Our customers
Our communities

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At the core of our customer’s expectations is that we will provide choice and convenience. The value we create for our customers, who are now globally connected, is in being consistent and reliable as we meet that expectation.

We live in an age where the power has firmly shifted from organisations to consumers. Our newly established Chief Customer Office has a clear mandate for creating the experiences that customers love and advocating for our customers across the enterprise.

Receiving
letters
17m
monthly
Digital
visits
182m
annually
App
downloads
1.9m
annually
Visiting
retail
249m
annually

The new structure is all about putting the customer at the centre of everything we do. Empowering our people to solve customer problems will drive innovation and simplicity in the way we interact with customers. We have sharpened our focus on listening to customers and taking action, knowing our customers and understanding their needs.

As the advocate for the customer, our people are empowered to make demonstrable improvements in the customer experience. This includes removing the “pain points” for customers and bringing consistency to what our customers experience at our post offices, contact centre and our digital channels.

We are also looking to make a step change in the parcel delivery experience, to put the choice and control in customers’ hands to increase first-time delivery. With our personalised MyPost experience if you’re not going to be home you can elect to have your parcel “safe dropped” by instructing us where to leave it, redirect it to another address or take advantage of a free 24/7 parcel locker.

We recognise these as bold ambitions and big aspirations, but we believe we have a unique opportunity to redefine the customer experience.

As an organisation we want to be known for:

  • creating seamless customer experiences
  • listening to customers and taking action
  • knowing our customers
  • empowering our people.
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Measuring customer advocacy

Measuring customer advocacy

We are committed to listening to our customers, to understanding their concerns or problems and developing solutions that address their needs and the future outlook.

One of the ways we track our customers’ experience is by measuring customer advocacy. The Net Promoter Score (NPS) provides data about what we are doing well and where we need to improve. Our NPS has dipped very slightly, from our 2014/15 result of +15. However, our 2015/16 result of +14.1 has seen minimal impact given the major reform to our letters service1.

While reform to our letters service has had an impact, our research shows that the more people use our services, the more likely they are to advocate on our behalf. Promoters of Australia Post are important to us because they have the power to influence the purchase decisions of the people around them. We are determined to adapt our business and lead the way with transforming services and products for the future.

1 The methodology for NPS is currently under review. This data has been calibrated in line with our past reporting practices.

Helping consumers

Helping consumers

The digital economy continues to disrupt our competitive landscape and, in response, we are transforming to deliver compelling, multichannel customer experiences. MyPost plays a significant role by providing a personalised way of delivering contemporary services to consumer and small business customers.

We currently offer a range of MyPost services to simplify delivery processes and connections to service providers such as banks, utilities and telecommunication companies. In 2015/16, 1.9 million consumers registered a free MyPost account, an increase of 190.0 per cent. MyPost Deliveries provides a personalised way for customers to access and manage parcel delivery services. Through their MyPost account, customers have the choice, convenience and control to get their parcels at the time and place that suits them – at home, on the go or at the Post Office. Delivery choices include Parcel Lockers, Parcel Collect, Safe Drop and redirect. With tracking and notifications through MyPost, customers can find out where their parcel is and know the moment their parcel has arrived. Customers can also search, lease and pay for a new post office box online.

MyPost Digital Mailbox helps customers manage and make selected bill payments all in one place. It provides free, secure storage for documents, such as birth certificates and travel documents, from any internet-connected device. Customers can receive digital receipts for purchases made at the Post Office, as well as WA Police checks and Fit2Work police certificates. Mail2Day notifications let customers with PO Boxes know when they have mail in their PO Box. Every Australian adult has access to a free MyPost Digital Mailbox.

Federal concession card holders can tell us who they are through MyPost Concession, which means they get concession rates for Mail Hold and Mail Redirection services. We also give these customers a free booklet of five concession stamps and access to up to 50 concession stamps per year.

International products makes sending overseas easy

Tomorrow’s world is a global community and marketplace. We deliver to more than 190 countries and lodgement via 15,357 street posting boxes and 4,392 Post Offices nationwide.

In response to customer feedback, in 2015/16 we made it simpler to send items overseas. We relaunched a comprehensive range of international delivery options, which gives customers a clear choice of International Courier, International Express, International Standard, Registered Post and International Economy Sea and Air services. These options are all available in business hubs, Post Offices and online, via Click and Send.

