30 July 2008

Royal Mail, the UK’s national provider of mail and parcel delivery services, is buying more than 25,000 handheld CN3 computers from manufacturer Intermec. The CN3 handheld runs Windows Mobile, which supports direct push wireless e-mail giving users real-time connectivity with the corporate network.

The computers are part of Royal Mail’s investment in new technology to modernise, improve efficiency and customer service while cutting operational costs. Royal Mail CIO Robin Dargue said: “We embarked on a series of trials across the UK late last year to test the suitability, compatibility and benefits of a postal digital assistant for both our customers and our staff. The feedback from both groups was extremely positive especially when it came to ease of use of the CN3.”

Royal Mail delivers 80 million items a day to 28 million addresses. The Intermec CN3 mobile computer will enable Royal Mail to improve on its current paper-based system for collecting signatures for the majority of its tracked products, including Special Delivery and Recorded Signed For services. A signature will be collected on the handheld device which is then sent via GPRS wireless technology to enable sending customers to confirm delivery, and view the signature, within 15 minutes. The CN3 mobile computers will be rolled out to postmen and women who deliver guaranteed delivery items by van from late summer.

Intermec says the CN3, with up to four integrated radios including GPS, enables more expedient processes for the mobile worker through 1D and 2D bar code scanning.

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