SILIGURI: India Post is coming up with a bunch of new services aimed mainly towards high value and premium customers and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) having international links.
MoUs on this front have been signed with relevant authorities in postal services from different countries including China, Australia, Bhutan, Germany, UAE, Hong Kong, Italy, France and South Africa, to provide highly-customized business services especially to SMEs.
The most important amongst these are international express mail services (EMS) for express documents and parcels up to 35 kg. This comes just after India Post's recently introduced flat rate parcel services (FRPS) for any country. Parcels under the service will be given priority in shipment when being sent to any country with which the India Post has signed an MoU.
According to John Samuel, business development manager, India Post, three self sealing containers of different sizes, to be used for FRPS and available free of cost at select post offices, can carry 1 kg, 2.5 kg and 5 kg parcels. These can be shipped to any country at a flat rate of Rs 1,000, Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,500, respectively.
"Plans to introduce this in the domestic sector, too, at a reasonable rate, are at an advanced stage. Both in the international as well as domestic sectors, all these parcels will carry unique bar codes and shipped through air route only," he said.
Samuel said that all India Post special customised business packages, especially those aimed towards SMEs, are going to have facilities like solutions for business shipment, dedicated small packet shipments corridor at most economic rates, assured, priority customs clearance and online tracking.
Additionally, India Post is going to design specific service products to help enterprises in overseas marketing.
Times of India 26 Jan, 2011.
