Canada Post closes location in Kitchener, Ontario
In an effort to reduce costs within the organization, the Canada Post will shutter an office in Kitchener, Ontario. The facility will officially close on July 19. The close follows an extensive effort by employees and residents to keep their post office alive in Market Square. Canada Post first made the announcement of a possible closure on March 25, 2013, but customers, supported by the Kitchener City Council, protested and signed petitions to try and stop the retail location from closing.
"We hope you can appreciate that these decisions are not taken lightly and will help ensure the long-term sustainability of Canada Post," said John Reis, general manager of retail business for the agency.
Coping with the loss
Customers of the current Kitchener postal location will still have 11 post offices around the Market Square area to complete their direct mailing needs , but that doesn't negate the fact many community residents feel as if they're lost a local establishment.
"It's sad for the citizens of Kitchener to lose a corporate Canada Post office," employee Lynn Brunett told The Guelph Mercury. "It's an institution."
As the organization restructures and figures out the best way to cut costs, management is turning to community representatives from around the country for their input, according to The Guardian. John Farnand, vice-president of engineering and postal transformation at Canada Post, learned that customers would rather accept slower delivery times for increased reliability. The most important thing for them was that they receive their mail by the promised date, rather than as soon as possible.
At a time when customers are looking for reliable postal service ahead of rapid speed, address verification software can prove vital for the completion of delivery. Verification software allows direct mail marketing campaigns managers to send bulk mail to the correct addresses. Without address validation, organizations stand to lose resources that could be put towards business growth or employee retention. As the postal organization restructures, it is essential for businesses to ensure marketing efforts are reaching their subscribers.