The vision of a post office without lines is indeed beautiful, almost like science fiction. The idea of walking into a post office and not having to beg the annoying lady at the counter is truly appealing. But of course, one should not lump all employees together. Some of the ladies and gentlemen at the counter are very nice and helpful. After that, I have no complaints.
However, Czech Post wants to avoid queues and provide better service to their customers. In their imagination, this means introducing automated kiosks. Such self-service kiosks should appear in Czech Post branches as early as next year. These self-service kiosks should replace staff that are in short supply when providing certain services. This information was made public by the company via a press release on Tuesday, September 3, 2019
. First phase[edit] As a first step, the company plans to introduce the possibility of submitting letters and sending parcels. Next, the company will be able to issue Czech Post customer cards. It should also be possible to apply for a SIPO without being served by a postal clerk.
The company already has a model that should be used starting in the New Year. Of course, it has a touch screen, camera, scanner, and printer. The software will be interactive, allowing customers to self-serve, while at the same time connecting them with remote post office personnel who can advise them on the services they need via video call.
However, this trial tool is not final, as SOEs must select a company to supply the machines through a public call. Thus, while the final look may be different, the technical principles must be essentially the same.
By the numbers
According to published information, 1300 branches should be introduced with this innovation, of which 600 should be affiliated branches; since SOEs have long suffered from staff shortages, this should partially solve the problem. However, over the next six years, this automation should also affect employees, whose number should decrease from the current 30,000 to 23,000.