Ep 263: Data, automation, and high performing posts

Brody Buhler, CEO at Escher Group, joins me to talk about creating high-performing postal and delivery companies, including: Posts using real-time data and analytics Taking friction out of postal transactions Leveraging local knowledge, for example address data Using data to optimise inventory, delivery timeframes, and understand the customer Trapped value in the last mile and the middle mile Automation to play a greater role in the last mile Managing e-commerce returns, and the end of the "one size fits all" returns policy Using automation to strip out cost and increase capacity Trends in cross-border delivery Using OCR and automation capabilities for inbound international parcels The role of mobile in the modern postal network Making international shipments at the post office counter more efficient Freeing counter staff for higher value transactions Post offices playing a role in the broader delivery strategy Reducing costly failed first-time deliveries Anticipatory delivery - anticipating the delivery recipient's preferences Shifting focus to gather preference data for recipients and post office customers