Mail carriers deliver letters and newspapers. And parcels. Hold on, there’s more? Exactly: sometimes, they also deliver fresh bread or regionally grown vegetables and take away empty PET bottles or dirty laundry. In some places, they even read electricity meters. Mail carriers provide a variety of services over the last mile. This creates a win-win situation – both for customers and Swiss Post.
Six days a week, mail carriers pass by almost every front door in Switzerland. So it seems logical that they should do more than “just” deliver mail. And that they should also collect items or handle orders there and then. For example, as well as bringing the mail, mail carriers can deliver bread from the bakery, vegetables from local farms or books from the library. They can additionally collect empty PET bottles, coffee capsules or old electrical appliances at your front door for recycling. In some places, they even read electricity, gas and water meters on their delivery round.
Why is Swiss Post doing this? Geneviève Wüthrich, Head of the “Last Mile” business area at Swiss Post says: “These new services have become a necessity. People want to handle as many things as possible from home without any complications. And with our services, we can simplify their lives.” It will also help us make full use of the mail carriers’ delivery rounds in the future, despite falling letter and newspaper volumes. There are environmental considerations too. Geneviève Wüthrich stresses: “No additional journeys are required and the mail carriers themselves use electric vehicles. This means the services provided are both efficient and environmentally-friendly.”
More variety for the mail carriers
Mail carrier Brigitte Meyer: “Delivering regional products makes my work more varied.”
There are a large number of tests being conducted and services currently available over the last mile (see overview below). These new services are changing the work of the delivery staff. This is the case for Brigitte Meyer, who has had a delivery round in Gümligen, near Berne, for over 20 years: “The extra services, such as delivering regional products, are a useful addition to Swiss Post’s core business. And they make my daily routine more interesting and varied.” Brigitte Meyer is aware of the challenges posed by such new services for mail carriers: “If I’ve got a lot of letter mail to deliver along with numerous bags of vegetables, well thought out logistics and precise coordination are essential.” The vegetables have to remain fresh, but the letters need to be delivered on time. Mail carrier Meyer notes: “I have a responsibility to both the vegetable farmers and the customers who look forward to receiving their vegetables and their mail.”
From an idea to a nationwide service
The ideas for this type of service rarely emerge behind closed doors at Swiss Post; they are mostly a response to a specific customer requirement. Head of the “Last Mile” business area Geneviève Wüthrich adds: “Business customers are looking for solutions to reach people at home. They want to deliver or collect items from people’s houses directly.” A few years ago, PET Recycling Schweiz wanted to make it possible for people to dispose of PET waste simply and, as far as possible, from home.
But not every idea makes it off the drawing board. About half of all ideas have to be dropped on economic or legal grounds. Or because there are limits in terms of technical feasibility – for example in the case of products that need to be constantly kept cool. If, however, an idea is viable, it is generally tested in one or more regions. And if a trial is ultimately successful for all those involved, the service may even be provided nationwide. Such as the empty PET bottle collection service, which Swiss Post has offered to all households in Switzerland for around the past two months.
Related links
A postcode search (in German only) indicates which regional products are available and in which regions.
More information on services over the last mile: swisspost.ch/around-us (in German only)
Swiss Post currently offers these services over the “last mile” (as at 29 October 2020):
