A comprehensive first-of-its-kind plan designed to improve international postal service quality will be presented at the UPU’s 28th Universal Postal Congress in Dubai this September.
As customers continue to access e-commerce services at their fingertips, their delivery expectations have increased. Today’s customers require faster delivery and more visibility of their goods.On the other hand, over the past four years, UPU data shows that delivery times have increased for the small packet and parcels categories – the two key products used to move e-commerce goods through the postal network. This has led e-commerce sellers to turn to other non-postal delivery networks offering faster services to meet customer expectations.
This trend has sparked a push from the UPU’s stakeholders to develop an Integrated Quality of Service Plan (IQP) that will ensure accessible, high-quality universal postal services for everyone, everywhere, as the perception of “quality” evolves.
The plan – set to be presented at the upcoming Congress for the first time – proposes several adaptations to the UPU’s quality measurement and improvement frameworks between 2026 and 2029. It focuses on an integrated approach to quality of service across all postal products, emphasizing reliability in service delivery and customer centricity to keep pace with the evolving e-commerce market.
With service quality as the direct link between the postal network and the customer, the IQP complements the existing Integrated Product Plan (IPP) and Integrated Remuneration System (IRS) completing a unified postal strategy.
Enhancing visibility, service reliability and predictability of e-commerce goods
A first step in the proposed plan is to integrate and harmonize quality of service measurement into a common methodology for items containing goods to meet e-commerce-specific demands. The measurement methodology provides the UPU with a global common view of international postal quality, regardless of product format. This will help UPU assess the overall reliability of the postal network.
In response to customer needs, additional mandatory scanning events – from six to twelve scans – have been introduced to quality measurement, covering the entire postal supply chain. The additional scans will give customers end-to-end visibility as well as enhancing the predictability of delivery times.
The IQP Plan also proposes the strengthening of performance-linked to remuneration for items containing goods by introducing new service performance attributes. This will incentivize postal operators to enhance their service delivery to their respective customers.
Continuous quality improvement: an innovative approach
The IQP introduces an innovative six-step methodology to assist postal operators in improving their service delivery. In the ever-changing e-commerce space, the methodology – known as the Integrated Quality of Service Management Methodology (IQMM) – provides opportunities for the postal network to continuously improve and meet market demands, empowering postal operators to have full control of quality improvement possibilities.
The IQMM ensures scalability and sustainability of quality-of-service improvement activities across the UPU’s postal network ranging from assessment of delivery network capabilities and customer pain points to the identification of specific gaps and action plans to address bottlenecks in service delivery. Benefiting from available UPU quality improvement and analytics tools, e-learning training modules and dedicated expertise, countries are invited to explore and use the IQMM to continuously monitor their progress on identified performance indicators.
Modernization of the UPU certification management methodology
Recognizing the important role of the UPU’s quality of service certification process, the IQP proposes a fresh approach to the certification process by linking it to the robust IQMM follow-up mechanism. In modernizing the UPU certification process, all postal operators are automatically eligible to be certified via a KPI-based quality ranking mechanism. The achieved certification level is envisaged to contribute to the UPU’s Integrated Index for Postal Development (2IPD). Postal operators that meet specific certification levels receive awards.
By introducing standardized performance measurements, enhanced visibility through additional tracking events, and a dynamic quality improvement methodology, the IQP offers postal operators a practical path to modernizing their services. It places customers at the center of the postal experience while equipping operators with tools to identify and address service gaps. As a result, the IQP will not only improve delivery speed and reliability for customers worldwide, but also drive greater efficiency, accountability, and resilience across the global postal network.
Learn more about what will be covered by the UPU’s 28th Universal Postal Congress here.