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Capital Gold

5

PRESENT PREPGetting ready for our busiest Christmas

13

TO THE RESCUEKarl keeps cool in car flood drama

How great planning delivered

London 2012 success

PFW News November 201202

MY VIEW

Moya Greene, chief executive officer, Royal Mail Group

DELIVERING CHRISTMAS AND BEYONDChristmas is always a vital time of year for us. As you know, we are seeing a significant shift to online retailing.

How we perform this Christmas is more important than ever. Get it right and customers will continue to use us. Get it wrong, and there are plenty of rivals snapping at our heels to win the business.

The best way to make sure we are successful across the Royal Mail Group – and provide as many jobs as possible – is to deliver really well. We plan throughout the year to ensure we’re in shape to take the extra load at Christmas, and we are recruiting many more people to ensure we handle the increased volumes. Every day counts up to the big day, and I know I can count on all of you to deliver Christmas across the UK.

Moya on delivering… for our peopleI want Royal Mail to be recognised among The Times Best Companies to work for. Our employee opinion survey this year showed we are making progress in many areas. We still have a lot to do. Work is under way locally to address some of the issues you raised. We are also focusing on improving

how we recognise and reward people, developing better working relationships and keeping you better informed.

Moya on delivering… in the communityYou support more charities through our Payroll Giving scheme than any other company. Thanks to your generosity we hold a Guinness World Record. It’s such a simple scheme and is tax efficient, so your money goes further. As an extra incentive, for every new person signing up to support our charity of the year, Prostate Cancer UK, we’ll match your donation up to £100,000 every year until June 2014 and give an extra £10.

Great insightThere have been more than 4,500 enquiries to the Just Say It feedback channel since it started a year ago this month. You have asked about our plans for the future, transformation and the changes that affect you, as well as your ideas to improve the way we do things and bring in revenue. Your personal messages have given me a great insight into the people who work for this company and what concerns you each and every day.

WE WANT YOUR STORIES!Freephone: 0800 083 9155. It’s free, so there’s no excuse! Just let us know what the story’s about and who to contact. Email: james.wickham@beetroot.co.uk. We don’t need the whole story, just the basics and a contact name and number so we can find out more. Write: PFW News, beetroot, 68 Leonard Street, London, EC2A 4QX.

GET IN TOUCH WITH MOYAContact Moya through Just Say it. Email justsayit@royalmail.com or write to Just Say it, Freepost

Feedback from the employee survey highlighted that colleagues want to see more of the senior management team spending time across different areas of the business.

There have been a lot of changes to the team in the last year but now that there is a full team in place, they are all committed to spending more time with colleagues at depots,

hubs, and in the customer service and telesales teams.

Each member of the team has been allocated depots or teams to sponsor and will spend more time with them throughout 2013. The objective is to help ensure colleagues are kept well informed about what is going on across Parcelforce and Royal Mail Group and to be able to ask questions and give feedback. The first

visits started in October.Managing director

Gary Simpson said: “Spending time with the colleagues who are at the heart of our business and who deal with customers day in, day out is a really important part of what the senior team should be doing. The feedback and insight we receive from these visits is priceless and the whole team is looking forward to meeting more colleagues.”

November has become Movember, as people across the business make the Mo-st of moustaches to raise money for our charity of the year, Prostate Cancer UK.

It’s not just about men wearing whiskers – there are ways women can take part too. While Mo Bros can grow a mo and bring in some dough, Mo Sistas can sponsor a Mo Bro and fundraise on their behalf. Mo Money Makers can take part in any fundraising activity from hosting a quiz night to completing a fun run.

To add to the fun, there are also fantastic prizes with five ‘Moscar’ awards up for grabs in the following categories:

Best fundraiser: For the individual who raises the most money for Movember.

Best fundraising team – small: Up to nine employees.

Best fundraising team – medium: Between 11 and 100 employees.

Best fundraising team – large: Between 101 and 250 employees.

Best Royal Male: For the best moustache in the style of a royal - think Charles I or Prince Albert.

And there’s still time to join in. Simply fill in the form at myroyalmail.com/movember.

Please make sure you register via myroyalmail.com as this is the only way we can ensure all the money you raise is matched by the business - effectively doubling your donation.

If you don’t have Internet access you can call 0151 284 1221 for a paper form. Once you or the Mo Bro you are supporting has grown their tache, don’t forget to upload your picture to myroyalmail.com/movember

REMEMBER MOVEMBER

PFW News November 2012 03

Employee survey acting on your feedback

Sanad Attia’s 2011 handlebars

Last year’seffort by Mark Roberts

Dave Cox’s 2011 tache

The employee survey earlier in the year showed that less than half of employees feel they have opportunities to progress, despite many wanting to do so.

