Post Office kicks off £11m data pitch

The Post Office is on the hunt for three data companies – and a data broker – to help it get closer to its customers through the use of advanced data analytics, for two separate contracts worth a combined £11m.
The Government-owned organisation has released an online tender for three “expert data analytics companies” for a £10m contract.
Meanwhile it is also looking to spend an additional £1m on a data broker, which will provide expert advice and external customer data lists, in a bid to support direct marketing and customer management activity. Suppliers interested in participating in the tender process have until December 9 to apply, with the contract currently set to last 48 months.
The Post Office now offers a raft of services from home phone, broadband and mortgages to car insurance, travel money and mail. Last October, the organisation launched its first TV campaign for two years, through Dare, which showcased the breadth of its services and introduced a new strapline “handled with care”, with the sub-heading “online, on twitter, in branch, by phone”.
The move comes as some 4,000 CWU members at 372 of the UK’s larger Crown post offices are to hold a half-day strike tomorrow (November 20); the latest action in a long-running dispute over jobs, pay and branch closures. In addition to the walk-out, from November 21 CWU staff will not proactively sell Post Office financial services for nine days.