Think technology is taking over everywhere? Think again. Australia Post has announced a plan to modernise rural and regional post offices. One of the key upgrades? Upgrading 432 branches which are still using manual point of sale systems.
Picture: Melanie Hughes
Here’s how Australia Post explains that element of the plan in its media release:
Offering connection to Australia Post’s electronic point of sale system (EPOS) for 432 LPOs [licensed post offices] that currently use manual processes. This will allow these stores to offer customers additional services such as payment by credit card or EFTPOS and banking services.
Quite frankly, the mind boggles out that thought of operating any kind of business without an electronic POS system. It’s quite possible that the smaller LPOs do have electronic systems for other products they sell, and stick to manual processes purely for postal activities. But that still sounds unnecessarily painful and low-margin.
Comments
7 responses to “There Are 432 Australia Post Branches Without Computers”
I think maybe it has to do with how many LPOs are just the back room of another business. It sounds a bit dumb but I know a lot of people who I ship to would much rather a bare bones satellite LPO in the back of a news agency than the dedicated post office that’s four hours away.
Manual POS doesn’t mean it isn’t electronic, just means they are using a standard POS system that isn’t connected to Australia Poet’s servers. So most likely to be a basic computerised cash register POS system rather than a computer based one
Along with other things like the local bank and the local NRMA office.
For many of the sites, the biggest challenge will be getting reliable internet. My in-laws have a country store in a mobile black spot in Rural NSW. The best internet they have is dodgy satellite. They offer eftpos, though using dial up, and have a manual till. Interested to see what will be offered to them!
^ This
As surprising as it might seem there are still many places in regional Australia with inadequate internet infrastructure. My sister in-law runs a cafe 40ks from what’s technically a city and she cant use eft when the phone’s busy.
wouldn’t it be great if the government could get behind some sort of a crazy idea like…oh…I don’t know, a National Broadband Network.
Ohhh – but that’s just for downloading movies, isn’t it? This goverment is so-shorted, it makes Mr Magoo look like he has 20-20 vision!
Yup. I used to work in local government in rural Queensland a couple years ago. Our Council prided itself on being forward thinking and tech savvy, and wanted mobile solutions that required net connectivity. Not even Telstra could come through consistently enough to make it workable.
I’m sure they *could* have, but decided they wouldn’t make enough of a profit..
Very misleading title there, guys. Computers does not equal EFTPOS