Following a successful MiCard pilot at Foxdale and Anagh Coar Post Offices, Isle of Man Post Office has today begun the first phase of the rollout of the benefits and pensions scheme across the post office’s network.

MiCard uses technology which is designed to make the payment of social security benefits and pensions a lot more convenient and secure to claimants, without the need to carry or wait for traditional printed vouchers and cheques to arrive in the post. No cash value details are stored on the card and customers can access their benefits and pensions from the day that they are due, at a time that suits them, collected by themselves or their nominated proxy.

MiCard not only provides greater convenience for the customer, it also delivers significant efficiencies for Treasury's Social Services division and will continue to support post offices around the Isle of Man.

Isle of Man Post Office’s Director of Innovation & Technology Simon Kneen is responsible for the delivery of Isle of Man Post Office’s key strategic projects.

He said: “It is the view of the Board that the Post Office should continue to be a vehicle for Government when making services and information available to the public and MiCard is the first step to support the delivery of digital Government services. It is vitally important that we work to support the Government’s digital strategy and we are delighted to have been working with the Office of Human Resources to digitise their archived and current records and are playing a fundamental role in the 2016 interim Census project.”

He added: “Accessing and transacting information and services online is inevitable in this ever-changing world and we are keen to introduce digital solutions which transition customers from the traditional way of doing things to the digital form, in a pace that suits them whilst still being able to offer them a choice of how to do their business.”

MiCard paved the way for the Post Office to have a digital strategy of its own with its aim to protect traditional postal services and revenue whilst at the same time creating, developing and introducing other ways of keeping the post office business sustainable. A digital strategy was also needed for business efficiency and improvement, protecting current services and developing new service options.

Simon continued: “Interacting with our customers in new ways, creating customer portal access to postal and digital services is essential for our expansion. We must introduce ways of enhancing our customer service and striving to improve the way we deliver our various services and products to customers both on and off Island. The digital strategy also exists to generate new profits from new products and new markets, supports our need to diversify while assisting Government with the delivery of its digital strategy and utilising our core competences.”

Moving in this direction is key to Isle of Man Post Office’s business model. The opportunities to further grow the business are available, albeit with some stiff competition, but its core competences can give the Post Office an edge when competing for international work, which not only brings financial benefits to the Isle of Man Post Office, but also to the Island’s economy in terms of Island employment and job security.

An independent recommendation to corporatise the Post Office has been well documented recently, indeed the Governance Structure for Isle of Man Post Office Report will be considered by Tynwald this week. The Board of Isle of Man Post Office have long held the belief that corporatisation of the post office is the best framework for the business to operate in. There is an expectation for Isle of Man Post Office to generate a profit each year and therefore it should be operating as a fully commercial business structure while 100% owned by Government. A change in status would allow the business to flourish and indeed the report by Elmar Toime confirms diversification is the way forward. The export market is where profit comes from and where future growth is. Corporatisation of Posts around the world is widespread.