A new digital strategy: The Gallery interview

Between their respective disciplines of Digital Innovation and Global Logistics, the two very much represent the future of Jersey Post.

For a Jersey resident it’s easy to imagine Jersey Post as simply the people who deliver the mail. The name says it all, right? Well, not exactly. The historic focus of the company was, as the name implies, as a local mail operator. As we all started turning to email for our communication a couple of decades back, you’d have imagined that postal services would suffer. However, thanks to the growth of e-commerce, the delivery industry prospered as postal operators began to fulfil our desire for fast delivery of goods by mail.

Jersey’s Low Value Consignment Relief (LVIR) saw Jersey Post expand to satisfy the needs of the likes of Play.com and Feelunique.com's export businesses. Since that area of the business has changed and contracted in recent years, the company identified a need to diversify. Whilst maintaining a core postal business, they set about hatching plans to build on core strengths and look at other markets.

Established earlier this year, the global logistics business illustrates the hunger Jersey Post has for development of the group as a whole. Three years ago it was an idea: it now operates in seven locations around the world and for of the company’s annual revenue comes from its logistics operations. David has been on the ground in Asia and America, creating strategic partnerships and establishing joint ventures. Taking ‘Jersey’ global as a quality standard in postal services is very much the focus.

The development of the global logistics business also benefits from the group’s second new focus, digital innovation. Helmed by Lee Bosio, the new Digital division has developed a suite of services that represent Jersey’s Post’s diversification beyond core postal services. As Lee tells us, “digital transformation represents a key strategy across all industries and Jersey Post is no different”. Lee has assembled a team of “tech loving geeks with a passion for problem solving” whose mission is to provide transformational services to adapt to the shifting needs identified within their clients’ business activities. If you’re thinking about how to replace, update, develop or build on your data or postal related activity, these are your guys. Lee and his team will be assisting clients update historic processes, “We have seen, first hand, the way in which businesses communicate both internally and with their customers, constantly evolving as technology has progressed. A huge shift towards online services, combined with the need for instant access to information, has made digital services a key component of our strategy”.

There is a clear buzz about the potential and being within a group that is already trusted to handle sensitive customer data and (excuse the pun) deliver gives the Digital Division a great start. Building a physical office to house this new team was one of Lee’s first jobs. There was some reticence amongst some of the more traditional workers that a move into tech would bring with it a load of wacky dressing and off-the-wall interiors but that’s not part of the core strategy. Lee’s already recruited a young and hungry tech team and is looking to expand further with three current vacancies. The growth will include some close work with Digital Jersey and their Internet of things (IoT) Strategy and Jersey Post Digital will be taking an active role in event and training programmes.

If you’re considering what all this means for your Christmas card delivery, it’s going to mean that investment in technology should assist any postal services you use in future. Whether you’re using local mail, international logistics or updating everything to function from a bespoke hosted platform with both digital and physical distribution, Jersey Post should be getting your stamp of approval.

Pictured: Lee Bosio, Director

Source: Gallery Magazine