“Feedback told us colleagues want to progress which I completely support and encourage,” said managing director, Gary Simpson. “It’s really important therefore that everyone knows how to find out about jobs across the Group and can apply

for them easily.”You can sign up

to receive job alerts and complete an application at www.royalmail.com/royal-mail-jobs

After you have registered you will be alerted via email when a new vacancy matches your criteria.

Gary said: “Internal development opportunities and progression are a really important part of our business and help drive our success.”

Just the job

FAN-TACHE-STICKFREE MOVEMBER STICKERS INSIDE THIS EDITION OF PFW NEWS

SURE FOOTING WITH NEW BUSINESS

PFW News November 201204

2012 was a busy but successful summer for the corporate accounts team, who have sealed some key contract renewals and new business.

Account director Eugene Reynolds and his team saw off rival competitor bids to win three more years as Screwfix’s sole supplier.

John Green, head of corporate accounts, said: “This contract is worth the best part of £40 million, so it’s fabulous news. We won on the back of our excellent service over the last four years.”

More good news came when business development manager Bridie O’Halloran and her team secured some business with Clarks shoes.

“We used to have a very large

DELIVERING THE GOODS FOR CUSTOMERS Here are some more fantastic examples of customer feedback that colleagues have received recently.

ASHLEIGH ROBB, EMAIL ADVISOR, WAKEFIELD “Cheers and thanks for your help. I certainly can’t knock the Twitter service you provide.”

ZANE MCKINNON, CUSTOMER SERVICE PROVIDER, NOTTINGHAM DEPOT“I would like to thank the young man who responded so efficiently when I rang the depot. The young man was called Zane and he was most pleasant and helpful. Thank you to the team who have helped me to sort this out.”

PRESTON DEPOT“When I opened my international distribution business in 2011 I started using Parcelforce in Preston and I’ve got to know Gina, Joanne, Charlotte, Preeya, Kerry, Ruth, Dave, Darren and Richard. I’d like to thank them all for going that extra mile to ensure I’ve become a delighted customer.”

PICTURE PERFECT Parcelforce has won a contract with leading camera retailer Jessops.

The contract will involve handling around 300,000 parcels a year, including all Jessops’ online B2C traffic, all B2B next-day tote box deliveries, and returns to and from 67 stores and the company’s distribution site.

We will also handle branch transfer packages from all 199 Jessops stores.

The contract was awarded on the basis of the relationship built over two years, with Jessops particularly impressed with the consistent quality of service. After just a week of the contract, courier-related calls to Jessops customer service team had fallen from 25 per cent to three per cent.

Andrew Drinkwater, corporate accounts business development manager, said: “The contract fits in with Parcelforce’s target of high value retail traffic which demands the services of a premium band carrier.”

A three year deal has been agreed to handle around 800,000 next-day items for educational supply company Findel.

Findel, the UK’s leading independent education resource supplier, provides items needed for the day-to -day running of nurseries, schools, colleges and universities.

They have two bases, one national warehouse in Nottingham and another larger site in Enfield, north London, which handles the majority of their deliveries.

Martin Ward, partnership director, said: “It’s fantastic news that Findel have chosen Parcelforce to provide its distribution services and it’s a great

fit for our business as we already provide an excellent service for a large volume of traffic which goes to schools, colleges and universities.”

contract with them but we lost it a couple of years ago,” said John. “Winning part of it back is very good news because it will allow us to work on other opportunities with them.”

The company’s contract with BT was also renewed, with some extra business added to it.

“It was a Group solution that helped us to win that contract which was excellent. There are a number of other things bubbling under at the moment, a mix of both renewals and new business for 2013, so things are looking good,” added John.

BACK TO SCHOOL

This year is set to be the most challenging Christmas for Parcelforce ever – more items, more collections, more deliveries, more trailers, more sites and more colleagues.

“All our forecasts indicate that this will be our busiest Christmas so we’re doing a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure that we’re ready,” said Fran Baker, head of operational planning.

As well as working closely with all our customers on forward planning to ensure we deliver a great service, we are recruiting an extra 1,500 people for the two months leading up to Christmas.

Two relief processing sites will assist the national hub, one in Liverpool and one in Luton, as well as additional depot sites to help Newcastle, Leeds, Milton Keynes, Preston, Romford, Charlton and Swansea.

