Pakej action plan to improve courier, postal services - Saifuddin

 

The implementation of the action plan under the National Courier Accelerator Plan (Pakej) will see more independent collection and delivery centres (Pudo) in an effort to improve postal and courier services, in turn creating first-class service to Malaysian consumers.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said the action plan also involved asset sharing between courier companies, revision of operating licence conditions, more economical delivery vehicles, notification and compliance with delivery period charters as well as insurance offers and premium services.

“To ensure all these action plans can be planned and implemented effectively, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has taken the first step by freezing the issuance of new courier licences for two years from Sept 14, 2020,” Saifuddin said in a statement today.

He said for the period from the end of 2019 to 2020, MCMC had detected a significant decline in the quality of courier services, with the majority of consumer complaints received, totalling 86 percent, involving poor customer service, delivery delays and even loss of goods.

“The average delivery period increased from 2.1 days to 4.6 days, and more surprisingly, the profit rate for courier companies has declined despite an increase in deliveries. This condition indicates an unhealthy development and requires a comprehensive shift.

“An unhealthy industry cannot invest especially in digitalisation efforts to improve the quality of services for consumers," he said.

Saifuddin said at the end of 2020, the National Postal and Courier Industry Laboratory (NPCIL), spearheaded by the Communications and Multimedia Malaysia Ministry (KKMM) and MCMC, was held for three weeks with the participation of industry players and relevant government agencies.

“It was held to improve postal and courier services to create first-class services for Malaysian consumers. The NPCIL action plan is very important for the implementation of the digital economy development plan and this plan is based on the achievement of four goals summarised as 4Rs, namely reliability, reach, relevance and resilience.

“This 4R goal will further contribute to the national aspirations of the courier industry, which is to provide first-class services to consumers; streamline the integration of the last-mile delivery system and provide satisfactory user experience,” he said.

Therefore, the implementation of measures to strengthen the courier industry, as mentioned, would be closely monitored by KKMM and MCMC and would be announced from time to time, he said.

“I am confident that this Pakej plan will be able to produce an effective direction towards strengthening the courier industry for the benefit of consumers everywhere and become an important core in future development planning.

“I will continue to pay attention to this agenda and ensure that the interests of all parties, especially the people, will be protected,” Saifuddin said.

- Bernama