How behind is royal mail
Royal Mail, the UK's postal service, has been facing significant challenges in recent years, including a decline in mail volumes, increased competition from private courier services, and a significant backlog of mail and parcels.
In 2020, Royal Mail reported a significant increase in delays and missed delivery targets, with around 1 in 5 first-class letters and 1 in 3 second-class letters not being delivered on time. This was largely due to a combination of factors, including:
- Increased demand for parcel delivery: Royal Mail has seen a surge in parcel volumes, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has put pressure on its network and resources.
- Staffing shortages: Royal Mail has faced challenges in recruiting and retaining staff, particularly in rural areas, which has impacted its ability to deliver mail and parcels on time.
- Industrial action: Royal Mail has faced several periods of industrial action, including strikes and work-to-rule actions, which have disrupted its operations and impacted delivery times.
- Network congestion: Royal Mail's network has been congested, particularly in urban areas, which has slowed down delivery times.
In response to these challenges, Royal Mail has implemented various measures to improve its performance, including:
- Investing in new technology: Royal Mail has invested in new technology, such as automated sorting machines and mobile apps, to improve efficiency and reduce delays.
- Increasing capacity: Royal Mail has increased its capacity by hiring more staff and introducing new routes and delivery schedules.
- Improving customer communication: Royal Mail has improved its communication with customers, providing more accurate estimated delivery times and updates on the status of their mail and parcels.
Despite these efforts, Royal Mail's performance remains a concern. In its latest annual report, Royal Mail reported that:
- 12.4% of first-class letters were not delivered on time in the 2020-21 financial year, compared to 9.4% in the previous year.
- 21.1% of second-class letters were not delivered on time in the 2020-21 financial year, compared to 17.4% in the previous year.
- 14.1% of parcels were not delivered on time in the 2020-21 financial year, compared to 11.4% in the previous year.
Royal Mail has committed to improving its performance and has set targets to reduce delays and improve customer satisfaction. However, it remains to be seen whether the company can fully recover from its current challenges and return to its previous levels of performance.