Travel products

Travel products

People are travelling overseas in increasing numbers, so we provide a one-stop shop for travel services. Travellers can now organise currency, travel insurance, TravelSIM, passports and passport photos at our Post Offices, where we help people get organised in a simple and secure way. The Load&Go Travel Card continued to prove popular, offering a convenient, flexible way of accessing money while travelling, with the extra security of not being linked to a bank account.

Connecting with customers

We received 182 million digital visits during 2015/16, 25 per cent higher than the previous year. Of these 164 million were to auspost.com.au. More and more people are using our website to do everyday jobs such as track a parcel, look up a postcode, or get more information about our range of products and services. In fact, the number of self-service actions on the site has grown by 16 per cent in the last year, so we are working hard to ensure we keep changing to meet customers’ evolving needs.

Fifty-two per cent of customers visit our website via mobile devices and our website is undergoing a transformation to provide customers with a more seamless and personalised experience. One example is PO Boxes online, where customers can check availability at their preferred Post Office and complete the application and renewal process online.

When our Customer Contact Centre launched 24/7 online support for small business customers registered with My Post Business, our employees were delighted to get involved, with many opting to adjust their shifts to work through the night.

Small Business customers can now get in touch with us via Facebook, Twitter or by live chat. They can also use the click-to-call function, where they can choose to have one of our team call them back during extended telephone support hours.

This year we also continued to extend our Customer Relationship Management capability used in our customer contact centre into

delivery centres, Post Offices and other support areas, enabling a 55 per cent improvement in customer query resolution. In line with the increase in self-service via our website, over a third of our customer enquiries are now via our online channels (web and social).

Connecting with customers
Winners Beserk with Chief Customer Officer, Christine Corbett.
Winners Beserk with Chief Customer Officer, Christine Corbett.

Australia’s favourite online retailers

With eCommerce continuing to grow in Australia and globally, StarTrack’s exclusive naming partnership with the Online Retail Industry Awards (ORIAs) provides a platform to continue positioning ourselves as one of Australia’s leading eCommerce companies.

This was the second – and biggest-ever – year of the StarTrack ORIAs People’s Choice Award with around 100,000 loyal online shoppers voting for 750 of their favourite online retailers, ranging from familiar household names to Aussie start-ups. This is the only category that gives online shoppers the power to vote and decide the winner.

Ten diverse finalists were shortlisted with Catch of the Day announced as the overall People’s Choice Award winner. This year’s awards also saw the introduction of a brand new category to recognise and celebrate smaller online retailers, with alternative clothing store Beserk taking out the People’s Choice Award for Small Business.

Helping small business

In October 2015, we launched our We Love Delivering for Small Business campaign signalling our commitment to help Australian small businesses go online, grow their business and export.

In May 2016, we launched our new tailored small business experience, accessed via free in-store or online registration with MyPost Business.

These enhanced services include specialised 24/7* online support with live chat and extended hours phone support, exclusive offers, monthly discounts and invitations to courses and events, a free parcel scanning app to make order tracking easier, and new tools to let customers easily pay for and print their own shipping labels online.

We’re also supporting small business through thought leadership articles from our Australia Post leaders, small business event sponsorships, a new Australia Post for Business Facebook page, and the Small Business Conversation.

*excluding public holidays


Creating a small business community

The Australia Post Small Business Hive, launched as a pilot in Geelong in early 2016, is designed to support and enable growth of small and start-up businesses. The Small Business Hive is a membership based, co-working space offering small businesses a range of services including:

  • high-quality, shared workspaces with security, privacy, high-speed internet access and quality business equipment
  • a program of events and education to provide knowledge, assets and advice
  • a connected community culture to foster collaboration between businesses and the broader community

The Small Business Hive has been purposefully designed to foster a collaborative business culture that inspires innovation and entrepreneurial activity among the small businesses of Geelong. This is positioning the growing regional city well for a dynamic future.

Creating a small business community

Investing in small business – Mailplus majority investment

As part of our commitment to Australian small businesses and building partnerships with them from the beginning of their journey, in April 2016 we made a majority investment in Mailplus, a national franchised network for collecting, delivering and lodging mail and parcels on behalf of small businesses. With this investment in Mailplus, we will be able to provide a range of new services to make it simpler for small businesses to complete their everyday important jobs, including collecting their mail from their PO Box.

Mailplus employs approximately 20 staff in management and administrative support functions, and operates 123 territories supported by 178 vehicles. It has a national footprint (with the exception of the Northern Territory) and has over 6,000 small business customers.

