Plan routes for the collection and delivery of mail
Overview
This standard is about planning routes for collecting and delivering mail to different destinations. This includes routes that are internal to the mail sorting business and those external to the sorting premises, and to external customers.
The role will take account of any factors that can affect the distribution of the mail, including route planning, and making the best use of the resources and costs available. Route planning should be clearly communicated so that instructions can be followed correctly by internal staff, subcontractors and delivery partners.
This standard covers staff working in all mail service environments, including Royal Mail. The role of route planning is a specialist role, often carried out by individuals who are not part of the usual mail operations roles.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- comply with the relevant health and safety and bio-security requirements and follow organisational procedures in relation to route planning for the collection and delivery of mail
- obtain details of collection and delivery requirements, including any special instructions or client requests, and incorporate these when planning routes
- obtain details of the types of mail being collected and delivered
- identify mail items requiring special handling
- plan the routes and optimum sequence for collecting and delivering the mail
- identify and respond to any problems along the planned routes
- verify that costs and resources are being used effectively during the collection and delivery of mail
- record planned routes in the relevant information and recording system, in accordance with organisational procedures, and following all relevant data and information security regulations relating to staff, customers and delivery partners
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
the relevant industry and organisational health and safety and bio-security requirements when working in mail services, and your - responsibilities for yourself and others
the relevant organisational procedures for planning routes for the collection and delivery of mail
- the different planning methods for determining routes to internal and external customers
- the information that is required in order to plan routes for the collection and delivery of mail
- the factors that affect the collection and delivery of mail
- the types of mail that need to be collected and delivered and the relevant routes and destinations
- the types of special handling requirements for different types of mail
- the problems that can be encountered and the methods for rectifying any issues or problems
- the relevance of the effective use of resources and costs when planning routes for the collection and delivery of mail
- the relevant organisational policies on confidentiality and data protection legislation
- the information and recording systems used by the organisation and the requirements for maintaining records