“Royal Mail Group property experts help us identify suitable sites and then get them ready to use,” said Fran. “This could mean getting lighting or welfare facilities in place. We then have to get hold of

FAST FESTIVE FACTS

Countdown campaignTo help customers keep up to date with Christmas send-by dates to over 220 countries, our marketing team have pulled together the Countdown to Christmas campaign.

The campaign runs across different channels, including Post Office, online and account, and we have produced leaflets, posters, mailers, e-zines and a microsite (www.parcelforcesendbydates.com) all with the key information.

Karen Smith, retail campaign manager said: “We have a fantastic record of out-performing our customers’ expectations, and we must do so again this year. This is the last year we’ll have current capacity constraints as by Christmas 2013, our new processing centre will be operational.

“We are very well-prepared - we now need customer facing colleagues to play their part.”CHRISTMAS IS

ALL WRAPPED UP

Peak day delivery will be more than 420,000 items There will be

19 days when deliveries will exceed 300,000 items

During the four weeks before Christmas, we will deliver more than 7,250,000 items

05PFW News November 2012

conveyors and install wi-fi points.”Meanwhile, Eddie Roy is sorting out our

transport needs. “We ask every depot and every

customer what they will need and we plan around their requirements,” he said.

“While we don’t want more volume in December than we’ve planned for, we will help existing customers if we can.”

Fran said: “Every year Parcelforce people rise to the occasion and I’m confident we’ll do the same this year!”

HOW YOU CAN HELP…Let customers know we can be trusted to deliver. We’re very well prepared and we’ve got a great track record. Our quality of service last December was over 98%.

Urge customers to ship as much as they can as early as they can, and to encourage their own customers to order early.

Our existing customers are our top priority. We’ve planned to deliver their volume but we don’t have the capacity to take much more. If their December posting plans have changed, we need to know, and if we can help by taking more volume, we will.

Great value services for early planners

Where time is on your side and value

for money is more important than

a guaranteed** delivery speed, our

globalvalue service is ideal for sending

your non-urgent items to worldwide

destinations and will arrive from

4 working days.

Express delivery for last minute shoppers

For that urgent parcel that just has

to be there, our fastest international

service globalexpress will arrive from

next working day to the USA, Canada

and Europe and from 2 working days

to the rest of the world.

* Weight and size limits may vary by destination. Full details can be found at parcelforce.com/countries

** Guarantee definition: A refund of the whole or a proportionate part of the consignment charges in the event of late delivery in line with our UK or International Conditions of Carriage for Retail Services. Delivery time begins from date of collection.

Parcelforce Worldwide, Parcelforce and the Parcelforce Worldwide globe logo are registered trade marks of Royal Mail Group Ltd. Parcelforce Worldwide and Parcelforce are trading names of Royal Mail Group Ltd. Registered number 4138203.

Registered in England and Wales. Registered office: 100 Victoria Embankment, London, EC4Y 0HQ. Post Office and Post Office logo are registered trade marks of Post Office Limited. © Royal Mail Group Ltd 2012. All rights reserved.

Making festive parcels a priority

Offering you the perfect balance

between speed and price, our

globalpriority service is fully

tracked to Europe and major

destinations worldwide and will

arrive from 3 working days.

Arriving across the UK in good timeMake sure your festive parcels arrive

on time with our range of next day

and 2 day UK delivery choices.

Sending parcels

this Christmas?

Let us help you plan ahead

You can trust us to safely deliver

your parcels this festive season

Sending parcels

this Christmas?

Let us help you plan ahead

You can trust us to safely deliver

your parcels this Christmas

Win a £500 One4all gift card!

Register for free send by date email reminders for your preferred country at

parcelforcesendbydates.com/xmas for your chance to win‡.

1224_PO_74x210_Bkmrk_9.10.indd 2

09/10/2012 20:01

06

AMAZON is set to offer UK parcel deliveries through CollectPlus outlets. The company has been testing alternative delivery options for ecommerce customers who cannot be at home to receive packages during the day. By linking up with CollectPlus, Amazon parcels can be picked up by customers at more than 4,700 corner shops and newsagents around the country.

HERMES is increasing sorting capacity at its national hub in Nuneaton by more than 20 per cent to cope with rising volumes. A new conveyor system for the automated sortation system at the hub will create capacity to process 6,000 parcels per hour. Hermes has also expanded its depot network in the south east by opening two sites in West Thurrock and Maidstone to handle expected increases in parcel volumes during the peak Christmas period and beyond.

UPS and TNT have described the European Commission’s block of their proposed merger as a ‘normal step’ in the review process. The Commission has registered a formal objection to the deal, which had already been delayed due to the EC’s concerns over the level of competition in the European express market.

