India - Postmen to be trained as business correspondents

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Postmen to be trained as business correspondents
BS Reporter / Kolkata/ Bhubaneswar September 14, 2010, 0:05 IST

India Post will be training its 55,000 postmen as business correspondents to take on the challenges of market and competitors.

This was informed by Helida Abraham, Chief Postmaster General of India Post, Orissa, while inaugurating a five days “training of trainers” at Xavier Institute of Management. Twenty five officers from different parts of the country are participating in the training programme.

Giving details of the programme, Prof Niraj Kumar, faculty, XIMB and coordinator of the programme, said, XIMB will be training about 200 trainers of India Post who will carry forward the training to the postmen. It is a gigantic task to train all the postmen because of their huge number, diversity in their working languages, difficult working conditions, and more than 150 years of history of the department.

These trainers are being taught how to train the postmen in skills in business etiquettes, customer relationship management, self initiatives and work planning. It is planned to convert postmen into professional postal business correspondents by providing trainings in their business approach and presentation skills.

“You should not be surprised if you find a smartly dressed postman delivering you a speed post with all professional business etiquette,” commented Prof. Kumar.

Addressing the participants Abraham said, this is the right time to grab the opportunity to give good competition not only in our core business, mail delivery but also in other services which are offered by the organization. She hoped that postmen could be the brand ambassador of India Post.

Fr. P T. Joseph, Director, XIMB, said, XIMB is very happy to be associated with a new-look India Post. In last five years the face and working of India Post has undergone great changes, he added.

Entire country has been divided in to four regions and in the initial phase 50 officers from each region will be trained who will have responsibility of training the postmen of given region.