Reinventing postal services
The rise of e-mail and e-commerce has seriously disrupted the sector, shifting the focus of postal services worldwide towards providing logistics services.
PostNL quickly realised that these changes could hold infinite opportunity. So they set out to position their organisation at the core of European ecommerce - combining a seamless customer experience with a flawless digital service.
In 2009, they asked us, their digital partner, to start building a system that would allow them to go fully digital within five years.
PostNL needed to redefine their role and adapt to the changing market dynamics to remain competitive.
PostNL recognised the evolving landscape and seized the opportunity by strategically positioning themselves at the forefront of European e-commerce with the help of iO.
It all adds up to this
Digital taking over from bricks and mortar
PostNL aimed to shut down many of its brick-and-mortar stores in 2014 and shift the focus to e-commerce, with a fully digitised shipping service for both mail and parcels. This meant the delivery chain had to serve PostNL customers in a different way. In close collaboration with their marketing team, we developed a roadmap for the automation of all the mail carriers' core processes.
We needed to take future evolution into account from the get-go. Whatever we developed had to have the future potential to be integrated seamlessly into an ecosystem that would extend far beyond the creation of a webshop.
From e-shop to shipping service
To smoothen the transition towards becoming an e-logistic provider, we started by building an e-shop where customers could easily prepare their shipment, print a label, and then drop their parcel off at a post office. Later, PostNL launched a new shipping service where the packages were not only delivered but also picked up from the customer's location.
This meant a complete rewrite for PostNL and its systems with the implementation of new services, many of which were not even in development at the time.
That's why we designed an open and future-proof architecture that could support the addition of any new processes, and that could disclose existing and new customer accounts to all clients in the ecosystem.
Because the legacy backend system would take much longer to adapt, we disconnected the frontend from the backend and created a new layer. This two-tier approach allowed us to develop the PostNL ecosystem at different speeds. On the new layer, services could be added quickly at any time, and the database of 6 million customer accounts was available to whichever client in the ecosystem needed them. At the same time, another team could work simultaneously on the more complex adaptations in the backend of the ecosystem.
"In a way, PostNL, at its core, is an IT-driven logistic provider. As their digital partner, we ensure their ecosystem is able to seamless, swiftly and securely manage vast amounts of data. And we ensure PostNL delivers all their users the best omnichannel customer experience."
Luuk Boschker, Software Architect, iO
What we did — and still do
In the years that we have been working together, we have established mutual trust. We have over 8 dedicated scrum teams working in close collaboration with the PostNL IT teams, meeting every week to discuss current projects and offering operational and strategic support.
We designed and built an ecosystem that sustains the user-friendly multichannel experience in which the customer is central. In the course of our collaboration, we have offered PostNL solutions based on a strong architectural vision.
Jouw.postnl.nl
The ultimate digital shipping experience. jouw.postnl.nl is a central place for sending or receiving mail. Change of address service where you can report your relocation in one go. Multiple business services, such as label creation and shipment data validation. We do the same for PostNL Belgium.
Personalised service around the clock
To offer their customers 24/7 client service support while cutting down costs, PostNL wanted their website to handle as many customer questions as possible. That's why we created chatbots and speech bots with backend systems.
Automated cash registers
Individuals still need to have access to pick-up points where they could collect their parcels or buy stamps. So PostNL would also need to provide automated cash register systems and lockers from collection and drop-off points at supermarkets and drugstores like Albert Heijn and Gamma, or at transit locations such as Schiphol Airport. These local systems communicate with the PostNL customer system and database.
Supporting rigorous cloud strategy
Early experiments with AWS encouraged PostNL to also look at the potential of cloud services. In 2013 PostNL chose to move into the cloud, opting for a full cloud approach as opposed to the more popular but less scalable hybrid approach. All IT systems that could legally be transferred to the cloud were moved to an AWS cloud solution. This decision turned PostNL into a cloud pioneer. Our DevOps teams offer continuous second-line support.
Results
Thanks to the successful switch of their services to ecommerce, PostNL was able to shut down its last bricks and mortar postal office without people really missing it.
On the contrary, by offering customers the convenience of ordering and shipping parcels from home or the office, they have increased customer satisfaction and expanded their customer base to no less than 6 million active accounts.
Today PostNL is the major mail carrier in the Netherlands and has also been branching out its logistics operations across Europe. PostNL keeps on improving their digital services offering their visitors a seamless and stress-free multichannel experience.
As their trusted partner, we offer strategic advice, co-create innovative solutions as well as implement the technology that will keep PostNL a leading logistic organisation, such as the upcoming migration of their website to a headless CMS.
The AWS Cloud as a foundation for scalability
As an AWS partner, iO helps PostNL to continuously evolve into a player that uses the power and security of the cloud as a foundation throughout the organisation. This way, it can properly cope with the large variation in load throughout the year and streamline IT in a standardised way to enable effective management.
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