GEOPOST UK, the parent company of DPD and Interlink Express, has revealed plans for a £250 million upgrade of an old sorting hub at its Smethwick site so it can handle 150,000 extra packages a night. The upgrade would allow GeoPost UK to process up to 800,000 packages a night.

We keep an eye onthe competition

Want to know more? Go to the competitor page on the Parcelforce intranet under sales

06

A new venture with a Chinese logistics company will see Parcelforce acting as its UK delivery arm.

Our European parcels business GLS, has joined forces with Chinese company ZJS, offering Chinese businesses a fully-tracked B2B proposition. China’s logistics market is growing at around 11 per

cent a year, whereas in Europe it’s much slower. Chinese exports to the EU have grown almost 50 per cent in five years.

Mark Thomson, managing director, International, said: “We have to have a presence in China or we will be missing a trick.

“Customers want reliable delivery to Europe within 3-5 days without paying a premium price for a faster service. We’re targeting small to medium-sized businesses in China.”

This is a significant step as part of our Group strategy to grow our parcels business both in the UK and overseas. It is an excellent opportunity to drive profitable revenue growth.

BIGGER AND BETTER

PFW News November 201206

Full of Eastern promise

Parcelforce Worldwide’s expansion programme has reached a number of key milestones.

The five-year programme includes a new processing centre in Chorley, new and improved depots, a new logistics network and a new IT system. To fill the additional capacity with profitable business the size of the sales and marketing team is also being increased.

“The highlight this quarter is that the groundwork and construction have started for the new processing centre at Chorley,” said Paul Jobling, business transformation director.

Building work at Chorley officially got under way at a groundbreaking ceremony in October, attended by managing director Gary Simpson.

The contract for the materials handling system has also been

signed. Clive Francis, head of strategic programmes, said: “We’ve gone through a huge procurement exercise for the system, which was completed in record time thanks to great team work across the Group.”

Paul Jobling added: “We’ve got the first of the new depots ready for service. Liverpool opened in October to support autumn pressure operations and will officially open in January.

“The business case for the new depot in Preston has been authorised and work will commence on that shortly.

“The contract for the new Advance IT system has been signed, so all parts of the programme are on track.”

Work begins in Chorley

The deal is sealed

PFW News November 2012 07

WEATHER SENSE

A different kind of green cross code has been launched across Parcelforce with the arrival of new magnetic safety display boards at all our sites.

The safety crosses feature a calendar month laid out in a cross-shaped grid. Each day without an accident is recorded with a green square, so that a full month without an accident results in a complete green cross. Minor accidents are marked with a yellow square, while lost time accidents are displayed by a red square.

It is a simple idea but one which provides a visual reminder for all colleagues of the need to stay safe.

Health & safety manager David Butler said: “This gives people a

clear picture of how frequently accidents are occurring to people on routes or at their site. We hope people look at the board and start questioning what they can do to improve safety wherever they work.”

Follow the green cross codeDelivery should never be a

matter of life or death. When colleagues or members of the public are injured by our vehicles it’s something we take very seriously.

There were 783 road accidents caused by Parcelforce drivers in the last year, and more than a third of these happened while reversing. There have been two fatal collisions in the last 20 months. That’s why we have invested £800,000 fitting rear view cameras to every one of our 2,000 vehicles.

Automatically activated when the vehicle is put into reverse, the cameras give drivers a clear picture of what is behind. Of course, avoiding reversing in the first

place will reduce the risk of accidents even further.

Operations director Peter Fuller said: “It’s important that reversing is seen as a last resort. We want drivers to be thinking ahead, about how they might park so that reversing can be avoided. Where backing up is unavoidable think about reverse parking - driving away forwards is easier, quicker and most importantly safer.”

PICK UP THE GUIDE Inside this edition of PFW News there’s a handy leaflet with some top tips on how to plan ahead, use the cameras effectively and manoeuvre safely.

Don’t get frozen out, snowed in or blown off course this winter.

Our winter safety campaign aims to keep us safe when we are moving around and delivering our customer promises - whatever the weather.

“It’s vital that we all think carefully and make the right decisions about going out in severe weather. We especially need drivers to assess conditions when they are on their routes and consider what else they need to do to stay safe,” said head of commercial operations, Bob Shields.

Conditions such as ice, snow, fog and high winds make routes much more

hazardous than usual and it’s then that drivers need to judge whether it is safer to stop or change their route rather than carry on.

“Whether it’s checking that vehicles are fit for the road, or taking a change of clothes out on their routes, we want everyone to plan ahead and be prepared,” Bob added.

