Alice

I had to visit the Post Office in the Reading Town Centre to send off my children’s passports which needed renewing. In the past I have tried to avoid that particular branch, as the queues are horrendous and it’s so boring standing in line.

But I was pleasantly surprised at the transformation. Gone is a dusty, dreary surroundings that were so depressing, and welcome to a brighter space that reminded me somewhat of Argos!

First you took a ticket to mark your place in the queue, which was displayed on a screen so you could see how many were in front of you. There were comfy red seats for you to sit on while your waited. Each ticket was called clearly from the booth that was vacant, and there was a distinction between counter, foreign currency and special delivery.

The staff were courteous and interested in me. They asked questions to find out what I needed so they could offer a better service. They even offered to check my passport applications to see if they were correct. As well as advising and answering my questions, especially about tracking my package in transit, they did try and upsell their travel insurance and foreign currency rates, but in a non-obtrusive or unpushy way, and the option of cash-back was welcome but unnecessary at that time. I didn’t feel uncompromised or intimidated throughout the whole experience.

While I was waiting I watched a television screen that silently showed the different products and services the Post Office could offer me, in clear, colourful and informative presentations. There was no jangly or annoying muzak. There was also an area that provided packaging, padded envelopes, brown paper, stationery and greeting cards, with its own kiosk for payment. These were laid out in a tidy and intuitive way that made it easy to immediately obtain what you wanted.

I left feeling satisfied that I had suitably accomplished my quest, and I shall certainly have no qualms about using that particular branch in the future. So how does your business match up to the improvements made by the Post Office?