Mailplus remains a stand-alone business, helping Australia Post to provide small businesses with the services they need – when they need them.

Catch of the Day

Catch of the Day

With an impressive track record of growth, deals website Catch of the Day has established itself as a top online destination for thousands of deals on the latest streetwear, fashion, homewares, toys, groceries and more. Catch of the Day first set up their online shop in 2006 with five employees and a 200m2 warehouse, and has since grown to become one of the largest parcel distributors in the country. It now boasting a robotic automated picking system at its 25,000m2 inventory warehouse in Melbourne’s south-east.

New innovations like these have allowed the group to work smarter and deliver customer orders in record time, especially over important busy seasons like Christmas and Easter. Together with its sister brands (Scoopon, Mumgo and Grocery Run) Catch of the Day’s parent company, Catch Group, fills more than 8,000 orders every day. The group first partnered with Australia Post’s parcels business in 2006, and has been using us for their deliveries, every step of their journey, ever since. Today, Catch of the Day offers its customers a range of delivery options, including express post, delivery to parcel locker, parcel collect & PO Box, and easy returns backed by seven-day customer service.

Adam Rudy, General Manager of Customer Experience at Catch of the Day said, “Catch of the Day and Australia Post have been around from the early stages of online shopping in Australia and, as our businesses have gone from strength to strength, we’ve helped each other grow. Customer satisfaction is paramount to us, and Australia Post shares the same philosophy.”

Helping business and governments

We have a range of eCommerce solutions that respond to the changing needs of our corporate and government customers.

Digitise existing services
We have a suite of digital identity, payment processing and information management services to help accelerate the digitisation of existing services and back-office processes.

Multi-channel service delivery
Australia Post is uniquely positioned to facilitate secure transactions and has exclusive access to services with our unrivalled network of Post Offices. This includes substantial coverage in rural locations, as well as our digital channels and capabilities. We enable governments to design and adopt new service delivery models by sourcing and consolidating core services and integrating new technologies.

Citizen engagement and eMarketplaces
Our eMarketplaces platform uses a flexible approach where we co-design a people-centred and cost-efficient experience for streamlining the application, identity verification and online payment processes, while securely delivering goods electronically and physically.

Solutions design and managed services
We help all levels of government deliver sustainable ways to migrate customers to digital channels, while improving citizen access to everyday, important services. From establishing new online marketplaces to managing online registries, we offer a range of consulting, online hosting and support and maintenance services.

Identity services
We reduce the friction and inefficiency often associated with individuals proving their identity across several hundred million transactions performed every year. Services include document witnessing, physical and electronic identity verification, biometric capture (fingerprints, voice and photographic data), identity authentication, working with children checks, passport services, police certificates (WA), and land title transfers.

Payment services
Our payment processing, disbursement and banking solutions help organisations provide payment experiences consumers can use and trust in their everyday transactions – be it online, via mobile devices or through our nationwide retail network.

Information management services
We offer efficiencies and cost savings, a reduction in paper-based processes and improved risk management and compliance through secure, searchable, online archive capability.

Engaging our stakeholders

Our main stakeholder groups include our shareholder (the Australian Government), our people, our customers and the broader community. We also have important links with regulatory bodies, suppliers, industry organisations, peak bodies and environmental groups.

We depend on the support of all of these groups and actively engage with them in ways that suit the relationship. Every year we conduct surveys, interviews and focus groups to understand the needs of our stakeholders and the way our business affects them.

We discuss our postal and logistics services with consumers, small business and corporations.

We also conduct staff attitude surveys and focus groups to understand what our employees think about our business. The data and research we collect enable us to draw better insights and improve our stakeholders’ experience.

Continuing the conversation online

Through the National Conversation platform auspost.com.au/conversation, we enabled the entire community to participate in a conversation about our future.

Australians used this platform to find information, including videos and fact sheets, about Australia Post and the proposed changes, to participate in a discussion forum, ask questions, or take part in quick polls.

As at 30 June 2016 more than 170,000 people had visited the National Conversation to find information or participate in a conversation.

Thirty-five per cent of visitors undertook some form of activity to become informed about the proposed changes.

In October 2015, we launched the Small Business Conversation website to gain insights into how we can better support small business. By engaging small businesses in conversations about the things that matter to them and understanding the challenges and concerns they face in the community, we will be better able to provide products, services and connections for them and their customers. Still in its infancy, the Small Business Conversation site has had more than 10,000 visits since its launch.