Severe weather guidance, including everything from tips on driving in high winds to how to order ‘snow socks’ for tyres and spikes for boots, is being distributed to operations managers to make sure that everyone is ready for whatever weather this winter brings.Quick thinking Karl’s flood drama, see page 13.

BACK TO SAFETY

08 PFW News November 2012

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09PFW News November 2012

1 LAURA BILLINGHAM Customer service advisor (email team)“I like the fact we have so much information at our fingertips. I can track a parcel, find out exactly where it is or what’s happened and let the customer know. It’s not always problem sorting, I do get to pass on good news to depots or drivers who have really impressed a customer and that adds to the sheer variety of the role.”

2 BEN ABRAMS

MD’s office advisor“If an email or letter of complaint is sent to Gary Simpson or Moya Greene, it is down to us to deal with it. In many respects we’re the last stop if an issue has escalated and is yet to be resolved. Ultimately the goal is to make sure we resolve problems while it is in our control. We try to sort issues as quickly as possible but have to be prepared for a much longer investigation if needed.”

3 SARAH KIBLER

Customer service advisor (contract customers)“I could be taking a call from Monsoon one minute and the next, Arsenal Football Club. I look after our high profile contract customers and absolutely love it. Ultimately the principle is the same – I need to deal with claims or issues quickly and efficiently, but I do really enjoy the contract side of the business.”

4 PAUL PARKIN Claims manager, compensation team leader“The challenge for everyone here is to find the balance between keeping the customer happy and making sure the resolution is not detrimental to Parcelforce. It’s not easy to do but it is

great credit to the team here that we experience so much success. We’re often dealing with customers in difficult situations, but the team deal with this extremely well.”

5 DEBBY REYNOLDS Clerical administration assistant (web claims)“I started in paper claims, I’m now in web claims, and I’ve worked in every department. I’m also the health and safety union rep and proud to say I won employee of the month in August. Whether I’m taking a call or dealing with a web claim the goal is to get it sorted. No two claims are the same but if you keep focused it is a very rewarding challenge.”

6 WENDY GILL Customer experience delivery manager“I’m so proud of this team, and winning the Chairman’s Award last year was thoroughly deserved. Of the 1,200 plus calls that we receive every week, 96.3 per cent are answered within 15 seconds, which is phenomenal. The team’s success is a combination of professionalism and resilience and they show that day-in-day-out. We have a great deal of experience too and that’s invaluable in dealing with a daily challenge that is constantly changing.”

7 JASON FALLONClaims advisor“I deal with our biggest national accounts from Screwfix and B&Q to Amazon. They have a very high expectation of us and I have to make sure that expectation is constantly matched. Volumes are growing and we’ve managed to keep up with this by embracing new technology. If we keep doing that, I can only see us getting even more efficient in the future.”

TEAM TALK

7

CALL OF DUTY We took a trip to Wakefield for this edition to see our award winning customer service team in action

10 PFW News June 2012

KEEPING INTOUCH

Driver Ken Klu’s delivery route takes him around Whitehall, so he was faced with closed roads and restricted access throughout the Games.

“We did lots of walk-ins,” said Ken. “What helped was I had all the phone numbers of the post rooms of all the government buildings, so I phoned them to meet me outside. Whitehall was much slower, but the rest of my route was faster. The streets were much quieter. Since the Games you can go where you want again, but the traffic has really built up.”

“We were preparing for the worst case scenario for the Games, but it turned out to be one of our best months,” said depot manager Steve O’Connor. “We looked at the Olympic routes and involved everyone in the planning. Our experts are out on the road every day so you’ve got to use that knowledge.

“As a business we invested a lot of money into that six or seven week period to ensure a good service. It was a huge project. Our service over that period was just over 99 per cent, which is immense.”

MAN WITH A PLAN

CAMDENDEPOT FOCUS

The London Central depot, in Camden, was expecting the

Olympic Games to be tough, but planning for the worst helped

them to give their best

10 PFW News November 2012

DRIVE TO SUCCEEDSean Kavanagh, driver and acting delivery and collection manager, spent a year in the planning team before the Games.

“It was challenging, but a good project to be on. The plans were constantly changing up until the day it went live. It wasn’t just a couple of people sat in an office, everyone made it a success. It wouldn’t have been possible without driver input. Everybody knew exactly where they were, right from the off.”

11PFW News November 2012

Suki Takhar, service supervisor Suki puts the depot’s success down to planning and flexibility. “The actual venues were closed sites with a competitor having exclusive access to the Olympic village. We had to work closely with them, but it went like clockwork. We didn’t have any problems or complaints.”

