POST OFFICE OFFICIALS IN ST. KITTS-NEVIS ASSURE THE PUBLIC THAT THE GENERAL POST OFFICE IS STILL RELEVANT AND HERE TO STAY

Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 10, 2018 (SKNIS): Following on the heels of the celebration of World Post Day 2018, celebrated on October 09, officials from the Ministry of Posts were special guest on the government’s weekly programme, “Working For You”, on October 10, to educate and assure the public that the post office is still relevant in the digital age and here to stay.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Posts, Ms. Sharon Rattan, said that the post office continues to reinvent and stay up to date with new trends in order to stay relevant in a technologically advancing world. She said that changes that will be taking place at the General Post Office (GPO) in the Federation include the soon to be launched Facebook and Instagram pages in November and a more interactive website.

“I think we take for granted the amount of business that is conducted at post offices, but I must first say that it is here to stay. We need to change with the times and there is vast potential and opportunities for the post to change,” she stated.

She also highlighted that many businesses, especially legal and financial firms, still utilize a lot of the post office services in their day to day transactions. She also pinpointed that the need for a physical address to conduct business within the Federation is still required, thus making the use of the postal service relevant.

Deputy Post Master General, Darrien Veira, added that the post office had a pilot programme for the creation of a US mail box in 2013, which was fully launched in October of 2015 to help customers have a U.S. address to ship packages from the US to St. Kitts.

He said that the service offers tracking and tracing services and customers now have the option to consolidate their packages for more savings. Additionally, he said that the service has a fast turnaround time which keeps it up to par with other similar businesses in the Federation.

“Even though domestic mail has decreased over the years, we’ve seen a spike in our E-commerce business so we now have our GPO pack for persons who may need a physical address in the U.S to ship packages to St. Kitts,” he said.

Postmaster General, Mr. Dario Gill, added that the post office will also be introducing new services in the coming year, including electronic transfer services, while highlighting the big challenge faced by post offices in modern society.

“It is no secret that the post offices globally with the advent of the internet, e-mail, it has significantly decreased persons communicating via letter posts. That being said, the Universal Postal Union, they’re aware of that in terms of the amount of mail transmitted globally and that is why we are trying to innovate…we are also looking at in the short to medium term introducing some new services to the post office in the coming year. You have the electronic transfers when persons send money abroad or receive money from Money Gram or Western Union.” Mr. Gill said.