POL00448711
POL00448711
Tab 4 CEO Report
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evolve, with Drop & Collect (D&C) numbers now at 267. A furthet
savings were achieved in April by replacing branches receiving exc
remuneration, taking the total a since the programme started in October.
We have also realised over of annualised savings in fixed remuneration from
Outreach efficiencies.
23. Plans for the re-launch of the DMB programme have been developed. This will consist
xem! Of annualised
PP: plete in financial year
2023/24.
24. Remuneration for May (based on April trading) was igher than the
same period last year — the strongest YoY comparison since July 2022. Alongside
stronger relative performance in Mails and the rate increases announced in March, this
was boosted by the introduction of the Major Branch Support Payment which will pay
out an average o' "to 577 branches over the next year (with the costs accrued in
2022/23). ~
Back Office Postmaster Service & Support
25. Branch Support Centre (BSC) continues to deliver a strong performance, with 79% of
calls answered within 60secs (target 70%) and 97% of all calls answered (target
95%) and average wait time of 55 secs. Capacity in the BSC is being utilised to call
Postmasters who have recently used the review and dispute button. Whilst successful
in collecting discrepancy information, we are likely to see an increase in the number of
open investigations due to resource availability.
26. Work has started on creating an action plan to reduce the volume and value of branch
discrepancies, collating outputs from both the stakeholder immersion day and EY
review. This will be managed as a project and progress reported regularly to GE. This
discrepancy action plan will also support the Retail Path Clearing agenda.
27. The FY23/24 Branch Activity Plan and the governance process to keep it up to date
has been cascaded to the SLG. The activity plan will be used to assess both branch
and field team capacity, and ensure the activity is fit to land and has a robust
communication plan. This will ensure change lands right first time, allowing branches
to focus on driving performance.
Postmaster Engagement
28. The annual Postmaster Research survey is complete. 1642 Postmasters completed the
survey, c.22% of our independent Postmaster population and a significant increase on
last year, demonstrating improving levels of engagement and providing a robust data
sample size.
29. In terms of the relationship between Post Office and Postmasters, 34% of respondents
felt like a valued and equal business partner (down from 43% last year), while only
40% of those surveyed feel well supported by Post Office (down from 54%). This
sentiment follows through to our ‘trust’ metrics, with a 12% reduction in those who
feel that Post Office are genuinely trying to improve the relationship, and a 9%
reduction in those who feel that we interact in a purposeful and engaging way. There
is no doubt that external factors and trading conditions influenced the scores, as well
as the action taken by the Voice of Postmaster group over the first weekend of the
survey, asking members to score negatively. If we remove data from that period,
results improve by 2-3% across the board.
30. The results of the survey were communicated to Postmasters at the annual
Postmaster Conference on 11th May in Glasgow and at the NFSP conference on 15th
May in Stratford Upon Avon. Both events provided an opportunity to engage with
Postmasters face-to-face and it is clear to see that branch profitability is a key driver
5
Strictly Confidential
POL Board Meeting-06/06/23 41 of 229
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