Mick Fletcher, delivery driver Driver Mick Fletcher was pleasantly surprised by how smoothly things went. “It was definitely better than I thought. After all the scaremongering that there was going to be traffic jams and gridlock, there was nothing. There was no trouble at all. Now it’s gone back to normal it’s actually harder.”

BEST LAIDPLANS “It was like stepping into a huge unknown but Steve and the guys planned very well and people were prepared,” said Tom O’Hara, area commercial manager, London.

“There wasn’t a hitch, we had no customer complaints with collections or deliveries and not a single traffic ticket. The quality of service was absolutely fantastic.

“Summertime is normally our quiet period, it gives our guys some respite. They haven’t had that this year, the volumes have been consistent, but so has our service.”

IN THE LOOP “It was the busiest I’ve been in my five years with Parcelforce,” said transport DRP Jason Francis. “But it was fun, with lots of vans, lots of drivers and lots of routes.

“We had two people per van and I had somebody extra to help me out, so I actually felt very relaxed. I knew what the plans were at least nine months before the Olympics. The boss kept us well informed. It was nice to be kept in the loop.”

10,000parcels delivered per day

119,500parcels delivered during London 2012

99.12%quality of service during London 2012

CAMDEN IN NUMBERS:

Colleagues at Ipswich, Welwyn Garden City and Newport have donated a total of £9,000 to 15 charities – all thanks to the success of the depots.

Welwyn Garden City and Ipswich were both given £2,000 to donate to charity in recognition of winning awards at the Parcelforce annual conference, while depot of the year Newport received £5,000 for charity. Ipswich chose to split the money between the chemotherapy wing at Ipswich Hospital and the local branch of Meningitis UK.

Operations manager Steve Chilcott said: “One of our drivers, Clive Barker, is involved in fundraising for a local couple who lost their son to meningitis two

years ago. We were delighted to support these two worthy causes.”

Welwyn Garden City nominated eight charities, including heritage and animal

welfare and the local kindergarten and scouts. One cause was particularly special to the depot – £250 will go to Macmillan Cancer Support in memory of Cheryl Haver, wife of security manager, Martin. Cheryl died of cancer earlier this year.

Newport gave £1,000 each to five local charities: Ieuan The Lion, For Luca, Homestart Wales, St David’s Hospice Care and Macmillan Cancer Support. Depot manager Tony Abraham said: “I think everyone has been touched by the issues addressed by these charities. Thanks to our brilliant staff, Parcelforce gave us £5,000 to give away to good causes and we’re only too happy to be able to help.”

Local charities benefit by £9,000

PFW News November 201212

Newport colleagues with Ieuan the Lion

Living the DreamDream Team 9 is now well underway. The North West has dominated the top of the table since it began with four of their six depots in the top ten. PFW News asked our North West colleagues what it is they do that contributes to the success of the scheme within their area.

David Atherton, operations manager of Manchester depot, said: “We have a big launch when the new scheme starts. We hold regular surgeries with staff and respond to every lead submitted.”

Gina Wignall, champion of Preston depot said: “The sheer amount of time I spend liaising with drivers and administration is what helps us reap the rewards. We submit leads on the day they

are received, update local logs including the spotter, company and contact details, and then display them for all to see.”

Colin Southgate, champion of Liverpool depot, praised the efforts of new business executive Dave Hannon. He said: “Dave is in the depot every Monday and Friday morning speaking to drivers and depot staff, getting them to support the scheme.”

Darren Willett, operations manager of Stoke depot said: “Dream Team is a regular topic on the WTL agenda, with a real emphasis on the impact it has on depot profit and loss. We use examples of how much resource would have to be removed to match the revenue we generate.”

The winner is…The first of three additional incentives ended on 23 September, and we’re pleased to announce ALAN HUMPHREYS of Deeside depot is our lucky winner. Alan, who submitted a lead for Cable Services Ltd, has won his choice of sports tickets or the new iPad! Congratulations Alan, we’ll be in touch!

You too could win your choice of sports tickets or the new iPad in our second additional incentive. Submit a lead before 23 December and, providing they go on to use our international services within this time, you’ll be entered into our prize draw.

www.parcelforce.com/dreamteam PW

137

6/12

EP

This is your second chance

to win with Dream Team 9!

For every customer that comes onboard and uses our international services as a result of a lead you submit between 24 September – 23 December 2012, you’ll be entered into our prize draw for your chance to win!

WIN YOUR CHOICE OFTHE NEW iPAD!SPORTS TICKETS ORWIN YOUR CHOICE OFSPORTS TICKETS ORWIN YOUR CHOICE OFTHE NEW iPAD!SPORTS TICKETS ORTHE NEW iPAD!

