Delivering a 21st-century post office in Portugal

February 2011 In the first of a new series of case studies that focus on Riposte products and how customers are using them, we look at a recent deployment of RiposteKiosk by CTT Correios de Portugal. Click to download the case study.

2011 Insight magazine published

Back issues: click here for previous editions of our magazine.

Escher CEO talks 'revolution' with Business Strategy Review

October 2011 In a wide-ranging interview covering postal business, strategy and the digital revolution, Liam Church talks with Stuart Crainer of the London Business School about the challenges facing the industry and how Escher’s electronic messaging platform is ahead of its rivals.

To read the interview, go to Business Strategy Review.

Providing Public Services through Digital Postal Networks: a Position Paper

December 2011 abstract: extant government literature shows that, in recent decades, many western democracies have pursued a program of liberalisation of public services. The once predominantly public telecommunications sector has seen considerable privatisation. Postal systems have undergone multiple restructuring and streamlining programs to ensure their continued viability. This privatisation trend has been largely driven by three factors influencing government policy: a concern to lower costs in the provision of public services, the belief that private sector companies tend to be more efficient, and the conviction that competition increases efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of public services.

Click here to read the paper in full.
 

Providing Digital Public Services through Secure Digital Postal Systems

November 2011 abstract: as a result of the technological revolution, postal systems that were once viewed as efficient, trusted and inclusive have rapidly come to be seen as outdated, expensive and slow. Even though posts are still recognized as essential to citizens, they are showing evidence of decline. A direct effect of this decline is that the ability of posts to fulfill their universal service obligation (USO) is slowly being eroded. Ironically, research shows that, in order to protect their personal information online, citizens still seek trusted and efficient systems with which to interact.

The aim of this paper is to present a privacy-enhanced Digital Postal Solution (DPS) designed to create public value through reducing citizens’ privacy concerns while providing secure government 2.0 services. Additionally, the DPS restores, in digital format, the full gamut of traditional universal services afforded by posts to citizens in earlier times. Additionally, it provides citizens with a platform where they can avail of web 2.0 technologies to interact with government, making way for a more transparent and collaborative relationship between government and the public.

It also provides every citizen with a private digital space, where they can securely access, process and store (un)official and personal information such as bills, receipts, health and financial records. In summary, from this space, citizens can begin to fully and safely interact with digital society.

Click here to read the paper in full.