Supplementary evidence from Post Office
Ltd
POST OFFICES
OPENING HOURS
The following table shows the approximate number
of branches that fit into the specified ranges of weekly opening
hours which you requested. The table also shows the % of the total
customers using Post Office Ltd who use the branches that are
within the specified hours range.
|
| Opening Hours Range (weekly) | Approx no. branches in the range
| % of total customers of Post Office Ltd who use branches within the range
|
|
| 0-20 | 1,300 | <1
|
| 20-30 | 375 | <1
|
| 30-40 | 2,625 | 13
|
| 40-50 | 6,650 | 67
|
| 50-60 | 825 | 18
|
| 60+ | 175 | 2
|
|
| |
|
Around 10,500 Post Office branches are open on a Saturday
for varying numbers of hours.
However, the above hours represent the minimum hours that
the specific Post Offices are open in the week. As seen below,
many specific services are available for longer hours and, overall,
Post Office Ltd is continuing to extend the hours of access for
those products where greater hours enhance the convenience to
the customer. Relevant initiatives include the following:
— Virtually all Post Offices now have paystation terminals—many
of which are on the "retail" side and thereby can enable
certain customer transactions (for example energy key recharges)
for the extended opening hours of the retail store in which the
Post Office is based.
— Continuing innovations such as combi-tills, the "Partner"
version of Outreach, the Post Office Essentials trial—also
enable the Post Office functions to be integrated more fully with
the retail part of the store—and thereby make it operationally
more feasible for the subpostmaster to operate Post Office opening
hours that reflect any longer opening hours within the retail
side of the store. Parcel/packet pick up initiatives in store
(such as local collect) use Post Office opening hours to widen
convenience with respect to parcel/packet delivery.
— Post Office Ltd has a network of around 1700 free
to use ATM's through which certain transactions can be performed.
Over 1000 are outside the branch and are therefore accessible
24 hours, the balance are within stores but will be accessible
for the full extended opening hours of the store.
— Post Office Ltd also has call centre facilities through
which certain transactions can be performed. Opening hours can
be seen on the Post Office Ltd website (for example our Travel
Insurance call centre is open 0800-2100 Mon-Fri, 0900-1800 Sat,
1000-1700 Sun)
— Post Office Ltd's internet site (www.postoffice.co.uk/)
through which a range of products can be purchased for delivery
via the Post or for later collection at the branch (eg foreign
exchange) provides a 24 hour service.
June 2009
|