Engaging the community in the need for letters reform

In 2015/16, it was particularly important that we worked closely with the community in discussing the declining use of letters and the best way to adapt our business to continue providing relevant services to the community. We engaged our people, customers, the community, the government and media on the issues surrounding the sustainability of our letters business. The two key reform changes were the BPR increase to $1 and the introduction of the two-speed consumer letters service.

Having received federal government support for reform in March 2015, the community engagement activity between July 2015 and January 2016 was focused on helping the community understand what the proposed changes meant for them. We also asked the community to share their views on the proposed reform and reinforced our commitment to continue providing relevant services to the community.

To continue the face-to-face engagement with local communities, Listening Posts continued to roll out throughout the second half of 2015 to explain proposed changes and hear feedback about our services in local areas. These events were often hosted by local members of parliament, who were keen to hear their constituents’ firsthand experiences with Australia Post and to gain a deeper understanding of community views about the service.

Since May 2014, 206 Listening Posts have been held in 204 towns across 131 federal electorates.

Feedback consistently showed that this grassroots approach addressed community concern and built understanding and support for the changes. Events were facilitated by our area and regional managers, strengthening the relationship between our local managers and local communities.

Engaging the community

Our Stakeholder Council

The Australia Post Stakeholder Council provides advice and guidance on a range of issues throughout the year. The council also reviews and guides our approach to best practice integrated annual corporate responsibility (CR) reporting.

The Stakeholder Council comprises nine members representing a range of views, chaired by an Australia Post Board member. In 2015/16, the council met three times.

With roles and experience in small and medium business, community services, industrial relations, marketing and corporate responsibility, our council members are:

Sommers Botha – Former General Manager, Retail Scholastic Australia
Rhonda Cumberland – Former CEO, Good Shepherd
Graz van Egmond – Executive Director, Banksia Environment Foundation
George Etrelezis – Small Business Consultant
Dennis Jenner – Former Director, Post Office Agents Association Limited
Felicity Pantelidis – Chief Operating Officer, Slater & Gordon Lawyers
Geoff Rohrsheim – Founder/Executive Director, The Silver Lining Group
Cameron Thiele – Formerly of the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union
Phil De Young – Consultant & Former Principal, Carey Baptist Grammar School

Stakeholder Council Statement

For the past few years, the Stakeholder Council has had the opportunity to review Australia Post’s approach to best practice annual reporting and provide their views in relation to corporate responsibility. In reviewing this year’s integrated annual report, we believe that Australia Post has continued to demonstrate its commitment to corporate responsibility, including social and environmental sustainability. Efforts to evolve the coverage of the corporation’s material issues and further integrate its social and environmental performance within the 2016 report reflects a strategic approach to a whole-of-business focus on delivering improved social and environmental outcomes for the Australian community. The Council believes that this report again provides a transparent and clearly integrated representation of the material in relation to Australia Post’s performance.

Australia Post Stakeholder Council August 2016

Industry consultation

A critical aspect of the reform of our letters service was ensuring that we engaged extensively with our customers about the proposed changes. We achieved this through face-to-face briefings and formal communications.

We were able to have more discussions about how the industry might be impacted by reform at an industry consultative forum. The forum included representatives from unions, licensees, major mail users, industry associations and other important stakeholders, and aimed to help the mail services sector achieve long-term sustainability.

Through this forum, we were able to design a package that helped to alleviate the impacts of reform. The package included increasing the discount on promotional post until mid-2017 and continuing to minimise cost increases for the not-for-profit sector.

Go Digi

It is estimated that 16 per cent of Australians, around four million people, are not online. This means they aren’t able to take advantage of the education, health and social benefits of being connected. Research also suggests that the greatest barriers to people getting online are skills and confidence.

As part of our strategy to increase participation in a digital world, Australia Post partnered with Infoxchange to create Go Digi, a four-year digital literacy program that aims to support Australians to improve their digital skills and confidence.

The Go Digi website houses a number of resources, including easy-to-read learning guides on a range of digital topics, and tips and tricks on how to be a great Go Digi Mentor by sharing your skills with a colleague, family member or friend. The site also enables users with a search tool to find face-to-face learning sessions run by “network partners” such as neighbourhood houses, community centres and libraries.

Go Digi is also a great additional resource for Australia Post employees who are looking to improve their online potential.

