To be in line with some of the services that professional courier companies offer, it has included a host of new services including providing SMS updates and tracking services through its website. Plans are also afoot to introduce door to door courier services and a call centre network soon.
Ali Yaqoob Hamdan Al Qasmi, manager, EMS International, says the transition has already begun since the time Oman Post became independent from the Ministry of Transport and Communications. "We have the means to introduce and facilitate change and introduce newer things at a faster pace,-?? Al Qasmi said.
Al Qasmi acknowledges that it is not an easy task to compete with private courier companies as they have their own networks and the competition is fierce.
"From the collection process to the transportation and delivery responsibility, there are some of the bigger companies that deliver using their own networks. We have our limitations with regard to this.
Once we are given a document/parcel that needs to be delivered, our responsibilities are limited to the time when it is dispatched and delivered to the destination country. From there on it becomes the responsibility of the particular local post office of the respective country to ensure the parcel reaches on time,-?? he explained.
Qasmi informed that there are limitations of the 14 other courier companies that are centred in Muscat only whereas EMS, Oman Post has 98 post offices at its disposal to handle the traffic.
However, EMS in Oman has been extremely efficient and is ensuring that it incorporates some of the best professional practices. "Our staff is brushing up their English language skills and computer technology.-??
Over 80 per cent of the staff has been trained, he added and informed that training in other areas will be conducted more regularly and Oman Post is already in the process of setting up a call centre.
Qasmi hopes that the door-to-door services will be availed in larger numbers.
SMS was launched at the Salalah festival three weeks ago and the tracking of a post/courier will be made available through the Oman Post website.
"The basic idea of the text messages will be to intimate consumers who are awaiting their parcels. It will serve as a reminder to collect their parcels. After 15 days if nobody actually claims the particular courier, it is returned to the sender or the origin,-?? he added.
