Modernising Eastern Europe postal service for digital consumers.
Given the dynamic changes in the digital communications landscape, the Eastern European Postal Service recognised the need to modernise and adapt its operations. Aware of our proven track record, they approached us to lead their digital transformation efforts.
This government-owned agency has long served as the cornerstone of postal services in its Eastern European homeland. Its current iteration took shape when the country decided to separate the postal and telecommunications sectors: a change made for historical reasons. Today, the agency operates under the aegis of a government ministry and is member of both the Telematics Cooperative and the Universal Postal Union.
Transitioning into its current offerings, the agency stands as the only national postal operator in the Eastern European country. It provides the country’s citizens with a range of postal, financial and business services, both online and through its physical post offices, with thousands of employees across various localities.
As a representative member of the Universal Postal Union: the country is committed to the enhancement of postal services on a local and global scale. They collaborate with worldwide organisations to push forward technology adoption and innovation: streamlining processes, improving current services and introducing non-traditional postal offerings.
The agency has recently spearheaded “people-first approach” tech advances in the region’s postal sector. They are actively promoting innovation and change in the industry in conjunction with global bodies such as the EMS Cooperative, Telematics Cooperative, PostEurop and the Regional Communications Community.
They are known for their reliability, quality, development and professionalism, combined with a progressive approach to modern technology and services. With a focus on providing an exceptional customer experience, they are expanding their service offerings across all industries and embracing the latest technologies to increase profitability while maintaining a customer-centric approach.
Mindful of the fact that in a complex digital landscape, even the slightest lack of insight can severely compromise processes, they turned to us for expert advice. We’ve not only rebuilt their IT systems from the ground up, but also helped them pioneer the introduction of a government-approved e-payment service.
To achieve this, our team architected their website and platform, implementing best-practice technology solutions tailored to the agency’s mission, values and goals. Knowing how important transparency is in delivering a customer-centric solution—we worked with their in-house team with an agile and empathetic approach—to ensure a 360-degree, cohesive strategy that will positively transform multiple areas of the business.
Thanks to this infrastructure and our partnership, the results were ground breaking. For the first time in the country’s postal history, the agency’s customers are now able to make online payments; use a reliable booking and tracking system domestically and internationally; complete customs declarations online; and much more. And all this within a single seamless ecosystem.
In our quest to deliver innovative solutions, we at EBS Integrator have worked closely with the Agency to achieve four key objectives: strengthen its postal network, increase mail volumes, develop new services through advanced technologies and improve the quality of all business services.
Re-inventing the postal service for the digital age
Demand for traditional postal services has declined significantly with the advent of the digital age. This has affected the profitability of postal organisations worldwide, with some on the verge of collapse.
This shift in consumer behaviour, driven by the growth of open banking services and the widespread use of smartphones, has forced postal organisations to reinvent themselves.
To counter the threat of becoming obsolete, leading postal services in Europe and the Americas are moving from the traditional postal service model to a more advanced service provider model.
Yet digital transformation is quite a challenge for organisations that are deeply rooted in legacy practices. To stay ahead of the game, they need to break free from these outdated systems.
Legacy IT infrastructure, outdated hardware and siloed software have historically held postal organisations back, preventing them from achieving the efficiency and convenience of digitally-driven organisations.
New technology implementation proved to be a difficult task due to internal and external integration issues and staff training gaps. As a result, few in the service were adequately prepared to use the new technology effectively. Previous attempts to integrate new technologies or systems had all failed – bloated code, buggy systems and sub-optimal architecture. Some functionality existed, but staff agreed that the user experience was not up to scratch. So change was essential.
Laying the groundwork for digital transformation
To address these challenges effectively, the agency called for a comprehensive strategy. We at EBS Integrator know how important it is to work as a team and be transparent at all stages—so we ensured that the project was based on mutual trust and clarity. Together we laid out a series of key steps tailored to the agency’s unique objectives:
- Business analysis and documentation of business cases
- Design and prototyping the solution
- IT systems testing and development
- Systems integration for all business processes
- Staff training and developing, teaching materials
- One-year maintenance from the date of launch
The groundwork began with a detailed business analysis, business case documentation and a full audit of the system to track changes in real time. These insights laid the foundation for a rigorous QA and testing process, enabling our team to identify and fix bugs before they reached the customer.
The agency wanted to adopt a customer-centric, digital-first approach that would encourage innovation and build on its long history of trust. This meant that training their staff was essential to drive this culture change.
Beyond these objectives, we worked with the agency to identify four key areas for improvement: information security, platform interface, user registration and payments. Each of these areas was essential to building a comprehensive system that would meet the needs of the modern consumer. 
Given the Agency’s reputation for trust—information security was identified as a top priority. In order to achieve its overall IT development goals and maintain transparency, we adopted a future-proof approach to information security.
“EBS Integrator has been instrumental in putting us ahead of the competition by providing us with cutting-edge technology solutions that address the rapidly changing needs of our customers. By moving online all our services, we have been able to consolidate our position as the leading postal service provider in our region.”
Due to the increasing competition in the postal sector, we tailored the online portal to the specific needs of consumers across the country—implementing a user-friendly registration process.
In addition to simplifying the registration process, we also introduced a new platform interface. This has enhanced their brand identity and improved workflows for the entire operation, staff and stakeholders. This move from complex, convoluted processes to automated, flexible workflows resulted in increased efficiency.
Lastly, to meet national economic objectives and the country’s own digitalisation efforts, we launched an online payment system. This was part of a wider effort to support the growth of e-commerce across the country, in response to the necessities arising from a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Unlocking new opportunities through widespread digital transformation
Traditional organizations are barely keeping up with the pace at which society, culture, and business are moving online. One of the most pressing issues they face is the emergence of electronic payments. However, a step forward has been made with the signing of an agreement between the Agency and its national customs service – a commitment to promote digitalization throughout the economy, with a focus on promoting e-commerce.
Given these circumstances, the Agency entrusted us with this challenge based on our successful track record in implementing state/nationally significant projects in the following areas: information systems development, integration with government services, and electronic payment systems development.
We accepted the challenge and pioneered a government-approved service that streamlines payments across multiple methods (credit cards, payment terminals, e-banking and cash). This cutting-edge solution proved ingenious as it seamlessly integrated with the government’s other two digital-first services.
The solution we delivered streamlined the agency’s services, reducing the workload for staff and speeding up the quality and service for customers. This has resulted in significant operational efficiencies, lower operating costs, and increased accuracy in mail processing and delivery.
We also improved the agency’s customer experience by developing a new intuitive user interface. Customers can choose from a range of innovative services for the region, such as online payments, delivery tracking and service requests.
As a trusted IT solutions provider, we are proud of the role we have played in enabling the Agency, and by extension the nation, to face future challenges and advances with confidence. This has been achieved through the development of a robust IT ecosystem, staff training and continuous maintenance.
Through these technological upgrades, we have fundamentally reinvented the Post Office, balancing tradition and a track record of success with new digital-first services. As a result, we have ensured the long-term sustainability of the Post Office—backing it up through a scalable, low-maintenance platform—serving as a springboard for future innovation and technology integration.