Community programs and partnerships

One Netball Program
We partnered with Netball Australia to create the Australia Post One Netball Program, which includes a range of initiatives at national and local levels to raise awareness, understanding and participation around diversity and inclusion. The One Netball Community Awards celebrate individuals, clubs and associations who go above and beyond to welcome everyone in netball. In July 2015, the Paraburdoo Netball Association was one of seven national winners for its work in increasing netball participation in their remote community in the Pilbara.

AFL
Our partnership with the AFL is focused on celebrating diversity and multiculturalism in the community, using the AFL Multicultural Round, Community Camps and player Ambassador Program to reach our audience. In these activities we celebrate diversity and connection to community through football. Using media and partner channels, we tell the story of football bringing communities together from grass roots local games to elite AFL competitions.

Good Spender
The Good Spender online marketplace is the result of a unique partnership with Social Traders, reflecting the social enterprise movement that is gaining momentum. We have grown the Good Spender social enterprise platform through a focused consumer marketing campaign and dedicated resourcing to welcome and support small social enterprises.

Innovation Index
The Innovation Index report was launched in 2015 as a diagnostic assessment tool to measure the depth and breadth of innovation capabilities across the not-for-profit sector.

Australia Post and Westpac partnered with GiveEasy to help fund the research and production of the report and delivered a series of Australia-wide events.

Santa Mail
Santa Mail is an ongoing annual initiative that engages the community during the festive period by encouraging school children to write a letter to Santa.

Car Santa
AFL Multicultural Round visit to Perth Parcel Centre, WA.
AFL Multicultural Round visit to Perth Parcel Centre, WA.
AFL Multicultural Round visit to Alexandria Delivery Facility, NSW.
AFL Multicultural Round visit to Alexandria Delivery Facility, NSW.
AFL Multicultural Round visit to Alexandria Delivery Facility, NSW.
AFL Multicultural Round visit to Alexandria Delivery Facility, NSW.

Our Neighbourhood

Our Neighbourhood Trust
Our Neighbourhood Trust is a public charitable trust fund established by Australia Post in 2013. The Trust distributes funds raised as part of the Our Neighbourhood Community Grants program. The Trust has helped fund 383 community projects since 2013.

Our Neighbourhood Grants Programs
Our major focus is to promote healthier, more vibrant and inclusive communities by building capability within communities and leaving a positive legacy around Australia. In 2015/16, we successfully awarded 86 grants to projects that build skills and capability of individuals, community groups, small businesses and the wider community. Focus areas for funding included employment pathways, community inclusion and disaster readiness. To view details of all our grant recipients visit ourneighbourhood.com.au/grant-winners

Doing it Differently Day
Doing it Differently Day is an annual fundraising day of action where employees can pledge to do something different to raise funds for the Our Neighbourhood Trust. Just under $50,000 has been raised so far through Doing it Differently and this will be distributed via the Our Neighbourhood Community Grants program, to groups and organisations around Australia in need of assistance.

Lifestyle Solutions Work Assist
Our partnership with Lifestyle Solutions (a not-for-profit disability services provider) to develop the Work Assist program has provided more than 25 opportunities for people living with a disability to gain skills, knowledge and hands-on work placement through the Australia Post Group business.

The partnership also provides community mail programs in Alice Springs, Northern Territory and Mayfield, New South Wales, which provide additional work experience opportunities for people living with a disability.

During the year, Bindi Enterprises, a local Lifestyle Solutions organisation and Australia Post contractor, extended its service to two new locations, Larapinta Valley and Hidden Valley. Residents of that area no longer have to collect their mail from the Tangentyere Council offices. The supported staff of “Bindi Mail” are also involved in other employment opportunities, such as at the Mwerre Anthurre Artists Studio, refurbishing Qantas headsets and screen printing.

Globe

Measuring our impact

This year, we invested more than $7.05 million in the community. This figure comprised cash, time, in-kind donations, and management and operational costs to support our community programs.

Australia Post is a member of the London Benchmarking Group (LBG) and sits on the group’s Steering Committee. We measure our community investment using the LBG’s internationally recognised approach and the data we report is verified by LBG each year.

A copy of LBG’s verification statement can be found at auspost.com.au/annualreport2016

Total value of contributions (excl. Management costs)

Total value of contributions (excl. Management costs)
Our future outlook

Our future outlook

We love delivering an exceptional customer experience, which means continuing to understand our customers’ needs and the expectations around access, convenience and choice.

Our future will focus on delivering seamless experiences across all our customer channels and delighting our customers with our unrivalled range of parcel delivery options.