Not only will you win points to redeem on rewards of your choice, you could win sports tickets or the new iPad too!

Terms & conditions apply, see www.parcelforce.com/dreamteam

WATCH & WIN

WHAT IS DREAM TEAM?It’s our internal incentive scheme that provides drivers and depot staff with a mechanism to submit leads for the business.

DID YOU KNOW?Participants can earn up to £1,005 in points for rewards for every lead they submit and nearly £96million has been generated in revenue since its launch some 10 years ago.

PFW News November 2012 13

Sandra and Karl

The quick thinking of Karl Winward helped save a woman trapped in North Yorkshire during the floods which

affected many parts of the country in September. Middlesbrough depot driver Karl was out on his round when he came across Sandra McCourt’s car in a country lane near the village of Holme-on-Swale.

“The sewerage plant had burst its pipes, it was like a torrent,” said Karl. “The car was trapped against the bushes at the side of the road.

“Then I realised there was a lady in the car. She was shouting for help. I said ‘wait there’, which was daft – she wasn’t going anywhere.”

Karl drove to the home of local farmer Jim Wadsworth, who used his tractor to rescue Sandra. The flooding meant that Karl was unable

to get back to the village, so he had to wait until the end of the day to phone Mr Wadsworth for news.

“All day long I was thinking about her. When I found out she was alright I was chuffed to bits. I felt like crying with joy.”

“I was up to my armpits in water,” said Sandra. “Karl arriving like that was perfect timing. I’m just so grateful. The fact

that he cared enough to phone back was lovely.”“I’m not a hero,” said Karl. “I was just in the

right place at the right time.”

LOCAL HERO

Royal appointmentPeterborough telesales advisor Antje

Cowell was honoured with an invitation

to a Buckingham Palace Garden Party

this summer.

Antje was nominated by her boss

Mark Roberts for her community work.

She said: “I’ve been visiting an old

lady, Marion Turnbull, for 14 years.

Helping her is a pleasure, so I don’t feel

I deserved the invitation. I wasn’t going

to turn it down, though.”

Unfortunately Marion couldn’t attend

due to illness.

“She would have loved it but I made

sure to remember everything so I could

tell her the details,” said Antje.

Antje arrived just in time. She said:

“Just as I got there, the Queen and Kate

Middleton came down the steps. They

were just six feet away so by being

fashionably late, I got the best view.

“I feel humbled to have been invited

and it’s such an honour to go in the

Jubilee year.”

In the hot seat

What’s the best part of your job?The variety. I’m switching between being a driver and an acting manager’s role. It’s a different challenge every day.

And the worst?The constant early mornings, I’m not really an early morning person. I guess I’m in the wrong job!

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned?

The most important thing is to respect each other and treat everyone equally.

What three words best describe you?Cheerful, confident and cheeky.

What are you currently reading?Jack Charlton’s autobiography.

Who would be your ideal dinner party guests?My wife, obviously. Nelson Mandela, Cindy Crawford and Michel Platini.

Sean Kavanagh, driver and acting delivery and collection manager, London Central depot

Congratulations to everyone who recently achieved a long service milestone

Antje (right) and Marion

LONG SERVERS

PFW News November 201214

Turn to page 10 to read about the London Central depot

40 YEARSSTEWART JONES, Stoke

30 YEARSGARY FOSTER, NewcastleGERRY FARWELL, London CentralSTEVE LINDOP, BirminghamGORDON THOMSON, London Central

20 YEARSANTHONY CORBETT, BelfastMICHELLE FRIEL, BelfastPETER HUGHES, BirminghamKEVIN COSWAY, BristolEDDIE ROY, Coventry National HubWILLIAM BLACK, GlasgowMEL KENNEDY, IpswichPETE WYARD, IpswichCAROL LONG, LeedsMICHAEL BAGSHAW, LeedsPATRICK BOYLE, LondonderryGORDON CAIRNS, LondonderryLYNDA BOYT, SouthamptonMICHAEL SHELLEY, StokeSTEVEN HEWITT, BelfastCHRIS HACKWOOD, Birmingham

CAREY EVANS, CharltonANDREW MUELLER, CoventryTRYPHENA HAWORTH, ExeterDARREN PICKERSGILL, LeedsDUNCAN BROWN, LeedsANDREW LESTER, LeicesterCARL BARK, LincolnDEAN BOOTH, LincolnPAUL MORGAN, ManchesterANDREW WRIGHT, ManchesterPHILIP WOOD, ManchesterALAN WITHERS, AldershotCHARLES PAPIEROWSKI, PerthSARAH VINCENT, PlymouthDARREN WILLETT, StokeANTHONY CALLAGHAN, Newark

