Embracing Change Beyond speed and sustainability by Charles Mak In August 1995, Hongkong Post underwent a metamorphosis which has instigated scores of changes From generic postal service provider to keen player in international logistics solutions, Hongkong Post has changed dramatically over the past decade and is steadily gaining momentum. "The transformation into a trading fund is not merely about profit and loss," says Dan Choi, assistant postmaster general (business development) Hongkong Post. "It also means we had to be cautious with expenditure and maintain a high level of transparency while running the organisation like a corporation that is innovative and bold so as to increase the profit margin. As such, we must adjust our service mindset and streamline our operation, management and service infrastructures to achieve optimal efficiency." From the outset, there was already more than met the eye. For a start, the organisation's corporate colour turned from the colonial red to a pleasant shade of green. According to Mr Choi, the image change has impacted positively on public sentiment. "The new logo incorporates the silhouette of a hummingbird which symbolises dedication, reliability, productivity and agility. These in essence are the key elements of Hongkong Post's brand identity with which each and every one of our products, services and personnel must align," he explains. Brand power Under Hongkong Post's "strategy map", growing "world-class people" is a priority. "Staff are the best brand ambassadors. If we are to make a profit we must first of all build the competence of our people," Mr Choi notes. Turning strategies into practice, the organisation offers its 7,000 staff internal and external training in operations and management, plus overseas familiarisation programmes. Investments in staff development pay dividends. In particular, since the turn of the millennium, Hongkong Post has been furnished with more than 100 awards including the Hong Kong Association For Customer Service Excellence — Customer Service Excellence Awards, HKMA Distinguished Salesperson Awards, the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) Excellence in Practice Award in Organisational Learning, to name a few. During the past three years, findings from a series of surveys also revealed a 95 per cent customer satisfaction rate. The organisation also ranked second from a brand recognition survey conducted by City University of Hong Kong last year. Today, Hongkong Post's portfolio of services encompasses some 20 categories, from the more familiar services like ordinary mail, local and international courier, direct mail, bill payments, philately, trade declaration and logistics, to the lesser known travel document local delivery and a range of despatch services as well as its latest B2C total solution iMail. "Service diversification helps sustain our brand value and operational objectives," Mr Choi remarks. "For instance, the international courier service Speedpost is a manifestation of our corporate identity, alongside many of our products and services." To stretch the potential of Speedpost business in the Pearl River Delta region, a special promotion was launched early in 2007, creating much enthusiasm from customers in Guangdong province. "Customer retention is vital as we compete with multinational logistics giants head on. Retention tools like the Speedpost bonus scheme encourage repeated business," Mr Choi says. "To sustain profitability, we must continue to foster customer loyalty which intrinsically reflects customer satisfaction, as well as the effectiveness of our pricing strategies. In this regard, service and product innovation is key to maintaining, enhancing and benchmarking our service level." Reaching out In a bid to reach its target audience, a range of customer-centric initiatives is well in place to inform and engage customers. These include publicity campaigns such as the earlier "correct address, prompt delivery" promotion featuring the popular cartoon character McMug as a "postal ambassador". According to Mr Choi, "The right ambassador can help to create synergy, achieve media coverage and generate a positive response from the general public." With a focus on catering to the specific needs of corporate customers, Hongkong Post organised numerous information-packed events such as the Direct Mail Symposium and more recently the Logistics Service Seminar co-organised by the China Post Logistics Company Limited. The organisation also partakes in an array of forums and seminars like the forthcoming CEO Forum 2008 organised by Junior Chamber International Hong Kong. Invitations to such high-profile events puts Hongkong Post on a par with other successful corporations, helping to raise the bar not only for the logistics industry but also for the wider service industry. "Through these sessions we share experiences, best practices and new concepts," Mr Choi adds. Cultivating close partnerships with China Post Group and China Post Logistics Company Limited helps boost Hongkong Post's brand capabilities and further penetrate the greater China market in the long run. In the near future, Hongkong Post will continue to face keen competition from more than 200 local courier services providers, aside from the prominent multinationals. "Unlike our logistics competitors, we are a service brand offering postal services to everybody," emphasises Mr Choi who is optimistic about the organisation's future development. He adds, "The popularity of our PostalPlus for SME service platform has grown tremendously over the past year. Currently, there are more than 30,000 active SME members out of a total of 180,000 active SMEs in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, we are looking to tap into the pool of more than 90,000 factories across the border by strengthening our cross-border direct mail and total logistics solutions services." Taken from Career Times 16 May 2008, p. A20 Your comments are welcome at [email protected]