doc. Ing. Přemysl Průša, Ph.D. and the Availability of the Czech Post Services in ČT ČERNÉ OVCE
On Tuesday, November 7th, doc. Ing. Přemysl Průša, Ph.D., Deputy Head of the Department of International Business and expert on the issues of commercial communications, branding, and retail marketing, took part in the TV Program ČT Černé ovce. This time, the episode focused on the availability of Czech Post services after the closure of 300 branches. The crew sent one S-size parcel and an A5 envelope from four branches in different cities (Tábor, Benešov, Prague 3, and Pilsen). The branches were evaluated according to the following criteria: availability of parking space, barrier-free access, opening hours, waiting time, efficiency and speed of service, degree of digitalisation, number of occupied counters, and price.
Although the crew sent identical parcels and letters that should have cost the same everywhere, they paid different prices at each counter. The prices of parcels ranged from 98 to 129 CZK, and letters from 27 to 38 CZK.
In Tábor, only two of the original five post offices remained, and there is currently one post office per 17,000 individuals. In Benešov, although no branches were closed, there is one branch per 17,000 inhabitants, as in Tábor. In Prague 3, five were closed and only one remained, resulting in one per 74,000 inhabitants. In Pilsen, 11 branches were closed down, leaving 10, plus five “partner plus post offices” created in crowded areas by municipal initiative. Although 10 branches were closed, in comparison, the situation is better here – there is one branch per 12,000 inhabitants.
Parking was best arranged at the Pilsen branch. “We are in a shopping centre, near a hypermarket, and I think this is a beautiful example of how a post office could be located so that it can be easily reached,” commented doc. Ing. Přemysl Průša, Ph.D.
Except for Prague 3, all counters at the post offices were being used. “The space was utilised well in terms of efficiency of the sales area,” summarises doc. Ing. Přemysl Průša, Ph.D. The situation in Prague 3, where the crew waited for 52 minutes, was as follows: “Of the ten [counters] we saw, five are currently in operation … and there are 30 people in line, so that’s bad. In the 20 minutes we’ve been waiting here, the queue has grown from 30 to 50 people, and the same number of counters are still open as when we first got here.”
Post office opening hours have not always been addressed in the best way. “I think the opening hour could have start earlier, for example, from 7 a.m., because we have to take into account that many people go to work at 8 a.m., and therefore they can’t take care of the things that are needed,” noted doc. Ing. Přemysl Průša, Ph.D. The case of barrier-free access was similar – some branches were completely barrier-free, while in others, the access was not arranged well and in some places it was even non-functional.
The situation of the Czech Post was summarised by doc. Ing. Přemysl Průša, Ph.D., as follows: “The processes are still very complicated, complex, and outdated. The level of digitisation does not correspond at all to what is in Austria and Germany.”
The full report can be found in the CT Archive here.