10 YEARSPAUL COOKE, CambridgeJOHN CLIFTON, ExeterDAVE BISSETT, ExeterJOHN FORSYTH, GlasgowPHILIP SHARPSON, LeedsD PARMER, LeedsSTEPHEN BARRON, LeedsMICK SUMMERS, LeicesterJOSEPH BURR, Medway

GORDON BOFFIN, OxfordSIMON GREEN, SouthamptonALAN CLARKE, SouthamptonADAM CURTIS, SouthamptonANDREW BELL, NottinghamBHAVESH SHINDROVA, NottinghamMICHAEL PEACH, RotherhamDAVID GRINDLEY, ShrewsburyTIM MULLINGTON, StokeKAREN SKELTON, BristolGREGORY TAYLOR, BristolJOHN MCDAID, CambridgeROBERT CAVE, CoventryANDY LAMBERT, ExeterROB BURNS, GatwickDOUGLAS ROBERTSON, GatwickMICHAEL HAMPSON, LeicesterKAMAL SHARMA, LeicesterPETER BAILEY, LeicesterSAM DOWSING, LeicesterCHRISTOPHER CARRINGTON, LeicesterBRIAN GREEN, ManchesterTOM MUIR, MitchamDARREN WILLIAMSON, NottinghamWARREN BOWLES, Southampton

Newcastle driver Danny

Carr swapped four wheels

for two when he cycled

from London to Paris,

raising £1,500 for Action

Medical Research.

Danny said: “We cycled

past the Somme and

other First World War

battlefields. The sheer

number of headstones and

crosses numbs the mind a

bit. It was really thought-

provoking.”

The convoy reached Paris

just before the end of the

Tour de France so Danny

stayed on to watch Bradley

Wiggins’ historic victory.

Danny thanked all his

sponsors for supporting his

chosen charity, which funds

research into disease and

disability in children.

School runChildren in a Nepal school are set to benefit from the road-running efforts of Ram Budhathoki.

Ram, a customer service provider at the North West London depot, took part in the 10-mile Great South Run in Portsmouth in October, raising money to fund new school buildings in the village of Bajura.

You can still donate - visit www.justgiving.com/letsdosomething2012, or text NEPA69 with a donation amount, to 70070.

PFW News November 2012 15

Prize Sudoku

Tour de force

5

8 9

4

9

3 25 2

5

6

5 1

7 5

42

63

13 6

4

8

5

1

COMPETITIONCongratulations to Paulo Da Graca from Gatwick depot who wins last issue’s Sudoku puzzle. Love2Shop vouchers worth £50 are up for grabs this month.

To be in with a chance of winning this issue’s Sudoku, send your completed puzzle to: PFW News Sudoku, beetroot, 68 Leonard Street, London, EC2A 4QX. The closing date for entries is 30 November 2012 and the winner will be decided by a prize draw.

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Tel no:

Email:

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SEPTEMBERSOLUTION

Danny at the finish

LAST WORD

Eight months since his return to Parcelforce Worldwide, managing director Gary Simpson explains why these are exciting times for the business

Much has changed since Gary Simpson first joined the Royal Mail Group in the 1980s. But with expansion under way in Parcelforce, a new IT system coming soon and a continuing focus on customer service, there are still plenty of challenges and opportunities ahead.

“There is a lot to be excited about,” said Gary. “Our customer service is excellent and more people want to do business with us. We are part of Royal Mail Group’s strategic plan for growth and there is £75 million of investment to transform us into a much bigger player within the UK market.

“We’ve got a fantastic brand, fantastic service levels, fantastic people delivering profit and the Group is investing for the future. It really

is a cracking time for Parcelforce Worldwide.”

Gary believes balancing growth with quality of service and the flexibility to manage peaks in demand is the key to meeting the challenges of a changing market place. He is also making employee safety a top priority – something he has been passionate about since his days as

an engineer in the manufacturing industry.

New IT and billing systems, due for roll out from January 2014, will have a big impact on the company’s offer to customers, but it is the commitment of frontline colleagues which will really help build for the future.

“Parcelforce is built on the strength of 4,500 people,” Gary added. “We are successful because those people do the right thing at the right time and deliver for our customers. Colleagues who deliver in all weathers, those who work in offices and hubs, the people in customer service and all the support teams, everyone plays a part in delivering our success. Having people of that calibre here makes it a pleasure for me to be MD.”

PFW News November 2012 16

GARY SIMPSON