PAKEJ action plan to improve postal, courier services - Saifuddin

Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said the action plan also involved asset sharing between courier companies, revision of operating license conditions, more economical delivery vehicles, notification and compliance with delivery period charters as well as insurance offers and premium services.

"To ensure all these action plans can be planned and implemented effectively, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had taken the first step by freezing the issuance of new courier licenses for two years since September 14, 2020," he said in a statement here today.

He said for the period from the end of 2019 to 2020, MCMC had detected a significant decline in the quality of courier services with the majority of consumer complaints received, totalling 86 per cent, involving poor customer service, delivery delays and even loss of goods.

"The average delivery period increased from 2.1 days to 4.6 days, and more surprisingly, the profit rate for courier companies has declined despite an increase in deliveries. This condition indicates an unhealthy development and requires a comprehensive shift.

KKMM-POSTAL 2 (LAST) KUALA LUMPUR

"An unhealthy industry cannot invest especially in digitalisation efforts to improve the quality of services for consumers," he said.

Saifuddin said at the end of 2020, the National Postal and Courier Industry Laboratory (NPCIL), spearheaded by the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia (KKMM) and MCMC, was held for three weeks with the participation of industry players and relevant government agencies.

"It was held to improve postal and courier services to create first-class services for Malaysian consumers. The NPCIL action plan is very important for the implementation of the Digital Economy development plan and this plan is based on the achievement of four goals summarised as 4Rs, namely Reliability, Reach, Relevance and Resilient.

"This 4R goal will further contribute to the national aspirations of the courier industry, which is to provide first-class services to consumers; streamline the integration of the last-mile delivery system and provide satisfactory user experience," he said.

Therefore, the implementation of measures to strengthen the courier industry as mentioned will be closely monitored by KKMM and MCMC and will be announced from time to time, he said.

"I am confident that this PAKEJ plan will be able to produce an effective direction towards strengthening the courier industry for the benefit of consumers everywhere and become an important core in future development planning.

"I will continue to pay attention to this agenda and ensure that the interests of all parties, especially the people, will be protected," he said.

--BERNAMA