunications (EPTC) has introduced the domestic small packets delivery service.
This service will see retailers, especially hawkers and their customers, sending and receiving small packets between the different post offices. This service will now make it easy for the hawkers to deliver to their customers seamlessly and throughout the country. The service was launched yesterday at EPTC Training Centre. The service was launched on the same day of the commemoration of the World Post Day.
Afforded
Speaking during the launch, EPTC Acting General Manager (GM) Musa Dube stated that EPTC had a network of 37 post offices covering both rural and urban areas, which customers were now afforded a solution to send and receive items within the network. He stated that this service had been approved by the regulator, the Eswatini Communications Commission. (ESCCOM). He said the domestic small packets service allowed customers to send and receive items that weigh up to 2kg and the service was strictly between post offices. Dube added that a variety of non-perishable items could be sent or received through the post office and users did not need to own a post box in order to use this service. The goods that could be sent through this services include clothes, especially those sold by the runners. Dube explained that the sender needs to bring whatever item they wan to send to their nearest post office and give details of their intended recipients, who would receive a delivery confirmation SMS once the item had been delivered to their nearest post office.
Receiver
He said when making collections, the receiver would be required to bring their identification (national ID) in order to get those items. He said this was meant to protect the items from being collected by wrong people. He explained that the sender may bring the items in plastic bags and then the post offices would provide applicable packaging at a standard charge of E5.
He stated that the items could be insured and track and trace shall apply “No prohibited items allowed,” he said. He emphasised that they aimed to provide a timeous delivery to customers, which ranges from 24 hours. He said the benefits of this service included revenue contribution to the organisation and positioning of EswatiniPost as a key player in the e-commerce logistics space. He said the service would add to enhancement of EswatiniPost competitiveness and responsiveness to customer needs. He said it would also increase foot fall into the post office, which could be an opportunity for cross/ upselling of products and services. Dube said this opportunity would be seen to be empowering local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME).
Attentiveness
Meanwhile, ESCCOM’s Thulani Fakudze, who was representing the Chief Executive (CE), Mvilawemphi Dlamini, said this initiative demonstrated the post’s attentiveness to customer needs and its diligent efforts to meet those requirements, especially in the e-commerce space. “We encourage all customers to utilise this service when sending small packets within the country, further enhancing convenience and efficiency,” said Fakudze. EPTC small packets delivery service target market are;
* Runners
* Retail shops
* E-commerce players
* Individuals
* Thrifters
* Hawkers
* Farmers
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